The Automobile Club de Monaco's biennial historic meeting, racing pre-war and postwar Grand Prix cars on the same closed streets as the Formula 1 race.
An event page tells you when it happens (with how sure we are of the date), why it matters, how the week around it feels, when to arrive and leave, where people stay, how access works, and which events come before and after it on the circuit.
Every second spring the Automobile Club de Monaco closes the streets it closes for Formula 1 and hands them to old racing cars. Grids are divided by era: pre-war voiturettes and Grand Prix machinery, front- and rear-engined Formula 1 cars of the 1950s and 1960s, mid-1950s sports cars, Formula Junior, and Formula 1 cars to the mid-1980s.
The circuit and the closures are identical to June's, but the crowd is a fraction of the size and the paddock on the quay is open enough to walk through.
01Why it matters
Historic racing has venues with better facilities and none with this authority. Monaco's layout has barely changed since 1929, so a 1961 Formula 1 car runs on the road it was designed for. In our reading the meeting matters commercially as much as sentimentally: significant cars are seen running rather than parked.
02The week around it
Monaco does not empty its hotels for this meeting, and that is the appeal. The same barriers and closures apply, but for three days rather than a fortnight of build-up. The port is the center: transporters unload on the quay and the paddock is in the open air.
03When to arrive
Friday for practice, leaving Monday, is the full version; Saturday to Sunday covers the racing. Arriving on the day works.
04Where to stay
The same map as the Formula 1 weekend with far less pressure on it. Monte Carlo and the harbor side of La Condamine sit inside the closure, Fontvieille is quieter, and Nice is a short train ride away.
05Access and hospitality
Tickets are sold by the Automobile Club de Monaco through its official ticket office, in grandstands and enclosure areas, in the same structure as the Formula 1 race but at a different scale of demand. Competitors enter by application.
06Where the social activity happens
The quayside paddock in Port Hercule is the meeting's living room. Casino Square and the restaurants of La Condamine carry the evenings.
07Getting there
08Practicalities
09History
The first running came in 1997, marking seven hundred years of Grimaldi rule. It returned in 2000 on a two-year cycle. The pandemic pushed 2020 into 2021, after which the club restored the even-year rhythm and has announced 2028 next.
10Who is there
Collectors and owner-drivers, restorers, dealer and auction staff, and a local audience that treats the meeting as the pleasant version of Grand Prix week.
The circuit continues
Part of: Automotive Concours Circuit
Dates on record
| Edition | Dates | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2028 | Date pendingThere is no 2027 edition: the meeting runs in even-numbered years and the club's own event page closes with 'See you in 2028'. Only the year has been announced; the club has not published 2028 dates, and because the Formula 1 race moved to June in 2026 the historic gap of two weeks between the two meetings is no longer a reliable guide. April is given as the typical month. | |
| 2026 · 15th edition | · 15th edition | CompletedDates as published in the Automobile Club de Monaco's own event calendar. Wikipedia describes this as the 15th edition. |
Related events
Sources
- Grand Prix de Monaco Historique, Automobile Club de Monaco official accessed 6 September 2026
- Automobile Club de Monaco - event calendar, Automobile Club de Monaco official accessed 6 September 2026
- Monaco Historic Grand Prix, Wikipedia encyclopedia accessed 6 September 2026