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Monterey Jazz Festival 2025 is ready to bring its sweet sounds to California's coast this summer. Since its founding in 1958, this legendary jazz festival has celebrated the nation's creativity and cultural heritage. Attendees can look forward to seeing performances by iconic jazz musicians, famed composers, and the rising generation of music's next big stars. Here's everything you need to know if you plan to attend.
Attending the Monterey Jazz Festival This Summer
Monterey Jazz Festival 2025 is set to take place from Sept. 26 through Sept. 28 at the Monterey County Fairgrounds. With this gorgeous location offering more than 20 oak-lined acres for guests to spread out on, there's always room to relax and explore while enjoying world-class music. During the three-day event, performances will take place on five different stages. Take your pick from the Jimmy Lyons Stage inside the arena, the Tim Jackson Garden Stage presented by Kaiser Permanente and Alaska Airlines, the Pacific Jazz Café presented by SFJAZZ, and the Courtyard Stage presented by Folktale Winery & Vineyards.
Getting Tickets for the Jazz Festival
Festival attendees enjoy a variety of flexible ticket options. Whether you intend to catch every performance you can during the long weekend or prefer to pop in for a single day, there's a ticket option for you. The most popular choice is the three-day ticket package that gives you access to performances on all days of the festival. Meanwhile, you can choose between one-day tickets on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
The important thing to know when selecting your ticket is that ground tickets and arena tickets are different. Both ticket options provide access to performances taking place at Tim Jackson Garden Stage, Courtyard Stage, Jazz Café, and Dizzy’s Den. Both also include full access to all grounds, food vendors, shops, and facilities. However, only arena tickets will give you access to the Jimmy Lyons Stage and the event's headliner performances.
Some Important Things to Know
Whether you've attended the festival before or this is your first year, it's important to know that rules and procedures constantly change. Ensure you're up to speed on the latest rules regarding parking, transportation, and what attendees can bring to the grounds. Here's a quick rundown of some need-to-know details:
- Only clear or mesh bags are allowed at the Monterey County Fairgrounds for safety purposes. Please ensure that any bags or totes you carry into the festival are clear or mesh. Small clutches that are not clear or mesh will be accepted.
- Chair rentals are available through a vendor called conCHAIRto.
- All event tickets, food, vendor, and parking purchases are cashless.
- Parking passes for the fairgrounds are available only for those with arena package tickets.
- Monterey-Salinas Transit shuttles go between Monterey Peninsula College parking lots and the festival every 10 minutes.
- Student and military discounts are available.
Remember that Monterey Jazz Festival 2025 tickets will be electronic, mobile, or print-at-home. Starting on Sept. 8, tickets will be available for access through Etix accounts. You can either print your ticket at home or save it to your mobile device.
Get Ready for an Unforgettable Weekend of Jazz in Monterey
There's nothing like seeing new legends and rising talent come together for one of California's biggest cultural and musical events of the year. In addition to being an incredible experience for music lovers, the Monterey Jazz Festival is also a great reason to stay in the area for a few days to soak up the history, amazing coastal views, and incredible cuisine. Let's say Monterey is the perfect place if a lifestyle of elegance is music to your ears!
