UPDATE (1/16/19) – A Monterey County spokesperson says the assertion by Lightning in a Bottle organizers that the Monterey County Parks Department plans to eliminate camping at Lake San Antonio is incorrect.
Monterey County Communications Coordinator Maia Carroll says County Parks is still open to large-scale events at the lake and that converting it to day-use does not preclude camping but changes how the park is managed.
(1/14/19) – Lightning in a Bottle, a music festival that’s been held at Lake San Antonio for the past few years, is changing locations in 2019, organizers announced Monday.
In a post on the festival’s website, organizers say there are several reasons for the move.
“The Monterey County Parks Department that we’ve coordinated LIB with the last 5 years is no longer managing large scale events at San Antonio Recreation Area, and the county Parks Commision has indicated it is moving forward with a plan to convert Lake San Antonio to a day use only park (no camping). These conditions prevent us from being able to move forward with the venue for 2019,” the post reads.
It also points to the low lake levels in recent years as a reason why the area “was far from perfect.”
The 2019 festival will be held Wednesday, May 8 to Monday, May 13. The exact location has not yet been announced, though organizers say it will be in “Central California.”
During the 2018 festival, a 23-year-old man died in a swimming-related accident at the lake. The year before, a 20-year-old woman died from what the coroner determined to be multiple-organ failure, hyperthermia and dehydration. Baylee Gatlin’s family has sued the festival’s promoter over her death.
