Around Town BEST LOCAL EVENT/FESTIVAL Monterey Jazz Festival Monterey County Fair & Event Center, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey (831) 373-3366, montereyjazz.org Circuses are famous for shows “under the big top,” but sometimes they were performed “under the stars,” meaning without a tent. The Monterey Jazz Festival has been performing under the stars since it was created in 1958, hosting some of the biggest jazz stars of the day, including Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie. The festival became one of the most prestigious jazz festivals in the country, a place for all the greats and up-and-coming greats to perform for grateful jazz fans. MJF Managing Director Bobbie Young says one reason the festival is beloved is because it’s a chance for many patrons to reunite with friends they’ve made at the annual festival. “We’re family and people love that,” she says. BEST FOOD EVENT Carmel Culinary Week carmelculinaryweekevents.com Carmel Culinary Week is unique. With a full week of events and celebrations ranging from casual and self-guided options to more grand and flashy spectacles, there is something for everyone. And they do this without a midway. This exceptional culinary circus is the perfect way to experience the full extent of Carmel’s food and beverage offerings, for natives and out-of-towners alike. BEST BUSINESS SIGN Old Fisherman’s Grotto 39 Old Fisherman’s Wharf, Monterey (831) 375-4604, oldfishermansgrotto.com Walking down Old Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey can feel a bit like a circus midway with its colorful and wonky buildings and business signs working to lure in potential customers. Exhibit A: the artful neon-lettered sign above the historic Old Fisherman’s Grotto, opened in 1950 by Sabu Shake and currently owned by his son Chris. The sign is a clue that what waits for you under the tent—or roof, in this case—is going to be memorable. BEST PLACE TO PICK UP THE WEEKLY The library Did you know P.T. Barnum’s career as a showman extended well beyond popularizing the circus? He also used his showmanship for purposes of the public good, like parading 21 elephants and 17 camels across the Brooklyn Bridge to prove that it was stable. And he was also a newspaper guy, starting his career as publisher of the Herald of Freedom in Connecticut. We only know this stuff thanks to the library, whichever branch you frequent—there are county, city and academic libraries. Whether you’re looking for a copy of the latest edition of the Monterey County Weekly, an archived article from a 1988 Weekly or trying to learn some trivia about Barnum, your local library has you covered. BEST NEON SIGN Dust Bowl Brewing Co. 290 Figueroa St., Monterey (831) 641-7002, dustbowlbrewing.com A neon sign is a static manifestation of the circus barker, drawing you in. The sign at Dust Bowl Brewing Co. gives any multicolored flashbulb-adorned display of words a run for its money. What makes our readers go “ooo” and “ahhh” is this feature stretching across the old train station in Monterey. Even if the stop was unscheduled, a circus train would pull to a stop here, first for human passengers to marvel at the neon glow that tells guests where the fun is about to be had. And then to step inside for a few beers. BEST HOTEL Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa 400 Cannery Row, Monterey (831) 920-6710, montereyplazahotel.com Circus Circus Las Vegas opened in 1968 as one of the first family-friendly casinos on the Strip, with a casino on the first floor and carnival games for children on the second. The hotel was added in 1972, and over the years it has morphed into a full-scale entertainment center, with amusement rides and daily circus shows featuring death-defying aerial acts, clowns and 18 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2026 montereycountynow.com/bestof Winner of the categories: in the 2026 Best of Monterey County reader poll • Best School • Best Professor - Dr. Renee Penalver • Best College Team - Women’s Soccer Check out our athletics home games: Learn more about how we create a life time of value and why more students are choosing Cal State Monterey Bay. csumb.edu
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