Best Things to Do on the Monterey Peninsula This August

Wondering out loud: When is an event not an…event? 

One answer leaves its treads across the Monterey Peninsula every August, when Monterey Car Week — another misnomer, as it grows closer to two weeks — uncorks so many auctions, festivals and displays it’s something much more than an event. 

The anchor for the week remains Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, wherein hundreds of collectible cars from around the world assemble on the famed golf course’s 18th fairway August 20. 

But other motor-headed occasions — from Prancing Ponies Women’s Car Show to the Concours d’LeMons — start nine days earlier.

So it’s not exactly an event, or a festival, or a convention. It’s a full-on thing.

The sheer amount of traffic makes it a challenging week for locals, and worth planning around if you’re visiting for non-Car Week fun, of which much abounds amid what’s usually one of the best months weather-wise of the year around Monterey Bay.

We’ve done the deep research for you on the best things to do on the Monterey Peninsula including museums, cultural events, food tours, golfing, hikes and more. Speaking of food, we also have an extensive list of our best restaurants on the Monterey Peninsula, and if you’re planning a weekend, the the best places to stay. 

August along the Monterey Peninsula is the start of the nicest climate months of the year — typically August through October. Beaches are as full as any time, hikes opportunities proliferate and it’s warm but not too-too hot.

Here appear some events to consider for the month of August, in chronological order: