Monterey Jazz Festival

Friday, September 24 - Sunday, September 26, 2021

***Monterey Jazz Festival awaits news from the County about what health and safety protocols will be in place for large events following the Stateʻs plans to reopen June 15th. MJF looks forward to a possible in-person event this year. Please check back later for updates.***

To usher in their 63^rd year, The Monterey Jazz Festival is going virtual, live on their YouTube channel. Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27 from 5-7pm PST each day. Festival participants will be treated to never-before-seen archival footage plus exciting new performances and personal messages from the MJF family of artists, volunteers, patrons and board members. The Monterey Jazz Festival, the longest continuously-running annual jazz event in the world, began in 1958 with San Francisco jazz radio broadcaster Jimmy Lyons as its founder. All proceeds from the event will support the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the jazz artists featured at the Virtual Festival.

Watch Parties

If you’re a local or planning to visiti the area during the live streaming event, be sure to check out these social-distanced watching parties:

Monterey County Fairgrounds: The home of Monterey Jazz Festival hosts two nights of drive-in style watching parties. The Drive-In style screening starts at 5pm PST with virtual MJF63 and then concludes with Clint Eastwood’s movie “True Crime” on Friday and “Play Misty for Me” on Saturday.
Casa Munras: Jazz lovers are invited to view the Monterey Jazz Festival virtually and dine over a 3-course prix fixe meal curated by Executive Chef Gus Trejo each evening from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. on the patio at the award-winning Estéban Restaurant. Reservations are required. Check out the menu here.
Monterey Marriott: Offering a special Monterey Jazz Festival 2-Nights stay that includes both virtual and drive-in packages, hotel welcome amenity, valet parking and swag bag if booked before September 10.

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Music

Whether you prefer jazz, blues, folk, or American song, the discerning jazz music fan is sure to find both old favorites and visionary new artists to love at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Notable performers to appear in 2019's lineup includes Chris Botti, Diana Krall, Kenny Barron, Dave Holland and many others. Visit the official site for a full listing of the scheduled performances that grace the eight Monterey Jazz Festival stages.

10 Reasons to Visit the Monterey Jazz Festival

Mission

The Monterey Jazz Festival is more than just a three-day event. As a nonprofit, Monterey Jazz Festival is devoted to education by presenting year-round local, regional, national, and international programs. Schools in Monterey County and thousands of students have been the benefactors of the Festival’s educational efforts through the Traveling Clinicians Program, Summer Jazz Camp and Monterey County All-Star Bands, which embark on annual performance trips each summer. The Festival now spends over $500,000 annually on its programs, including the Next Generation Jazz Festival, gathering the best student bands from across the nation each spring, the Next Generation Jazz Orchestra, selecting the country’s best musicians for summer tour each year, and the Artist-In-Residence program, which brings an renowned artist to work with young musicians in performances and clinics at the Next Generation Jazz Festival, Summer Jazz Camp, and at the Monterey Jazz Festival.