Monterey County California California Roots Music and Arts Festival

California Roots, known to its fans as Cali Roots, is one of the largest reggae-rock festivals in the world. Each May it takes over the Monterey County Fairgrounds, the same grounds that hosted the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, for three days of reggae, roots, hip-hop and art.

The festival was founded in 2010 as a one-day event and has grown into a multi-day gathering that draws more than 11,000 people a day. It pairs stacked musical lineups with live art, local food and a laid-back coastal atmosphere.

This guide covers what Cali Roots is, how the weekend works, and how to plan a visit to Monterey for it.

What Cali Roots Is

The California Roots Music and Arts Festival is an annual music and arts festival featuring reggae, roots reggae, reggae rock, folk and hip-hop. It is held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds, and it has become the signature reggae-rock event on the West Coast.

The festival emphasizes art alongside music, with installations and visual work integrated into the site, and it promotes a culture of community and sustainability. Food and drink from local vendors spread across the grounds, and the setting, minutes from the coast, gives the weekend its easygoing character.

For a nearby comparison, see the Monterey County California Monterey Car Week Festival.

From One Day to a Worldwide Draw

Cali Roots began in 2010 as a small, one-day live music event with mostly local attendance and a lineup drawn from a limited geographic area. It was founded by Jeff Monser, and the first edition was headlined by the Dirty Heads and Tribal Seeds.

The turning point came as the festival expanded its organization and began securing major reggae acts. Those changes allowed a single-day show to evolve into a multi-day format, and the event grew into one of the largest reggae and reggae-rock festivals anywhere. The three-day structure now anchors the festival’s identity.

The venue gives the festival a deep musical lineage. The Monterey County Fairgrounds hosted the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, where Jimi Hendrix set his guitar on fire, and the site’s place in music history is part of what draws artists and fans to Cali Roots today.

Where and When

The festival is held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds on the Monterey Peninsula, typically over the last weekend of May. The grounds are the same oak-shaded site used by the Monterey Jazz Festival and other major county events.

Location	Monterey County Fairgrounds, Monterey, California
Typical timing	Three days over the last weekend of May
Founded	2010, by Jeff Monser
Genres	Reggae, roots reggae, reggae rock, folk and hip-hop
Scale	More than 11,000 attendees per day
Character	Music, live art, local food, community and sustainability
Venue note	Site of the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival

The Music

The lineup is the draw. Cali Roots programs across reggae and its rock and roots relatives, with headliners drawn from the biggest names in the genre and support from rising acts. Multiple stages run through each day, and the schedule rewards both the committed fan and the casual listener.

The festival has also built a reputation for its atmosphere. The crowd skews friendly and outdoorsy, the pace is unhurried, and the coastal setting keeps temperatures mild. For many attendees, Cali Roots is as much a yearly reunion as a concert.

Planning Your Visit

Memorial Day weekend is a busy time on the Monterey Peninsula, and Cali Roots is one of its largest events. Lodging fills early, so booking well in advance is essential. The fairgrounds are reachable from Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel, and shuttles and transit help on the busiest days.

• Book lodging early; the festival falls on a holiday weekend.
• Buy passes in advance, since multi-day tickets offer the best value.
• Expect mild coastal weather, with cool evenings and morning fog.
• Plan your days around the stages you most want to see.
• Pair the trip with the aquarium and the coastal trail.

Beyond the Festival

The Monterey Peninsula is a destination in its own right. The Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row are close to the fairgrounds, the coastal recreation trail runs along the bay, and the seventeen-mile drive through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove is one of California’s best scenic routes.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, just south of Carmel, offers coves, cypress groves and trails, and the town of Carmel itself rewards a slow afternoon of galleries and courtyards. A festival weekend easily becomes a longer coastal trip.

The Venue and Its Musical History

Cali Roots is held on the same fairgrounds that hosted the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967, one of the most famous music events of the twentieth century. That history gives the site a special weight for musicians and fans, and the festival’s organizers lean into the connection between California’s musical past and its present.

The fairgrounds themselves suit a festival. The twenty-acre site is oak-studded and flat, with room for multiple stages, art installations, food vendors and open space to relax between sets. The layout is easy to navigate, and the scale keeps the event feeling human even with more than eleven thousand people on the grounds.

Monterey’s mild coastal climate is another advantage. Late May on the peninsula brings warm days and cool evenings, and the morning fog that rolls in off the bay usually burns off by midday. Attendees learn to bring a layer for the evening sets.

Art, Food and Sustainability

The festival’s full name includes arts for good reason. Cali Roots integrates visual art into the site, with installations, live painting and craft vendors alongside the music. The emphasis on art gives the weekend a creative character that distinguishes it from a standard concert series.

Food and drink come from local and regional vendors, with a wide range of options that reflect the Central Coast’s agriculture and food culture. The festival also emphasizes community and sustainability, from waste reduction to support for local causes, and that ethos shapes the atmosphere on the grounds.

The result is a festival that feels like a gathering of a community rather than a commercial production. Fans return year after year, friendships form in the crowd, and the event has built a reputation as one of the friendliest large festivals on the West Coast.

The Rise of Cali Roots

Cali Roots has grown remarkably in a short time. From a single day of local bands in 2010, it became a multi-day festival drawing major reggae acts and international attention. That trajectory reflects both the strength of the reggae-rock scene on the West Coast and the festival’s ability to secure the artists its audience wants to see.

The event now anchors a full weekend and has become a landmark on the genre’s touring calendar. Artists treat a Cali Roots set as a significant booking, and fans plan their year around it. For many in the reggae-rock community, the festival is the season’s centerpiece.

Growth has not erased the festival’s identity. Cali Roots remains rooted in the Monterey Peninsula, tied to its venue’s history, and committed to the community and sustainability values it started with.

Practical Notes for Attendees

Cali Roots is a three-day festival, and passes are sold for the full weekend or for single days. Because the lineup is deep and the stages run in parallel, planning pays off: attendees who map out the sets they most want to see will move through the weekend more comfortably and catch more of the music.

The fairgrounds are outdoors, and late May on the Monterey Peninsula brings warm afternoons and cool evenings, with morning fog that usually clears. A layer for the evening, sun protection for the afternoon, and comfortable shoes are the essentials for a full day on the grounds.

Getting to the fairgrounds is easiest by shuttle, rideshare or local transit. Parking near the site is limited and the surrounding streets are residential, so leaving the car behind is the practical choice. Staying in Monterey, Pacific Grove or Carmel puts attendees within a short drive of the venue.

Cali Roots and the Reggae Scene

The festival sits at the center of a genre that has a strong following on the West Coast. Reggae-rock blends reggae rhythms with rock instrumentation and songwriting, and California has been one of its most productive homes. Cali Roots gives that scene an annual focal point and a stage large enough to match its popularity.

The lineup reflects the genre’s breadth, from roots reggae traditionalists to rock-leaning acts and hip-hop artists who share the festival’s audience. That openness is part of why the event has grown, and why its crowds span generations and backgrounds.

For artists, a Cali Roots set is a significant booking, and the festival has helped launch and sustain careers within the scene. For fans, it is the place to see the genre’s biggest names alongside the artists shaping its future.

The Festival and the Community

Cali Roots has worked to stay connected to the place that hosts it. The festival supports local causes, partners with regional vendors and organizations, and emphasizes sustainability in how the event is run. That commitment is part of why the Monterey community has embraced it so fully.

The festival’s growth has also brought economic benefit to the peninsula, filling hotels and restaurants over a holiday weekend and drawing visitors who return for other Monterey attractions. For many attendees, the trip becomes an annual tradition that extends beyond the music.

That relationship between festival and community is central to Cali Roots’ identity. It is not simply a concert series that happens to be in Monterey; it is an event shaped by its venue, its history and the people who return to it year after year.

Festival Area Map

The map below marks the Monterey County Fairgrounds, with the approach from Highway 1 for planning your visit to Cali Roots.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Cali Roots?

It is held over three days on the last weekend of May.

Where is it held?

At the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California.

What kind of music is it?

The festival features reggae, roots reggae, reggae rock, folk and hip-hop.

How big is the festival?

It draws more than 11,000 attendees per day and is one of the largest reggae-rock festivals in the world.

Who founded the festival?

It was founded in 2010 by Jeff Monser, starting as a one-day event.

Is there more than music?

Yes. The festival includes live art, local food and drink, and a focus on community and sustainability.

What to Expect From the Next Cali Roots

How often is it held?

It is an annual event, held each May.

When is the next festival?

The next edition is expected on the last weekend of May. Confirm dates, lineup and ticket details with the organizers.

Will the format change?

The three-day, multi-stage format has been consistent, while the lineup changes each year.

Last updated: October 2026

Cali Roots has grown from a single afternoon of local bands into one of the biggest reggae gatherings in the world, and it has done so without losing its easygoing character. Between the music, the art and the Monterey coast, it is a festival that rewards returning year after year.