Posted by marilynch
Monterey Jazz Fest–Free Bike Valet and Pure Water Stations
4/3/12 update: The legendary Tony Bennett, age 85, returns to the Monterey Jazz Festival for the first time in seven years. Read Mac MacDonald’s story in the Monterey County Herald for other 2012 Jazz Fest anticipated highlights.
2012 dates: September 21-23
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Traffic? Plastic? Nada! BYO bike and water bottle too.
Even greener jazz for 2011!
The greening of the Monterey Jazz Festival includes something new for the 54th Annual Festival, September 16-18, 2011: self-service drinking water stations by U.S. Pure Water/The Water Store. Thanks to the Jazz Fest for helping to rid our planet of single-use plastic! (For more about plastic, see “Bike to the Beach.”)
How’s the new water thing work? Throughout the three-day Jazz Fest, you’ll have free access to multiple U.S. Pure Water filtered water stations, with water filtered using compostable coconut-shell carbon.
Bring your own stainless steel or other container to refill and reuse. Forget? Water bottles will be available for sale, with proceeds benefiting jazz ed.
Let the Jazz Fest know you appreciate their water stations, as well as their bike valet parking service (now in its 4th year), and other green actions!
Bike valet details
At the 54th annual festival, September 16-18, 2011, the free bike valet parking service–located at Gate 3–will accommodate bicycles, cargo bikes, and bike trailers.
Walking or jogging to the festival? The bike valet service is happy to accept strollers and joggers too.
The 2011 bike valet service is again being provided by Monterey Green Action, in partnership with the Monterey Fair and Monterey Jazz Festival.
Megan Tolbert of Monterey Green Action is bike valet organizer, and Nathan Pierce of MGA is scheduling coordinator. If you might like to volunteer, please contact Nathan Pierce by email to see if more help is needed: natnc17@yahoo.com
The service, at Fairgrounds Gate 3, is near the corner of Fairground Road and Garden Road (the traffic signal intersection). This is at the southwest end of the Festival grounds.
Take advantage of this free bike valet service! Biking to the Jazz Fest means you’ll zip past traffic jams, avoid any parking lot fees, see the neighborhoods up close and personal, get some exercise in the fresh coastal air, and help keep our air and water cleaner.
Tips about bicycling to the Jazz Fest
You don’t need to bike all the way to the Jazz Fest, you may want to bike just part-way there. See bike-and-ride tips. (And in 2012, look for the new JAZZ Bus Rapid Transit system!)
Concerned about bike security at the fairgrounds? No worries, the bike valet volunteers are your personal bike security guards for this event.
Didn’t BYOB (bring your own bike)? You can still leave your car at your hotel or elsewhere; use one of the bike rentals available in Monterey County.
Wonder about biking when your return tip will be at night? See Personal Safety tips and Biking in the Dark.
Bike-there/route tips and more info
Reaching the Monterey Jazz Festival at the Monterey Fairgrounds is an easy bike ride straight up Casa Verde from the coastal bike/multi-use path. There’s one very, very short and cinchy hill just before you reach Fremont. The rest of the route is flat.
Bike-there direx from coastal bike path
- Leave the bike/multi-use path at Casa Verde. (Not familiar with Casa Verde? There’s a traffic light there, and it’s near the Monterey Adult School and the Monterey Fish House restaurant.)
- Continue up Casa Verde all the way to the T-intersection at Fairgrounds Road. (Just after Casa Verde crosses Fremont Ave, you’ll see the large Beverly’s Fabrics/Crafts store on your right and the fairgrounds marquee straight ahead of you.)
- Turn right on Fairgrounds Road and continue to the traffic signal.
- Turn left. Voila! There’s Gate 3 and the free bike valet parking service.
Additional help
See Tips for Bicycling Monterey County on this site, or contact me (Mari–831/375-6278). Can’t reach me immediately? Monterey County has a wealth of other local bike resources, and most will be happy to answer your questions too.
Enjoy!
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(This post was updated from September 2009 and July 2010.)
