The essential car shows to add to your 2026 calendar

From Top Marques Monaco to the world’s most exclusive concours, these are the must-attend automotive events for collectors, enthusiasts and superyacht owners alike.

As we battle through the dreary early months of the year here in the northern hemisphere, hope is well and truly on the horizon for the onset of spring and the return of longer, brighter days – and, therefore, the opening of car show season.

Interesting cars and fabulous superyachts often attract the same people, and if both float your boat, there’s no show more appealing than the annual Top Marques Monaco.

This year marks the 22nd edition following its founding as an annual event in 2004.

From the start, Top Marques set out to showcase unusual cars, often from young manufacturers creating limited runs of exotic supercars for the fortunate few.

Choosing to promote that niche proved prescient, as evinced by the sector’s rapid expansion and buyers’ growing appetite for cars that offer something different, be they electric concept models, high-performance hybrids or hand-crafted “resto mods”.

As usual, this year’s show will take place at the Grimaldi Forum (handy for the marina) and will feature 120 exhibitors and around 200 vehicles, along with a carefully curated selection of watch and jewellery brands.

In addition to the classic car hall introduced in 2021 (70 classics, most of which are for sale), this year will see the launch of the Supercar Hall in the Grande Verriere lobby, a 1,500-square-metre area where Monaco’s main supercar dealers will display the latest Ferraris, Aston Martins, Lamborghinis and Pagani cars, among others.

Around a dozen high-end motorcycle manufacturers will also showcase their latest machines – Ducati and Harley-Davidson among them – while outside the Forum, you’ll find an impressive selection of high-performance tenders and sport boats, moored-up beside the esplanade.

Top Marques Monaco runs from 6 to 10 May, with day one reserved for a VIP cocktail party. topmarquesmonaco.com

Four More Pit Stops For 2026

Goodwood Members’ Meeting

Now a combination of sublime classic car show and thrill-a-minute racing, the original Members’ Meeting took place on 71 occasions between the inauguration of the Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1948 and its closure in 1966. The track was reopened for competition by the present Duke of Richmond in 1998, and the Members’ Meeting revived in 2014. 

As the name implies, the event is open to members only – but purchasing a £95 “fellowship” in the Goodwood Road and Racing Club will get you in. More than a dozen races for cars of all types built from the 1900s to the 1990s are scheduled, including a tribute event to mark 50 years since Britain’s James Hunt became F1 World Champion. Look out for the Protheroe Cup (for Jaguar E-Types), the Win Percy Trophy for saloon cars and the S.F. Edge Trophy for Edwardian cars built prior to 1923. Chichester, UK, 18 and 19 April. goodwood.com

Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este

Seersucker suits and Panama hats will be at the fore when perhaps the world’s most glamorous classic car event gets underway at the Grand Hotel Villa d’Este on the shores of Lake Como. Dating back to 1929, the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este was instigated by the hotel’s far-sighted then-manager, who invited members of the Automobile Club di Como to display their beloved Alfa Romeos, Lancias and Isotta Fraschinis around the beautifully manicured gardens. 

More than 80 cars turned out for the first edition, but the event stalled when the Second World War broke out, and – aside from a failed attempt to revive it in 1947 – remained forgotten until 1995 when the late Villa d’Este CEO Jean-Marc Droulers created the event that exists today. Now it attracts only the best vehicles from the best collections – and merely being invited to show garners considerable kudos for both cars and owners, who can expect to be parked alongside top collectors such as Ralph Lauren and Marc Newson. Lake Como, Italy,  15 to 17 May, concorsodeleganzavilladeste.com

Monterey Car Week and Pebble Beach Concours

If you’re mad about classic cars, you could do worse than head to California’s Monterey Peninsula in August because – as anyone remotely interested in old motors will know – it’s time for “Car Week”, the legendary annual gathering of some of the finest and most valuable collectable vehicles in the world. Car Week has grown-up around the Pebble Beach Concours, which happens each year at the swish Pebble Beach Golf Club. 

Inaugurated in 1950 as a 30-car show staged off the back of the Pebble Beach road races, the modern Concours now runs to a limited entry of 175 blue-chip automobiles with the surrounding activities lasting 10 full days and stretching the length and breadth of the Monterey peninsula. Attractions include multiple classic car auctions, VIP parties, road runs and car club gatherings, with the actual Pebble Beach Concours on Sunday, 16 August. Monterey Peninsula, California, 7 to 16 August, whatsupmonterey.com

The Bridge X

Possibly the most exclusive car event in the world, The Bridge is invitation only, lasts for a little more than seven hours and, in 2025, attracted a field of cars with a combined value estimated at more than $600 million. Now in  its 10th edition, The Bridge takes place on the site of the old Bridgehampton motor racing circuit, which opened in 1957. 

By 1981, it was  in a run-down state, at which point Wall Street currency trader and car collector Bob  Rubin acquired it, revived it and kept it going for 17 years until local complaints forced its  closure. Rubin subsequently converted the track into an upmarket golf club – membership:  $1.2 million (about £890,000) – and now uses  its pristine fairways as a backdrop for this remarkable car show, which pays tribute  to the site’s glorious motor racing past.

Bridgehampton, New York, 19 September, thebridgehamptons.com

First published in the March 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.