Monterey Car Week 2026: The Quail, Pebble Beach and Top Events Explained

Every year, car enthusiasts from around the world converge on Northern California for Monterey Car Week, a week-long celebration spanning Monterey, Carmel, and the surrounding region.

The event brings together an unusually broad mix of automotive culture. Modern hypercars sit alongside historic racers, rare classics, specialist builds, and new concept cars. As a result, the week attracts everyone from collectors and manufacturers to motorsport fans, journalists, and automotive creators.

However, Monterey Car Week is not a single event. Instead, it is a collection of highly differentiated gatherings, each serving a specific part of the automotive community.

Some events are open to the public, while others are invitation-only or require premium tickets. Moreover, the atmosphere can vary significantly between locations.

After several years of growing attendance, the 2026 edition also appeared more organised across several major events, with organisers, local authorities, and security teams working to manage crowds and vehicle activity around Monterey and Carmel.

For visitors trying to understand the event, four gatherings stand out: The Quail, automotive houses, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, and the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance.

The Quail and automotive houses

The Quail, held at The Quail Lodge & Golf Club, serves as one of the central gatherings during Monterey Car Week.

Its grounds become a showcase for automakers, specialist manufacturers, and automotive brands. During the 2026 edition, BMW ALPINA, Gunther Werks, BRABUS, Lamborghini, Acura, and Koenigsegg drew significant attention with new vehicles, concepts, and dedicated displays.

The event also has a strong media presence. Journalists, photographers, reviewers, and automotive creators use the gathering to see newly revealed vehicles and capture content for audiences worldwide.

However, access comes at a premium. Tickets for The Quail can cost more than $2,000, reinforcing its position as one of the most exclusive events on the Monterey Car Week calendar.

Beyond The Quail, automakers set up temporary housing throughout Monterey County during the week. These locations serve as private-brand environments where guests can view new products, meet company executives, and experience curated hospitality.

In 2026, BMW, Lamborghini, and Bentley were among the brands hosting prominent private experiences.

The character of each house varies considerably. Some focus on product launches and technology, while others put greater emphasis on design, hospitality, and entertainment.

Kith’s collaboration with BMW, for example, brought a fashion and lifestyle dimension to the automotive experience. Meanwhile, Lamborghini focused heavily on spectacle and activations, while Bentley maintained its more entertainment-led approach.

Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion

For enthusiasts focused on motorsport history, the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion offers a very different experience.

Held at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, the event brings historic competition cars back onto the circuit for racing sessions.

The grid can include classic sports cars, endurance-racing machinery, Le Mans legends, and historic IMSA vehicles. Unlike static displays, the cars are driven on track, allowing visitors to experience their engines, sounds, and performance in a competitive environment.

The event also provides access to the paddock, giving spectators the opportunity to see the cars up close and learn more about their history.

That combination of racing and access makes the Motorsports Reunion particularly valuable for enthusiasts interested in the development of competition cars.

While The Quail focuses heavily on premieres, manufacturers, and luxury automotive culture, the Motorsports Reunion places greater emphasis on the history and engineering behind motorsport.

Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance remains the defining event of Monterey Car Week.

Held at Pebble Beach Golf Links, the concours brings together some of the world’s most significant historic, rare, and collectible automobiles.

The event is fundamentally different from the week’s more manufacturer-focused gatherings. Rather than simply showcasing new products, the Concours celebrates automotive design, provenance, preservation, and collectability.

Many of the vehicles on display are priced extremely high. However, their significance extends beyond monetary value, with some representing important moments in automotive history or exceptional examples of engineering and design.

Visitors can also experience the awards ceremony, dining, automotive brand activations, and retail experiences throughout the event.

The ticket price is considerably lower than that of The Quail, although attending the Concours remains a premium experience.

Taken together, these events demonstrate why Monterey Car Week has become one of the world’s most important automotive gatherings.

The week is not simply about seeing expensive cars. Instead, it offers different ways to understand automotive culture, from new vehicle launches and luxury hospitality to historic racing and concours-level preservation.

The public car gatherings and street displays remain an important part of the experience. However, the major ticketed and invitation-only events provide a deeper look at the industry’s manufacturers, collectors, designers, and motorsport heritage.

For anyone attending Monterey Car Week in the future, understanding the differences between these events is essential. The Quail is built around exclusivity and new automotive products; the Motorsports Reunion celebrates racing history; and Pebble Beach represents the highest levels of automotive collecting and preservation.

Together, they explain why Monterey Car Week continues to occupy such a unique position in global car culture.