IndyCar race bumps Monterey Jazz Festival date back a week

The IndyCar race could use a big concert as part of the race weekend to draw more fans to what will be a poorly attended race otherwise

The Monterey Jazz Festival will move from its traditional date for the first time in decades this year thanks to the return of IndyCar racing to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

“That’s going to be a very, very big event and I think the community and the certainly the hotel inventory won’t allow for two enormous events happening the same weekend," said Colleen Bailey, the managing director of the Monterey Jazz Festival.Rather than taking place on the third weekend of September, this year’s festival will take place a week later on Sept. 27-29. Billed as the longest running jazz festival in the world, the inaugural Monterey Jazz Festival took place in October 1958. It moved to the third weekend of September after two years.

“Their dates (for the Firestone Grand Prix of Monterey IndyCar race) are out of the raceway’s control," Bailey said. “So we were the ones to move."

The Firestone Grand Prix will be held Sept. 20-22.

Last year’s festival brought on a crowd of 37,500 in addition to 500 artists who come in for the three days of the festival. Bailey said it would be nearly impossible to find hotel space if the festival didn’t move and added that hotel costs go up as inventory drops, which would make it even more expensive for attendees looking for a room.