For decades, the Pebble Beach Concours d\u2019Elegance has been held on the third Sunday in August. That changes in 2028 as organizers confirmed that the Concours will move forward by one week, landing on the second Sunday in August. Concours Chairman, Sandra Button, explained that the decision was driven by families who found it difficult to attend as schools across the nation continue to start earlier each August.<\/p>\n
\n\u201cParents want to share their love of cars with their kids, and we want to make that more possible. When we look at the calendars for Pebble Beach, for other Concours, and for other local large events, a simple move forward by one week lessens the conflict for many.\u201d \u2013 Sandra Button, Concours Chairman.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Button also added that requests for an earlier date were steady and persistent from entrants, judges, volunteers, and spectators alike. This shift has broader implications as Pebble Beach sets the pace for Monterey Car Week. As we saw at an action-packed week this year,<\/a> several Concours events, charity rallies,<\/a> and auction houses time their schedules around it. RM Sotheby\u2019s,<\/a> Gooding & Company,<\/a> Broad Arrow,<\/a> Mecum<\/a> and Bonhams<\/a> all cluster their events around Concours weekend. That means you can expect some shifting of dates across the board.<\/p>\n
Key Dates to Note:<\/h3>\n
Here\u2019s what the Concours schedule looks like over the next five years:<\/p>\n
August 16, 2026<\/p>\n
August 15, 2027<\/p>\n
August 13, 2028 (the first year with the new date)<\/p>\n
August 12, 2029<\/p>\n
August 11, 2030<\/p>\n
Historically, the Concours has never been afraid of experimenting with its place on the calendar. The first show took place back in early November 1950. Organizers then tried spring and early summer slots as well, before weather pushed them around again in the late 1950s and early 1960s. In fact, rain forced a cancellation in 1960, which nudged the event back toward summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, it wasn\u2019t until 1967 that Pebble Beach finally settled into the fourth Sunday of August, and eventually moving to the third Sunday, a tradition that stuck through the \u201890s and beyond. That<\/em> long history explains why this change is being treated with such care. The Concours is an institution with ripple effects across the collector car world.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re a regular at Car Week, take note: you should be aware that airlines don\u2019t usually release fares more than a year out, but hotels in Carmel and Monterey often book up to two years in advance. Waiting too long will leave you scrambling, or worse, paying inflated last-minute rates. Businesses in Monterey, from restaurants to rental companies, also<\/em> build staffing plans around the event, and sorting out the logistics. This announcement, coming three years in advance should give the industry enough time to make adjustments.\u00a0<\/p>\n