Monterey County California Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance Festival

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is widely considered the most prestigious car show in the world. Held each August on the eighteenth fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links, it gathers the finest collector cars on the planet to compete for the Best of Show award, with the Pacific Ocean as a backdrop.

The Concours began in 1950 and has become the pinnacle of the concours circuit worldwide. It is also the finale of Monterey Car Week, the centerpiece of more than fifty related events spanning the peninsula.

This guide covers what the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is, how the judging works, and how to plan a visit to the Monterey Peninsula for it.

What the Concours Is

A concours d’elegance, French for a competition of elegance, is an event open to both prewar and postwar collector cars in which they are judged for authenticity, function, history and style. Entrants are accepted through an application process, and classes are arranged by type, marque, coachbuilder, country of origin or time period.

At Pebble Beach, judges select first-, second- and third-place finishers in each class, then confer the Best of Show award on one car from among the class winners. The winner receives an engraved trophy and an engraved watch. The field is exceptional even by concours standards, with cars restored to the highest level of correctness.

For a nearby comparison, see the Monterey County California California Roots Music and Arts.

A Tradition Since 1950

The first Pebble Beach Concours was held in 1950, and the Best of Show that year went to a 1950 Edwards R-26 Special Sport Roadster shown by Sterling Edwards. The event has run every year since, growing from a modest gathering of enthusiasts into the world’s premier celebration of the automobile.

Over the decades the Concours has become known not only for the cars but for the standard it sets. Restoration quality, historical accuracy and presentation are judged rigorously, and a Best of Show win at Pebble Beach is the highest honor in the collector car world.

The event also serves as a stage for new car debuts and concept vehicles, which appear alongside the historic field. That blend of past and future is part of what keeps the Concours relevant to the wider industry.

Where and When

The Concours is held on the eighteenth fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California, on a Sunday in August. The show field opens to entrants at dawn and to spectators with a credential at 5:30 a.m., judging begins at 8 a.m., and the awards ceremony runs from 1:30 to 5 p.m.

Location	Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pebble Beach, California
Typical timing	A Sunday in August, as the finale of Monterey Car Week
Founded	1950
Attendance	About 15,000
Awards	Class places plus Best of Show, with an engraved trophy and watch
Judging criteria	Authenticity, function, history and style
Related events	Tour d’Elegance, RetroAuto, Classic Car Forum, auctions

The Week Around It

The Concours is the finale of Pebble Beach Automotive Week and Monterey Car Week, a stretch of days packed with automotive events. The Pebble Beach Tour d’Elegance sends more than 150 Concours entrants on a scenic drive on the Thursday, and the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion brings vintage racing to WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca.

Auctions from major houses, gatherings such as The Quail, and smaller shows in Carmel and Pacific Grove fill the rest of the week. For enthusiasts, the Concours is the anchor of a much larger itinerary.

Planning Your Visit

Car Week is the busiest week of the year on the Monterey Peninsula, and the Concours is its most in-demand event. Lodging sells out months ahead, ticket tiers are limited, and traffic on event day is heavy. Planning well in advance is essential.

• Book lodging many months ahead; Car Week is the peninsula’s peak week.
• Buy Concours tickets early, since tiers are limited and sell out.
• Arrive very early on Sunday, or use event shuttles, to avoid traffic.
• Bring layers, as the fairway can be foggy and cold at dawn.
• Check the schedule of the week’s other events and free shows.

Beyond the Concours

The Monterey Peninsula offers plenty beyond the show field. The Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row are a short drive north, Point Lobos State Natural Reserve south of Carmel is a favorite for coastal trails, and the seventeen-mile drive threads through Pebble Beach past some of the coast’s most photographed scenery.

For automotive visitors, the region’s museums and collections, the racetrack at Laguna Seca and the town of Carmel’s galleries and courtyards make for a full week between Concours events.

How the Judging Works

A concours is a competition of condition and correctness as much as beauty. Cars are judged against the standard they were built to, which means authenticity of parts, finishes and details matters as much as the quality of the restoration. A car that looks flawless can lose points for a single incorrect component.

At Pebble Beach, classes are arranged by type, marque, coachbuilder, country of origin or period, and judges award first, second and third places within each class. From the class winners, the judges then choose a single Best of Show. The award is the highest honor in the collector car world, and the winning car is remembered for decades.

The judging panel includes some of the most knowledgeable figures in the hobby, and the standards they apply have influenced restoration practice worldwide. For entrants, acceptance into the field is itself an achievement, and a class award is a career highlight for a restorer.

The Cars and the Classes

The field at Pebble Beach spans the history of the automobile, from early brass-era machines to postwar sports and racing cars. Each year brings featured classes and special displays that give the show a particular theme, and manufacturers often use the occasion to present new models and concepts.

Many of the competing cars are valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and some have changed hands for millions. The combination of rarity, provenance and condition on the eighteenth fairway is unmatched anywhere in the world.

Because the classes change from year to year, no two Concours are alike. Visitors who return annually see different marques and eras highlighted each August, which keeps the event fresh even for seasoned enthusiasts.

A Day at the Concours

The Concours day has its own rhythm. The show field opens to entrants at dawn, and spectators with credentials begin arriving at 5:30 in the morning. Judging starts at 8 a.m., and the awards ceremony runs from early afternoon until around five, when the Best of Show is announced.

The early start is part of the experience. Dawn on the eighteenth fairway, with the fog lifting off the Pacific and the cars being uncovered, is one of the most atmospheric scenes in the automotive world. Visitors who arrive early see the field at its quietest and get the best light for photographs.

Between judging and the awards, attendees can tour the field, watch the judges at work, visit the RetroAuto displays and the Classic Car Forum, and take in the concept and new-model presentations. Food and drink are available on site, and the day is long enough that pacing matters.

The Concours in Context

Pebble Beach did not invent the concours, but it has done more than any other event to define what one should be. The judging standards developed here have shaped restoration practice worldwide, and the classes and special displays set trends that other shows follow.

The event’s influence extends into the market. A Best of Show win or even a class award can change a car’s standing among collectors, and the week’s auctions respond to the attention the Concours generates. For the industry, Pebble Beach is both a celebration and a benchmark.

For visitors, that influence is part of the appeal. Seeing the field at Pebble Beach is seeing the standard against which collector cars everywhere are measured, in a setting that has no real equal on the automotive calendar.

Why the Concours Endures

The Pebble Beach Concours has survived for more than seven decades because it keeps evolving without abandoning its standards. Featured classes change, new marques and eras come into focus, and the event continues to attract cars that have never been shown publicly. That balance of tradition and renewal is what keeps the show relevant.

It also endures because of where it is held. The eighteenth fairway, with the Pacific behind the show field, is a setting no other concours can replicate, and the early-morning atmosphere before judging begins is something attendees remember for years.

For the collector car world, the Concours remains the summit. A Best of Show trophy from Pebble Beach is the highest honor the hobby offers, and the event’s standards continue to set the benchmark that restorers and collectors around the world aspire to.

The Concours and the Coast

The Concours is inseparable from its setting. The eighteenth fairway sits above the Pacific, and the combination of rare automobiles and coastal scenery is what visitors remember most. Fog, sun and the sound of the ocean are as much a part of the day as the cars themselves.

That setting shapes how the event is experienced. Attendees move slowly across the field, stopping to study details and to take in the view, and the pace is unhurried despite the crowds. It is a show designed to be savored rather than rushed.

For photographers, the light on the fairway is part of the appeal, changing through the morning as the fog lifts. Early arrivals get the most atmospheric conditions, and the images captured at Pebble Beach have become some of the most recognizable in the automotive world.

Festival Area Map

The map below marks Pebble Beach and the Concours show field, with the approach along Highway 1 and the seventeen-mile drive for planning your visit.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance?

It is held on a Sunday in August, as the finale of Monterey Car Week.

Where is it held?

On the 18th fairway of Pebble Beach Golf Links in Pebble Beach, California.

How long has it been running?

Since 1950, making it one of the oldest and most prestigious concours in the world.

What is Best of Show?

It is the top award, given to one car chosen from among the class winners, along with an engraved trophy and watch.

How are cars judged?

Judges assess authenticity, function, history and style, with classes by type, marque, coachbuilder, country or era.

Do I need tickets?

Yes, the Concours is ticketed, and ticket tiers are limited. Buying early is essential.

What to Expect From the Next Concours

How often is it held?

It is an annual event, held each August.

When is the next Concours?

The next edition is expected on a Sunday in August. Confirm dates and ticket details with the organizers.

Will the format change?

The judging structure and Best of Show award have been consistent for decades, while the featured classes and special displays change each year.

Last updated: October 2026

The Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance is the summit of the collector car world. Between the quality of the field, the rigor of the judging and the setting on the eighteenth fairway above the Pacific, it sets a standard no other car show quite reaches. For anyone who loves automobiles, it is worth planning a trip around.