Monterey Bay Reggae Fest

The Monterey Bay Reggae Festival will again have free bike valet parking for the 18th Annual Monterey Bay Reggae Fest, August 9-11, 2013. The service will again be provided by Mike Baroni and Green Pedal Couriers.

Bike-there tips provided below.

Other questions? Contact the festival office; click here. The Reggae Fest also encourages you to visit their Facebook page for 2013 news.

Who are the folks above on Alvarado Street, Monterey? Some May 2013 Cali Roots visitors. They love coming to Monterey County for our various festivals and were looking forward to returning for the August 2013 Reggae Fest!

Information below was previously published July 27,  2012.

The below pertains to the 2012 Reggae Fest.

Reggae Fest-goers who bike or bike-and-ride there are entitled to free bicycle valet at Gate 5.  The service is available during all festival hours, through closing time on Sunday.

One more stop before the Reggae Fest–gotta swing by the bike shop with this tire. Glad I’ll be able to save time when I get there by leaving my bike with the bike valets. I don’t wanna miss any more music!

For 2012, this free bike parking and security service is again provided courtesy of the Green Pedal Couriers team.

Biking to the Reggae Fest means you’ll zip past traffic jams, avoid any parking lot fees,  and help keep Monterey Bay air and water cleaner.  You’ll also see local neighborhoods up close and personal. Even with some residential area “no parking” signs, there are lots of spots where you can park within easy biking distance.

As the Reggae Festival’s FAQs state, bicycles are not allowed inside the festival, except for security and staff.  (No problem, leave your bike at the bike valet station!)

Tips about bicycling to the Reggae Fest

Don’t wanna bike all the way there? Bike part-way.  See bike-and-ride tips.

Didn’t BYOB (bring your own bike)?  You can still leave your car at your campsite, 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 and Biking in the Dark tips.

Bike-there direx

The 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.

Coming from the Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Trail:

1. 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.)
2. 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.)
3. Cross that intersection, hop off, and walk your bike up the sidewalk to nearby Gate 5!
4. NOTE: This is a different gate than the usual fairground event bike valet parking location of Gate 3, e.g., for Jazz Fest.

BYOBike and Bottle!

Make that an empty and non-breakable bottle, to avoid security stopping you.   Reggae Festival FAQs indicate no outside beverages.  Nonetheless, bring in your empty reusable beverage container.

Why bring your own bottle?  So you can pluckfastic!

Just ask beverage sellers to put your purchased drink in your own drinking container. Why?  Recycling plastic is not a sustainable solution. See the “Care for what you love” section of this site’s “Bike to the Beach” post for an intro.  You may also want to visit the Plastic Pollution Coalition website to learn more and to get involved in their work.

Additional help

For general local biking tips, see Tips for Bicycling Monterey County on this site, or contact Mari (831-375-6278).

Monterey County has a wealth of other local bike resources, and most will be happy to answer your questions too.

Updated for 2012. Previously published May 30, 2011.