The festival takes place at the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach, in Orange County, California. The event started in the early 1990s.
Many famous jazz artists have performed at the Newport Beach Jazz Festival, including Brian Culbertson and Bobby Caldwell in 2010. Other performers have included Dave Koz and Spyro Gyra.
According to the Hyatt Regency Newport Beach box office, the lineup for the upcoming festival is announced at the end of February each year. Tickets go on sale the first Saturday of March. As of 2010, tickets were about $50 per day.