Each August, Monterey Car Week transforms the Peninsula.
Collectors, designers, enthusiasts and some of the world's most significant automobiles arrive in Carmel, Pebble Beach, Monterey and the surrounding communities for a week that celebrates design, performance, craftsmanship and history.
For those of us who live and work here, Car Week is also an extraordinary showcase of the Monterey Peninsula itself.
From cars making their way down Ocean Avenue in Carmel to historic racers at Laguna Seca and Concours automobiles traveling Highway 1 toward Big Sur, there is simply nothing else quite like it.
With dozens of events to choose from, you don't need to see everything.
This is The Sea & Oak Car Week Edit—our curated guide to some of the experiences worth putting on your 2026 calendar.
The Sea & Oak Car Week Edit
Motorlux | For an Exceptional Opening Night
Wednesday, August 12 | Monterey Jet Center
Car Week takes to the tarmac at Motorlux.
Rare automobiles and aircraft are displayed against the backdrop of the Monterey Jet Center, accompanied by exceptional food, wine, cocktails and entertainment.
It is polished, social and one of the week's signature evening events—a fitting way to begin the heart of Monterey Car Week.
Sea & Oak Note: Cocktail attire is recommended and the event is 21+.
Event Details & Tickets → Motorlux
Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance | For Elegance in Motion
Thursday, August 13 | Pebble Beach, 17-Mile Drive, Highway 1 & Big Sur
If you attend only one free event during Monterey Car Week, this would be high on our list.
More than 150 Pebble Beach Concours entrants leave the show field behind and take to the road, traveling from Pebble Beach through 17-Mile Drive and south along Highway 1 toward Big Sur before returning to Pebble Beach.
The public can watch from several locations along the route without an admission fee.
It is an extraordinary combination of automobiles and place—and one of the best opportunities of the week to see these cars as they were intended to be experienced: in motion.
Event Details → Pebble Beach Tour d'Elegance
The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering | For the Luxury Car Week Experience
Friday, August 14 | Quail Lodge & Golf Club, Carmel Valley
The Quail has become one of Monterey Car Week's most anticipated gatherings.
Set against the relaxed elegance of Carmel Valley, the event brings together exceptional automobiles, collectors, automotive leaders and luxury brands in a highly curated setting.
The experience extends well beyond the cars, combining automotive design with hospitality, food and the atmosphere for which The Quail has become known.
For visitors looking to experience the luxury side of Monterey Car Week, this is one of the week's defining events.
Event Details & Tickets → The Quail, A Motorsports Gathering
Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion | For the Sound of Car Week
August 12–15 | WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Some cars deserve to be heard.
The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion brings hundreds of historic competition cars back to the track at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.
The 2026 event celebrates the icons of Japanese motorsport, with historic race cars spanning decades of automotive engineering and competition taking on one of America's most recognizable circuits.
It is also a completely different Car Week experience from Pebble Beach or Carmel—and one well worth having.
Event Details & Tickets → Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion
The Little Car Show | For Something Local—and Free
Wednesday, August 12 | Downtown Pacific Grove
Car Week does not have to come with a premium ticket.
The Little Car Show brings approximately 125 small, vintage and unusual automobiles to Lighthouse Avenue in downtown Pacific Grove.
It is charming, relaxed, walkable and decidedly local.
The show is free for spectators, and when it concludes, participating vehicles head toward Pacific Grove's waterfront for a scenic cruise.
Pair it with lunch or a walk through downtown Pacific Grove for an easy Car Week afternoon.
Event Details → The Little Car Show
Concours Village & RetroAuto | For a Taste of Pebble Beach
August 13–16 | Pebble Beach
You don't need a Concours ticket to experience some of the energy surrounding Pebble Beach Automotive Week.
Concours Village offers more than 60,000 square feet of automotive displays and experiences and is open to the public at no cost.
Within the Village, RetroAuto offers a curated collection of historic automobilia, art, literature, collectibles, luxury goods and automotive pieces.
It's an excellent addition to a day in Pebble Beach—and another free way to experience Car Week.
Event Details → Concours Village & RetroAuto
Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance | For the Grand Finale
Sunday, August 16 | Pebble Beach Golf Links
This is the one that needs little introduction.
The 75th Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance brings many of the world's finest collector automobiles to the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Since its founding in 1950, the Concours has become one of the most important celebrations of the automobile in the world, drawing collectors and enthusiasts from across the globe.
For 2026, its 75th edition makes an already exceptional Sunday particularly significant.
Event Details & Tickets → Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Car Week Beyond the Ticketed Events
Some of the best Car Week experiences aren't found on a schedule.
Walk Ocean Avenue in Carmel-by-the-Sea and you never quite know what will pull up beside you. Have lunch, visit the galleries, wander the side streets or simply find a table and watch the week unfold.
Pacific Grove offers a more relaxed pace. Carmel Valley provides sunshine, vineyards and a beautiful change of scenery. Pebble Beach is unmistakably at the center of the collector-car world.
And then there is the coastline itself.
17-Mile Drive, Carmel Highlands, Highway 1 and Big Sur provide a backdrop worthy of the automobiles that come here.
Our advice: don't overschedule Car Week.
Choose the events that matter most to you, then leave enough room to enjoy the Peninsula.
Where Automotive Design Meets Monterey Peninsula Real Estate
There is a natural connection between Car Week and real estate.
Both are ultimately about more than price.
Proportion. Design. Materials. Provenance. Craftsmanship. Setting. The details that distinguish something exceptional from something simply expensive.
Those qualities are evident throughout Monterey Peninsula real estate—from historic Carmel-by-the-Sea cottages and Pebble Beach estates to Carmel Valley retreats, contemporary coastal properties and oak-studded homes along the Highway 68 corridor.
Car Week brings a global audience here for the automobiles.
The Monterey Peninsula itself is what often makes people want to stay.
A Local Perspective
After more than 17 years working in Monterey County real estate, Car Week still reminds me what an extraordinary place this is to call home.
Yes, there is traffic.
But there is also an energy unlike any other week of the year.
My favorite way to experience it is to choose a few events, spend time in Carmel, enjoy a great meal and leave room for the unexpected.
Because during Car Week, some of the best things you'll see are the ones you didn't plan for.
Discover the Monterey Peninsula with Sea & Oak
Whether you're visiting for Monterey Car Week, exploring the communities of the Peninsula or considering making this part of California home, Sea & Oak Properties is here as a local resource.
We provide strategic, discreet and highly personalized real estate representation throughout Carmel, Pebble Beach, Carmel Valley, Carmel Highlands, Pacific Grove, Monterey, Highway 68 and surrounding communities.
Explore our current properties, discover more local events through the Sea & Oak Community Calendar, join the Sea & Oak newsletter, or schedule a private real estate consultation.
Sea & Oak Properties
Clarity in every move. Excellence in every detail.
