Founded in 1958 by the late Jimmy Lyons and late jazz critic Ralph Gleason, the Monterey Jazz Festival is the longest continuously-running jazz festival in the world. Set upon the oak-filled grounds at the scenic Monterey Fairgrounds, the festival has hosted virtually every major jazz artist in recent history, including Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. In addition to the annual presentation of an iconic jazz festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) whose mission is to provide year-round opportunities for jazz education and performance for youth of all ages and backgrounds. The Festival is Held every fourth full weekend in September on the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California.
