Local businesses gear up for the Monterey car show

MONTEREY, CALIF. (KION-TV)- Monterey is revving up for car week, drawing thousands of people to the Central Coast.

The premier event of the Monterey Peninsula is underway, and classic car fans from near and far are excited for the dozens of events ahead.

"I know they're going to be like a bunch of iconic cars, which are my favorite cars personally," Aryan Chahal visiting from Toronto said. "That's what, like, really excites me to be here."

The county of Monterey says in past years, car week has drawn over 80,000 people, pumping more than $65 million dollars into the local economy.

Shops in downtown Monterey already busy preparing for the big week.

"Right now, it's just making sure we have all our backups ready. making sure everybody's here on time," Gabriel Aquino Bubblicious and Bites employee said.

Bobalicious and Bites has been in the Monterey community for over four years but just opened up in a new building and has seen a variety of people coming in.

"Usually when we have events like this big, community events like that, it affects the business in a positive way," Aquino said. "We've been getting a lot more people and I can only assume that we're going to get a couple more done this weekend."

Visitors from all over come out to Monterey for car week.

The Monterey County Convention and Visitor Bureau says in 2022, hotels netted nearly $50 million in revenue. 

"You see cars here that you don't see anywhere else quite often," Nathan Pagels visiting from Canada said. "Like here on this transporter, there's probably millions of dollars worth of cars, and we just can't see that anywhere else too easily."

While Monterey is gearing up to showcase many different cars, this major event is helping local culture and economy.

"It drives a lot of business and local business, I'd say so," Pagel said. "Whether or not the locals are appreciating so many people coming into town, I don't know, But there are definitely some pros to it."

According to the city of Monterey, car week events raised between three to four million dollars in donations for more than 100 local organizations in 2023.