Why I See Car Week Differently

By Berniz House

August 2026 · Monterey Peninsula, California

Monterey Car Week is one of the most recognized automotive gatherings in the world. Each August, the Monterey Peninsula becomes a destination for collectors, racing enthusiasts, designers, automobile clubs, luxury brands and visitors who come to experience everything from historic racing to rare and exceptional cars.

But I see Car Week a little differently.

I am not a car expert, and I do not attend because I am a collector. What interests me most is everything happening around the automobiles.

Part of that experience is the place itself.

There is something remarkable about seeing extraordinary cars surrounded by the natural beauty of California’s Central Coast - the Pacific Ocean, coastal cliffs, Monterey cypress trees, beaches and winding roads that connect communities throughout the Peninsula.

The cars may bring people here, but the landscape helps create the experience.

Living and working on the Central Coast has also taught me to look at this region through its people, businesses, nonprofits, volunteers, community leaders and families. So when Car Week arrives, I notice the automobiles, but I also notice everything happening around them.

I see restaurants preparing for crowds, hotels welcoming visitors from around the world, employees navigating heavier traffic and local businesses preparing for one of the most active weeks of the year.

And then there are the volunteers.

I know that side of Car Week personally because I have volunteered in past years. During lunch breaks, I met couples and individuals who had traveled from outside California simply to be part of the experience.

Some had connections to automobile clubs or racing teams. Others volunteered independently, paying their own way and giving their own time because they wanted to support something they cared about.

Those conversations stayed with me.

They reminded me that events of this scale are not created only by what we see in the spotlight. Behind the rare cars, elegant venues and international attention are people who travel long distances, work behind the scenes and contribute simply because they love being part of it.

There is also a striking contrast during this week.

Some of the most valuable automobiles in the world travel along roads surrounded by ocean, forests and protected landscapes. Luxury, history, technology and nature temporarily occupy the same space.

For me, that contrast is part of what makes Monterey Car Week so distinctive.

It also brings together people who might otherwise never cross paths: collectors and residents, visitors and volunteers, businesses and nonprofits, longtime enthusiasts and people experiencing the week for the first time.

For some, Car Week is about automotive history and design. For others, it is about racing, business, tourism, friendship or simply the excitement of being there.

For me, it is all of those things happening together.

That is why I tend to look beyond the cars and ask different questions:

Who comes here? Who makes the week possible? What does it bring to the community? How does the environment shape the experience? And what keeps people coming back year after year?

For me, Monterey Car Week is not only about the automobiles.

It is also about the people, the places, the nature and the experiences surrounding them.

That is why I see Car Week differently.

Monterey Car Week · Monterey Peninsula · Community · Automotive Culture · California