2020 Monterey Jazz Festival Postponed Until September 24-26

The Monterey Jazz Festival announced today the postponement of the 2020 festival until September 24-26, 2021. The postponement, the first in the Monterey Jazz Festival's 62-year history, comes after careful consideration of the realities of COVID-19's impact on the health and safety of the festival's audience, artists, volunteers, and students.

Safety remains the festival's top priority during these unsettling times, and the decision to postpone was made after carefully considering the continued threat of COVID-19 into the fall, as well as national, state, and local restrictions on travel and large event gatherings.

"2020 is my 30th year as part of the Monterey Jazz Festival family and I am deeply saddened to come to the realization that this year's festival is not to be," said Tim Jackson, MJF's Artistic Director. "We must recognize our current world situation and put the health and safety of our artists, patrons, staff, and volunteers first. I am extremely proud of the artistic programming that was planned for this year. It would have been exciting, diverse, and fun with both forward motion and respect for legacy and history, which is a Monterey tradition. It is my hope to present the majority of our 2020 artists next year. Meanwhile, we will be working diligently to bring you exciting, new programs and content virtually over the following months while we build for next year's festival, scheduled for September 24-26, 2021."

"We think of our artists, patrons, and volunteers as a part of our MJF family," said Colleen Bailey, MJF's Executive Director. "We make this difficult choice as a way of protecting those we hold dear. But while we eagerly await the chance to be with you again, and enjoy the moments that can only be experienced as a community, we promise that we will use this time productively to develop new ideas that will bring the festival back next year!"

Patrons who have already purchased tickets to the 2020 Festival have three options: Donate the value of the ticket to support the continuation of the Monterey Jazz Festival; transfer the tickets to be used the 2021 festival; or request a full refund (by July 17).

The non-profit Monterey Jazz Festival relies on ticket revenue to operate, and every donation will sustain the organization today and for years to come.

To read the full statement, click here.