diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/marshal/DateType.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/marshal/DateType.java
index 359ce52bad..82ed876225 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/marshal/DateType.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/marshal/DateType.java
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ public class DateType extends AbstractType<Date>
     @Override
     public String toJSONString(ByteBuffer buffer, int protocolVersion)
     {
-        return '"' + TimestampSerializer.TO_JSON_FORMAT.format(TimestampSerializer.instance.deserialize(buffer)) + '"';
+        return '"' + TimestampSerializer.getJsonDateFormatter().format(TimestampSerializer.instance.deserialize(buffer)) + '"';
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/marshal/TimestampType.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/marshal/TimestampType.java
index b01651dbdb..1704362abf 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/marshal/TimestampType.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/db/marshal/TimestampType.java
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ public class TimestampType extends AbstractType<Date>
     @Override
     public String toJSONString(ByteBuffer buffer, int protocolVersion)
     {
-        return '"' + TimestampSerializer.TO_JSON_FORMAT.format(TimestampSerializer.instance.deserialize(buffer)) + '"';
+        return '"' + TimestampSerializer.getJsonDateFormatter().format(TimestampSerializer.instance.deserialize(buffer)) + '"';
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/serializers/TimestampSerializer.java b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/serializers/TimestampSerializer.java
index ab81fcc740..78ee7e73e7 100644
--- a/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/serializers/TimestampSerializer.java
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/cassandra/serializers/TimestampSerializer.java
@@ -96,8 +96,14 @@ public class TimestampSerializer implements TypeSerializer<Date>
         }
     };
 
-    public static final SimpleDateFormat TO_JSON_FORMAT = new SimpleDateFormat(dateStringPatterns[15]);
-
+    private static final ThreadLocal<SimpleDateFormat> FORMATTER_TO_JSON = new ThreadLocal<SimpleDateFormat>()
+    {
+        protected SimpleDateFormat initialValue()
+        {
+            return new SimpleDateFormat(dateStringPatterns[15]);
+        }
+    };
+    
     public static final TimestampSerializer instance = new TimestampSerializer();
 
     public Date deserialize(ByteBuffer bytes)
@@ -138,6 +144,11 @@ public class TimestampSerializer implements TypeSerializer<Date>
             throw new MarshalException(String.format("Unable to coerce '%s' to a formatted date (long)", source), e1);
         }
     }
+    
+    public static SimpleDateFormat getJsonDateFormatter() 
+    {
+    	return FORMATTER_TO_JSON.get();
+    }
 
     public void validate(ByteBuffer bytes) throws MarshalException
     {