Good Vibes and Great People: MERGE4 Returns to California Roots 2026

Some events you attend. California Roots, you belong to. Over Memorial Day weekend, MERGE4 made our way back to the Monterey County Fairgrounds for another year of Cali Roots — and once again, it reminded us exactly why this is one of our favorite weekends on the entire calendar.

We've been coming for years now, and it never gets old. The salt air rolling in off the Monterey Bay, the sea of smiling faces, the bass you feel in your chest before you even reach the gate — this festival has a way of making everyone who walks in feel like family. 

Our Happy Place on the Monterey Fairgrounds

There's a reason Cali Roots calls itself a family reunion more than a festival. The Monterey County Fairgrounds have been its longtime home, and every year that patch of ground turns into something magical — part concert, part art gallery, part big open-hearted community gathering. It's the same historic spot where Jimi Hendrix famously lit up the stage back in 1967, and all these decades later the good vibes are still very much alive.

For us, the best part has never been any single thing on the schedule. It's the people. Cali Roots draws the kindest, most genuine crowd we cross paths with all year — folks who come for the music but stay for the connection. Standing in our booth, watching strangers become friends over a shared love of a band (and, okay, occasionally over a great pair of socks), is the kind of thing that keeps us coming back.

The 2026 Soundtrack

And the music? Unreal, as always. The 2026 lineup stacked legends next to rising stars across all three days, May 22 through 24.

Reggae royalty was out in full force, with Ziggy Marley, Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley, and Stephen Marley all gracing the stages, plus the legendary Burning Spear bringing decades of roots history to Monterey. Longtime Cali Roots family Rebelution headlined in classic fashion, joined by fan favorites like Pepper, The Green, Collie Buddz, SOJA, J Boog, The Elovaters, Tribal Seeds, and Fortunate Youth. Genre-bending sets from Xavier Rudd and Tash Sultana kept things beautifully unpredictable, and hip-hop icon Ice Cube brought the energy to a whole other level. 

Art That Walks, Front and Center

Cali Roots has always understood that this is a music and arts festival — and that's exactly the corner of the world where MERGE4 feels most at home.

We were proud to once again feature the artwork of the incredibly talented Shaun Logan, whose designs bring our festival collabs to life. That's the heart of what we do at MERGE4: we team up with artists to create socks that aren't just comfortable and built to last, but that carry real creativity and meaning wherever they go. We call it Art That Walks™ — and there's no better place to see it in action than a festival that celebrates creativity in every form. Watching people light up when they spotted a design they loved never stopped being a highlight.

Grateful for the Good Vibez Family

None of this happens without the people behind the curtain, and we have to give a heartfelt shout-out to Dan Sheehan and the entire Good Vibez Presents crew. Dan has always been good to MERGE4 — welcoming, generous, and genuinely invested in the community of artists, small businesses, and creatives who make Cali Roots what it is.

That spirit of lifting up local makers and mission-driven brands is exactly why we fit so well here. As a Santa Cruz–based, woman-founded Certified B Corporation, we're proud to be part of a festival that leads on sustainability and community every single year. Thank you, Dan and team, for continuing to make space for us. We don't take it for granted.

See You Next Year

We left Monterey the way we always do: a little sunburned, also a little cold, a lot inspired, and already counting down to next year's return to the fairgrounds. Cali Roots is more than a stop on our calendar — it's a reminder of why we started making socks with purpose in the first place.

Couldn't make it out this year, or want to bring a little of that festival magic home? Explore our artist collaborations and festival-ready socks at merge4.com — every pair is built to move and made to last, with real creativity and good intentions woven right in.

To the Cali Roots family: thank you for another unforgettable one. Save us a spot in the grounds — we'll see you next year.