Monterey Jazz Festival
- Dates
- Expected September 2026
- Status
- Confirmed
- Venue
- Monterey County Fairgrounds
- Price
- $65 to $90
- Camping
- None on site
- Last checked
- Aug 23, 2026
Monterey Jazz Festival returns to Monterey, CA, Expected September 2026, with Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis, Cecile McLorin Salvant, plus 35 more. Froligo tracks the confirmed lineup, current ticket prices, attendee feedback and travel details.
The experience
What's special
The Monterey Jazz Festival, staged every September on the oak-studded Monterey County Fairgrounds since 1958, is billed as the longest-running jazz festival in the world. Across a weekend it spreads hundreds of jazz, blues and related performers over a main arena stage plus numerous smaller grounds stages, sheds and clubs, pairing marquee headliners with up-and-coming and student artists. Attendees describe a laid-back, all-ages atmosphere set against the cool, sometimes foggy weather of the Monterey Peninsula coast
What people love
Attendees consistently praise the breadth and quality of the programming, describing a bill of jazz greats and newcomers where nearly every act is enjoyable, and they value being able to roam between multiple simultaneous stages to discover lesser-known performers. The relaxed, friendly crowd and the attractive fairgrounds setting come up repeatedly, and many call the weekend worth every penny even as they note that some sets draw long lines and that nearby lodging gets expensive and scarce over the festival
Last time around (2025)
The most recent edition, the 68th, was held in September 2025 and was received warmly, with press describing a festival resonating with joy and optimism. As in past years it combined arena headline concerts with a deep slate of grounds performances and student showcases; recurring attendee notes across recent editions include long lines for some sets, high demand and prices for nearby lodging over the weekend, and cool, foggy evening weather
Listen
Tap an artist to play them right here.
No official playlist linked yet. Find Monterey Jazz Festival on Spotify.
Lineup
Getting there
Nearest airport MRY.
How do I get to Monterey Jazz Festival?
By car
Most people drive to Monterey Jazz 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
No rail station in Monterey itself. The Coast Starlight stops at Salinas; Amtrak's own Thruway bus connects Salinas↔Monterey twice daily (~35 min), with a stop directly at the Monterey Transit Plaza and near the Marriott/Hyatt Regency, both featured festival-partner hotels
Book / info →By bus & public transit
MST runs bus service to/from Monterey Regional Airport (MRY), 4 miles from the Monterey County Fairgrounds. This is separate from MST's dedicated festival park-and-ride shuttle (Monterey Peninsula College lot → fairgrounds, every ~10 min), which is the venue-specific leg once in town
Book / info →Taxi & rideshare
Uber and Lyft both operate at MRY with advance in-app reservations supported and a designated pickup zone outside the terminal MRY to the Fairgrounds is a short ~10-15 min hop on the Peninsula
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
Cost Fairgrounds lot sold out; MPC lot pricing not yet published for 2026 at time of research. Separately, RV parking (not general parking) is sold as a Full Weekend Package add-on: spaces include electricity/water/sewer, RVs over 38ft must be self-contained, non-refundable reservations via 831-373-0366, priced around $200/night per RV per third-party estimate (not an official per-night figure official page only confirms the package structure)
🚙 Car hire
Compare car hire at MRY
Not required for the festival weekend itself (MPC park-and-ride shuttle and rideshare both cover it), but useful for attendees pairing the festival with a wider Big Sur/17-Mile Drive/Carmel Peninsula trip, which is a very common add-on for this destination festival
Search car hire →Live price search coming soon.
Where
Venue
Monterey County Fairgrounds
Camping & Accommodation
Where can I stay near Monterey Jazz Festival?
No on site camping. Here is where to stay nearby.
Hotels nearby 6
1.4 miles from Monterey County Fairgrounds
Shuttle Complimentary shuttle to the festival for guests who book a room hotel's own event page: 'Reserve a room at Hotel 1110 and enjoy complimentary shuttle service to the Monterey Jazz Festival.' Guests RSVP and call the hotel directly (831-655-0515) to schedule a drop-off time individually arranged, not a fixed public timetable
Link coming soonAirbnb & private camping
Monterey's Airbnb/hotel market runs notably expensive during festival weekend one third-party estimate put the average weekend hotel rate in Monterey at ~$622/night during the festival, and official partner-hotel rooms are explicitly described as 'limited'
Search Airbnb →Hipcamp lists 65+ private campsites directly in the Monterey area (plus hundreds more river/forest/glamping options within the wider search radius), starting around $35-36/night a genuine budget alternative to the ~$600/night hotel-weekend market, for attendees willing to drive in daily via the MPC park-and-ride shuttle or rideshare rather than book a fairgrounds RV space
Search Hipcamp →Accessibility & comfort
What the organiser or venue publishes about getting around, and what they do not.
Accessible seating available through the ticketing provider or by phone (831-308-4653); ADA passenger loading/unloading area near the main entrance; limited ADA parking on Fairground Road, first-come first-served; free hearing-impaired devices available at Patron Services, per official FAQ
Confirm your specific needs with the organiser's access team before you travel.
Pricing
Price history and tiers
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