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The Local’s Guide to Monterey Car Week 2026

Free · No ticket required

Do Car Week
Like a Local.

Stand next to a hundred million dollars of cars, skip the gridlock, and find the rare stuff. The insider’s guide to Monterey Car Week 2026.

MONTEREY CAR WEEK · AUGUST 7–16, 2026 · SHOT ON THE GROUND BY NICK ENGVALL
Where
Monterey Peninsula
Primary Route
Hwy 68 · Carmel Valley · Jim Moore Blvd
Best Spotting
Pacific Grove · Carmel · Monterey
Budget
$0
01

Beat the Traffic

The single thing that ruins Car Week for most people, solved. These are the routes locals actually drive.

Highway 1 GridlockLocks up afternoons on busy days
Highway 1 down the coast is the choke point. For Pacific Grove and Monterey, come in on Highway 68 west (Holman Highway). For Seaside and Sand City, drop down Canyon Del Rey (218). For Carmel, take Laureles Grade over to Carmel Valley Road and come in from the east. The views will be worth it.
The Pebble Gate LineThe scenic route to Pebble
Skip the Highway 1 gate into Pebble Beach. Use the Pacific Grove gate (Country Club Gate) or the Morse Drive gate instead. Same destination, a fraction of the wait.
02

The Free Car Week Itinerary

The events worth showing up for, all open to the public with no ticket at the gate. Days and times shift year to year, so confirm before you drive out.

FRI 8/7Kick-Off
Monterey Kick-Off Cruise
Downtown Monterey
Thirty-plus classic race cars roll through downtown, 5 to 7pm. Grab dinner nearby and watch them arrive.
TUE 8/11Carmel
Concours for a Cause
Carmel Mission area
A relaxed morning of rare vintage classics with far less crowd chaos than the marquee shows.
WED 8/12Pacific Grove
The Little Car Show
Lighthouse Ave, PG
Microcars, minis, and quirky builds, noon to 5pm. Great community feel and easy street walking.
THU 8/13Seaside
Legends of the Autobahn
On the lawn
German marques out on the grass, free to walk. BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, Audi.
THU 8/13Carmel
Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance
Hwy 1 to Ocean Ave
Watch the Concours cars drive under their own power. Line up along Ocean Avenue before 11am.
FRI 8/14Pacific Grove
Werks Reunion & PG Auto Rally
Monterey Pines / Lighthouse
Hundreds of Porsches at Werks in the morning, then the evening cruise down Lighthouse.
SAT 8/15Seaside
Concours d’LeMons
Seaside City Hall
The worst cars on earth, celebrated, 8am to 1:30pm. The anti-Pebble, and the most fun you’ll have all week.
SAT 8/15Seaside
Exotics on Broadway
Broadway Ave
Modern hypercar noise, 3 to 8pm, plus the Barnyard Ferrari gathering nearby earlier in the day.
Worth the Ticket

Two marquees are worth paying for if you splurge on one thing. The Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion at Laguna Seca, Aug 14 to 16, vintage racing you hear before you see. And the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, Sunday Aug 16, the 75th, the lawn everyone else is filming.

The Free Insider Kit

The Part Locals Don’t Post

Knowing the events is the easy half. Knowing exactly where to stand and when is the local’s edge. That part lives in the free printable guide, along with the routes and itinerary above, all in one file you keep on your phone.

Inside · 01

Every spot, with the exact window

Lighthouse Ave, PGWed pm / Fri am
Inn at Spanish BayGolden hour
+ 5 more spotseach with the exact hour to show up
Inside · 02

My secret photo & video spots

Carmel side streets7:30 am
Spanish Bay exitsDinner run
Creator positionswhere to stand for clean shots, no crowd in frame
Inside · 03

The full local eat map

Lucy’s on LighthousePacific Grove
Alta Bakery & CaféMonterey
13 spots, 5 categoriesbreakfast to splurge, where locals actually go

Get the free guide

Save it to your phone. When 100,000 people pack into a handful of small coastal towns, cell service crawls to a stop. Download it before you drive out so the routes, times, and spots are with you even when your bars aren’t.
You’ll join the Pursuit list for Car Week updates and the Vault launch. Unsubscribe anytime.

You’re in.

Your guide is ready. Save it to your phone.

Download the PDF
Local Survival Note

Coastal fog can make 55 degrees feel cold, and highs in the 70s can feel way warmer in the sun, so always pack sunscreen and a sweatshirt. Cell data also crawls around Pebble and Carmel Valley when crowds are thick, so download offline maps and keep this guide saved to your phone before you go.

For Brands & Partners

Partner With Us

This guide puts your brand in front of enthusiasts planning their Monterey Car Week, locals and travelers alike. Want in for 2027? Let’s build something together.

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Live From Car Week

Updated all week, Aug 7–16
Pinned

Follow along all week

Edit this block for the day’s top highlight. The feed below fills in automatically as new Car Week posts go up.

Live updates start Friday, Aug 7. Check back through Car Week.
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New Videos & Journal Posts All Week

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© 2026 PURSUIT. · A NICK ENGVALL PROJECT · connect@pursuitmonterey.com · @pursuitofsomething