Frequently Asked Questions

ALL festival traffic is routed through the Cuesta College campus at Education Drive, including drop-offs, rideshare vehicles, and bicycles. Please refer to the 1-2-3 Arrival Map to ensure a safe and smooth festival arrival.

Festival attendees are encouraged to use rideshare apps, public transportation, or to ride to El Chorro Regional Park on bicycles! Bikes are allowed in most areas of the festival, and bike racks will be available on site. Check social media prior to the festival for those looking to carpool, or offer to drive someone yourself! Use a rideshare app with friends for a convenient and safe ride home from the festival.

Arrive at Live Oak by taking public transportation! SLO RTA Route 12 now regularly stops on Romauldo Road at the west end of Lot 3 at Cuesta College. This route will be in effect from Friday through Sunday during the festival, with no need to "call for pickup" over the weekend! Plan ahead by viewing the Live Oak 2026 schedule. 

Yes. There are booths where you can purchase a variety of food and non-alcoholic beverages. These selections change from year to year. Beer and wine can be purchased in the Beer Garden, and ice is sold by the bag at the ice booth.

Yes. There are many vendors who sell art, jewelry, pottery, clothing, handbags, toys, musical instruments, photography, sculpture and folk art. The Live Oak Mercantile is the only place you can purchase your official Live Oak merchandise.

Yes! Live Oak is a family event. There is an area of the festival that is designated for children. Check out the Activities page for more information as it becomes available.

If you are under the age of 18, you must be accompanied by and camp with a parent or legal guardian.

TICKET GATE HOURS (2025)

Thursday 3 p.m. - 10 p.m. (For those who purchase Thursday early-entry passes only. Lineup begins no earlier than 8:00 a.m.)

Friday 8 a.m. - 10 p.m.
Saturday 7:30 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday 7:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.

KCBX Stage seating is directly in front of the stage. Maximum seat height of 20 inches and maximum overall height of 40 inches is allowable. Please be respectful of fellow Live Oakies when selecting your chair for the KCBX Stage audience area. No hook-back style folding chairs, blankets or chaise lounges are allowed.

Outside the KCBX Stage Seating area, you'll find the General Seating area, where any type and height of chair, tarps and blankets are allowed.

See the Audience Area map here.

The KCBX Stage audience area opens at 12:00 p.m. on Friday and 7:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday for the "Acorn Roll," the Live Oak name for the casual walk into the audience area. The line forms as early as 6:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Each person may bring no more than 4 chairs and must stay with their chairs in line (except on Friday, when chairs can be left unattended until 11:30 a.m.). Please, no wagons in line. At the appointed hour, the audience area is opened so you can walk in and reserve your seating with your chairs. Friendly volunteers will be available to assist you throughout the process. 

Empty chairs in the audience area are available for use by others until their owner returns. If you do not want your chair temporarily used by others, please take it with you.

All personal belongings must be removed from the entire audience area at the end of each evening's performances.

Dancing and standing are allowed outside the seating areas. Audience members are asked to remain seated inside the KCBX Stage and general seating areas and to enter and exit their seats only between songs or between sets.

No video cameras, glass, bicycles or umbrellas are permitted in any audience area.

To minimize distractions, please refrain from loud talking or unnecessary noise during performances (please, no musical instruments, spoons, washboards, etc.).

Please try to arrive at your seats prior to the beginning of each set, or between songs. Avoid walking in front of the stage or moving to or from your seat during songs.

Please deposit all trash and recyclables in the containers at the entrance to the audience area.

THE ENTIRE AUDIENCE AREA IS A SMOKE-FREE ZONE.

Please do not climb the trees in the audience area.

No one under the age of 21 may drink on the premises. Underage drinking is not tolerated. Underage drinking and substance abuse jeopardize the very existence of the Live Oak Music Festival and its benefactor KCBX Public Radio. Minors found drinking alcohol or using drugs will have their wristbands confiscated and will be removed from the festival without a refund. Parents, if your teens are removed, you will also be asked to leave. There will be no additional warnings.

If you are 21 years of age and older, yes. Beer and wine may be purchased exclusively at the Beer Garden.

Yes, personal alcohol is allowed in the camping area and the KCBX Stage area for those 21 years of age and over. No glass is permitted in the KCBX Stage area. Consider bringing a reusable container, or purchase a Live Oak-themed commemorative cup in the Mercantile.

Yes! Live Oak was founded by folks who have children, and finding activities for them to do was built right into the foundation of the festival. The Children’s Area is huge and safe for kids of all ages and their parents, too!

The Children’s Area offers a variety of craft projects for children. Purchase your family craft pass online before the festival at a discounted rate, and you’ll be all set when the fun begins!

At the Children’s Area stage, there is a concert at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The Talent Show on Sunday at 3:00 p.m. showcases all of the kids and teens who want to strut their stuff! Practice and tryouts are on Friday and Saturday afternoon in the Children’s Area. All are welcomed and encouraged by our kind and patient talent show coordinators. Additional details are available in the Live Oak program.

Live Oak is bike-friendly, with designated bike parking located throughout the grounds. Bikes are also generally safe in camp, but please use good judgment on securing them, and maybe bring a festival bike, rather than your brand new or expensive bike. Helmets are required for anyone under 18 per state law and encouraged for adults. Bike riding from dusk to dawn is discouraged; lights front and back are required for anyone riding after dark.

We ask that you use your judgment, as you know your kids better than we do! Overall, the festival is very safe for kids who are comfortable exploring and playing on their own or with friends around the festival grounds. Anyone under the age of 18 must enter the festival and camp with a parent or guardian.

Particularly important items are sunscreen, hats, bug spray, reusable water bottles, headlamps, bikes and any musical instruments you don’t mind getting dirty.  And, if you forget anything, various sundries are available for purchase at the Mercantile, located at the back of the audience area.

There are porta-potties located throughout the festival and camp areas, as well as showers located near the established campground at the park. You’ll want to accompany young children into the showers.

Lost child? Call Live Oak Safety/dispatch at 805-234-9725. Refer to your Live Oak program.

Have a plan with your kids to meet up at certain places during the festival. Write your cell phone number on your child’s wristband. If a parent or child gets lost, please visit the Safety and First Aid trailer. They can arrange for announcements from the KCBX Stage and offer other assistance in locating lost family members.

There is a Lost and Found located at the Safety and First Aid trailer for misplaced items.

There are no refunds—all sales are final. In the event Live Oak Music Festival is canceled, refunds will be issued to the original form of payment within 30 days from the cancellation announcement.

Service and processing fees are never refundable.

Full Festival passes include camping Friday through Sunday nights and admission to all musical performances and jamming workshops throughout the festival. The Full Festival pass DOES NOT include parking, which must be purchased separately. See our Tickets page for more information.

Single Day passes include full access to the festival from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. for the purchased day. The Single Day pass DOES NOT include parking, camping or overnight privileges. 

No, one or two day camping passes are not available.

All tickets are transferable. You might use the Live Oak official Facebook page to connect with others in need of tickets. Please do not resell tickets for more than face value.

The online ticketing platform accepts all major credit cards. Cash, checks, Visa, MasterCard, and American Express are accepted prior to the festival in person at KCBX. Only cash and credit cards are accepted for on-site ticket purchases at the Ticket Gate.

There are no group discounts.

See answer in the General Information section above.

Parking Pass refunds will be given in the form of Live Oak Bucks if your vehicle is moved to long-term parking within 2 hours of entry to the festival during posted refund hours only. Live Oak Bucks may be redeemed in the Live Oak Mercantile for cash or merchandise.

Please call the Live Oak Hotline at (805) 781-3030 by May 31 to request designated accessible camping or seating. There are camping and day ADA parking areas specifically for vehicles displaying the DMV’s DP placard. Camping and parking in these ADA areas require a special reservation and vehicle parking pass. Please refer to the Tickets page for pricing.

Motorcycle and moped parking is available at no charge.

The purchase of a full festival ticket entitles you to camping. Except for the reserved RV areas, there is no option to reserve camping spaces before arriving at the festival. The open camping area is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

You may set up a tent to reserve space for friends. Camping areas may not be roped off or saved using cones or tarps. Please do not reserve more space than you need. Early entry volunteers are not allowed to reserve spaces for friends before Friday.

As of 4/10/25: Campfires are NOT allowed in permanent park fire rings. Charcoal BBQs and wood BBQs are also prohibited. Propane camping grills and stoves with a shutoff valve are permitted for cooking only. Propane fire pits with a shutoff valve are permitted only in the designated jamming areas within developed campground areas in Banjo Basin, Fiddle Forest, Dobro Diggins, and Stage Too, and will be supplied by the Live Oak Music Festival only (see map here). Up to date information will be available upon entry to the festival and at the security trailer.

Sorry, pets are not allowed at Live Oak Music Festival. Only trained service dogs are permitted. Service dogs are trained working animals, NOT pets! The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a service animal as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability. No animal other than a dog can qualify as a service animal, even if that animal is trained to assist a person with a disability. Dogs whose function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service dogs according to the ADA, even with a doctor’s note.

Jamming is encouraged, but no amplifiers or late night drumming. Earplugs are available at the Safety trailer or in the Mercantile.

There is a designated area for those with disabilities that allows easier access to services. You must select the "Accessible Camping Area Reservation" ticket when purchasing your tickets (spaces are limited). If you already purchased your ticket, please call the Live Oak Hotline at 805-781-3030 by May 31 to request designated accessible camping or seating.

Call dispatch at the number provided in your printed program.

Campers may bring their own food, but there will be a wide variety of vendors selling delicious food with something for everyone from Friday through Sunday when the audience area is open.

All interested volunteers must fill out the online application. Visit the Volunteer page for more information.

Generally speaking, no, but returning volunteers typically have precedence over new volunteers. Each Live Oak Coordinator, however, manages their volunteer selection differently and independently.

No later than the end of May. Live Oak typically cannot accommodate all volunteer applicants. For more information check our Volunteer page.

Yes. The cost of your ticket can be refunded if you are selected to be a volunteer.

We welcome volunteers of almost any age! Volunteers under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian and must submit a signed parental consent form, which will be provided by your volunteer coordinator. Security volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.