Monterey Jazz Festival 2027

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Monterey Jazz Festival

The Monterey Jazz Festival in Monterey, California, is the world’s oldest continuously running jazz festival. It was co-founded in 1958 by disc jockey Jimmy Lyons and critic Ralph J. Gleason, with early championing from Dave Brubeck, and the first edition featured legends such as Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Dizzy Gillespie. Its only interruption came in 2020. The festival is a nonprofit, and since its founding its proceeds have gone to jazz education.

Held annually over a long weekend each September, the festival spreads roughly 500 artists across multiple stages on the 20-acre, oak-shaded Monterey County Fairgrounds. Headliners play the main arena, while the Garden Stage, Dizzy’s Den and smaller club-style rooms serve up everything from straight-ahead bebop and big bands to Latin jazz, blues, soul and cutting-edge improvisers.

Monterey Jazz Festival Highlights:

• Jimmy Lyons Stage Arena Headliners: The main arena hosts the weekend’s biggest names in marquee concerts, from Grammy-winning vocalists and bandleaders to veteran masters and genre-crossing stars.
• Multiple Grounds Stages: The Tim Jackson Garden Stage, Dizzy’s Den, the Courtyard Stage and other intimate venues let you wander the fairgrounds sampling blues jams, piano trios, Afro-Cuban grooves and experimental sets, with no fixed seat required.
• Next Generation Jazz: The festival’s education roots show in its student performances, featuring top high school and college ensembles and the all-star Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, often the first place to hear tomorrow’s jazz talent.
• Food, Art & Festival Village: Between sets, browse food stalls with everything from Gulf-style gumbo and barbecue to local Monterey seafood, plus craft vendors, jazz photography exhibits, conversations with artists and film screenings around the grounds.

Tips for Visitors & Trip Planning:

• Tickets: Choose between Arena tickets (reserved seats for the main-stage headliners, plus grounds access) and cheaper Grounds passes, which cover all the other stages but not the arena. Both come as single-day or full-weekend options. Arena seats for the most popular nights sell out early, so buy as soon as the line-up is announced.
• Getting Around the Grounds: Grab a printed schedule and plan your route between stages, since popular sets in the smaller rooms can fill quickly. Bring a low-back chair or blanket for the lawn areas, and expect all festival purchases to be cashless.
• Getting There: Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) is just minutes from the fairgrounds, and San Jose and San Francisco airports are roughly one and two hours’ drive away. On-site parking is very limited and sells out early, so plan on rideshare or the festival shuttle from Monterey Peninsula College parking.
• What to Wear: Monterey’s coastal weather changes quickly, with sunny afternoons often giving way to cool, foggy evenings. Dress in layers, bring a warm jacket for late arena shows, and wear comfortable shoes for moving between stages.
• Accommodation: Festival weekend is one of the busiest times on the Monterey Peninsula, and hotels in Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel fill fast, so booking well in advance is strongly recommended.
• Explore Monterey: Make a weekend of it with the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row and Old Fisherman’s Wharf, whale-watching cruises on the bay, or a scenic drive along 17-Mile Drive to Pebble Beach and Carmel-by-the-Sea — browse top Monterey tours and activities here.

The full line-up, stage schedule and ticket options are published on the official Monterey Jazz Festival website ahead of each edition. See details below, under “Event Related Information” section.