California Roots Music & Arts Festival
- Dates
- May 28 to 30, 2027
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Monterey County Fair & Event Center
- Price
- Not announced
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 23, 2026
California Roots Music & Arts Festival returns to Monterey, CA, May 28 to 30, 2027. Froligo tracks ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
The experience
What's special
California Roots (Cali Roots) has run since 2010 and bills itself as the largest reggae-rock festival in the world, a three-day Memorial Day weekend gathering at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. It blends reggae, roots, hip-hop and rock with a deliberately laid-back, community-driven culture that draws travelers from across the country
What people love
Regulars describe Cali Roots less as a concert than a destination and a culture, praising the exceptionally chill, welcoming crowd and security, the strong roots-reggae performances, and a sense of community that repeat travelers say keeps them coming back year after year
Last time around (2026)
The 2026 edition returned to the Monterey County Fairgrounds over Memorial Day weekend (May 22-24). It unfolded against open community uncertainty about the festival's future, with the venue contract reportedly set to expire and a founder's lawsuit scheduled for June 2026, prompting fans to ask publicly whether this would be the last Cali Roots at Monterey
Listen
Tap an artist to play them right here.
No official playlist linked yet. Find California Roots Music & Arts Festival on Spotify.
Lineup
2027 lineup not yet announced. Here's who played in 2026:
Getting there
Nearest airport MRY.
How do I get to California Roots Music & Arts Festival?
By car
Most people drive to California Roots Music & Arts Festival. The nearest major airport is MRY, and from there it is a straightforward drive to the venue. Check current road and traffic conditions before you set off, and see parking below.
By train
For attendees coming up/down the coast rather than flying: Amtrak's Coast Starlight (daily, LA-Bay Area-Seattle) stops at Salinas, and Amtrak Thruway motorcoaches connect Salinas station to Monterey as one through-ticket, with Monterey stops including the Transit Plaza (Amtrak station code MRY a bus stop, not the airport) and the Monterey Marriott. From the Transit Plaza the fairgrounds is ~2 mi MST Route 7 or a short rideshare finishes the trip
Book / info →By bus & public transit
Intercity coaches from LA, San Francisco, San Jose and beyond stop at the Salinas Train Station (3 Station Place, Salinas) the only Greyhound/FlixBus stop in the area. From Salinas Transit Center, MST Route 20 (Monterey, Salinas) runs to Monterey Transit Plaza; then MST Route 7 or a short rideshare covers the last ~2 mi to the fairgrounds
Book / info →Rally runs round-trip event coaches to California Roots from ~26 pickup points around California, with drop-off right at the fairgrounds gate and the same bus home each night. Reclining seats, WiFi, power outlets, onboard restroom; coolers and non-glass food/drink allowed, alcohol for 21+. Note the crowdsourced model: 'A trip gets confirmed once a minimum number of riders book seats (usually 25)' book early and watch for the confirmation
Book / info →MST Route 7 (Monterey, Ryan Ranch) links Monterey Transit Plaza downtown with the Monterey Regional Airport, and its official schedule map shows it running the Fremont/Aguajito/Garden Rd corridor past Monterey Pines Golf Course i.e. the festival's own parking area between downtown and the airport. Fare is $2.00 regular / $1.00 discount single ride (2-hour window incl. transfers when paying contactless), $6.00 daily cap, tap-to-pay with any contactless bank card or mobile wallet onboard. CAUTION: the festival/venue guidance still references 'bus lines #9 and #10' on Fremont St, but MST's current official route list no longer shows a Route 9 or 10 those appear to be legacy numbers, so riders should trip-plan on mst.org rather than rely on the festival's stale route numbers
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare
Both Uber and Lyft operate at MRY, and six permitted taxi companies (California Taxi, Green Cab, Marina Taxi, Salinas Taxicab Services, Salinas Yellow Cab, VIP Taxi) serve the terminal with no reservation needed, regulated by the Monterey County Regional Taxi Authority. A $4.00 airport surcharge is added to taxi meter rates. The venue is only ~2 road miles from the terminal, so this is the practical default for fly-in attendees a 5-10 minute hop
Book / info →Taxis and rideshare such as Uber and Lyft can be limited near the venue, especially late at night or in rural areas. Agree a pickup point and time in advance and keep a backup plan.
🅿 Parking
No on site parking. Use nearby lots or transit. Cost No parking at the fairgrounds itself for attendees: official festival parking is at Monterey Pines Golf Club (1250 Garden Rd, Monterey, CA 93940), within walking distance of the festival grounds, open 10am-12am daily, with space limited and first-come. No overnight parking and no RV parking the venue's event page warns vehicles left after hours will be towed at the owner's expense, and urges carpools, taxis, public transit, or shuttle service instead. the official general-info wording reads first-come) No ParkMobile/SpotHero-style third-party prepay platform is documented; any advance sales would run through the festival's ticketer Tixr (tixr.com/groups/californiaroots).
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at MRY
Genuinely useful here despite the airport being next door to the venue: the festival's partner campgrounds sit well outside Monterey (the Santa Cruz/Monterey Bay KOA is ~30 mi north near Watsonville), festival parking at Monterey Pines is limited/first-come, and many fly-in attendees bolt on Big Sur/Carmel. Rental counters are in the MRY terminal near baggage claim per the airport's official transportation page. Attendees staying on N Fremont St within walking distance of the gate can skip the car entirely
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Monterey County Fair & Event Center
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near California Roots Music & Arts Festival?
Hotels nearby 5
2141 N Fremont St ~0.1 mi from the Monterey Fairgrounds per HotelGuides' proximity listing: effectively at the gate, the closest walkable option found
Link coming soonbudget motel tier, named for the venue
Link coming soonN Fremont St ~0.3 mi from the fairgrounds per HotelGuides' proximity listing; easy walk to the gate
Link coming soon1 Old Golf Course Rd, beside Del Monte Golf Course the nearest full-service resort option, roughly 1 mi from the fairgrounds (map-knowledge estimate, not an official figure)
Link coming soonDowntown at Custom House Plaza, ~2.5 mi from the fairgrounds (estimate)
Link coming soonAirbnb & private camping
Monterey/Seaside/Marina and Pacific Grove carry substantial short-term-rental inventory, and the neighborhoods around N Fremont St and Del Rey Oaks put many listings within walking or short-drive range of the fairgrounds note the City of Monterey and Pacific Grove both regulate/limit STRs, which keeps supply tighter than raw tourist demand suggests. The festival lands on Memorial Day weekend, peak Monterey tourism; either way, booking early for this particular weekend is the safe advice
Search Airbnb →A genuinely strong tier for this festival given the venue itself offers no camping: Monterey County has real Hipcamp inventory across Carmel Valley, the Salinas Valley, Prunedale, and toward Big Sur private-land tent sites, glamping, and ranch stays typically 20-45 min from the fairgrounds by car. a car is effectively required
Search Hipcamp →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Pricing
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