The Basics:
- Held over three weekends in October
- Events take place in and around Avalon on Catalina Island
- JazzTrax Festival website
- Reservations highly recommended. It's too far to go to risk not getting in.
The Venues:
Unplugged concerts are held outdoors at the Wrigley Ranch on Thursday nights. Friday, Saturday and Sunday evening performances are in the 1929 Avalon Ballroom.
Crowd Factor:
Both venues offer enough room to be comfortable
Tips:
- Check the lineup at the website to pick a weekend to attend.
- You'll need to stay overnight on the island. Reserve early before they sell out. Use the guide to Catalina lodging to find a place to stay.
- If you can't make it to Catalina - or you want to hear performances from concerts you can't attend - you can listen to the JazzTrax broadcasts online.
- Besides the concerts, you can golf with the performers on Sunday mornings and attend after-concert parties at Descanso Beach
- Take a warm jacket if you go to the unplugged concert - and a small flashlight to help see your footing on the way back to the bus afterward.
Likes and Dislikes:
Jazztrax is popular with jazz music fans all over the country. During our visit in 2009, we met attendees from as far away as Atlanta, Milwaukee and London, England.
How to Get There:
Catalina Island can be reached from several locations on the mainland. Most people go by ferry boat, but you can also take a helicopter ride, which is quicker (but more expensive).
Tickets and Reservations:
The Event:
The JazzTrax Festival draws visitors from all over the country who come to see the impressive lineup of Grammy Award winners and Billboard magazine chart-toppers. New stars also debut at the festival, and Flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook attributes his career's turning point to the JazzTrax festival.
JazzTrax Unplugged at Wrigley Ranch
Thursday night unplugged concerts held at the Wrigley Ranch (a half hour's bus ride from Avalon) are highly recommended. Surrounded by rolling hills and Catalina Island's fledgling vineyards, the stables create a u-shaped courtyard where the performances take place.
In keeping with the "ranch" theme, those seated in the front rows sit on hay bales, paying more for the privilege. The rest of the audience sits just a little further from the performers in more comfortable folding chairs. When we attended, artist Peter White had two-thirds of the audience up and dancing by the performance's end.
In 2009, as an extra bonus, a behind-the-scenes tour of the casino building was offered to those who attend the Thursday night concert.
