FLIBS 2026 Is Here: The World's Largest In-Water Boat Show Takes Over Fort Lauderdale

# FLIBS 2026 Is Here: The World's Largest In-Water Boat Show Takes Over Fort Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale doesn't do boat show week halfway. For five days starting Wednesday, the Yachting Capital of the World becomes exactly that — the **67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS)**, the largest in-water boat show on the planet, takes over the waterfront with **1,300-plus boats**, from nimble center consoles to superyachts you have to see from the dock to believe. This is not a convention-center trade show you walk in an hour. FLIBS sprawls across multiple waterfront venues anchored at **Bahia Mar Yachting Center, 801 Seabreeze Blvd**, with floating docks, tents and displays covering the marina district. Come to buy, come to dream, or just come to walk the docks — this is South Florida's signature fall week on the water, and it starts in three days. ## The essentials - **What:** Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) — 67th annual edition - **When:** **Wednesday, October 28 – Sunday, November 1, 2026** - Wednesday Oct 28 (Preview Day): **12:00 PM – 7:00 PM** - Thursday Oct 29 – Saturday Oct 31: **10:00 AM – 7:00 PM** - Sunday Nov 1: **10:00 AM – 5:00 PM** - **Where:** Anchored at Bahia Mar Yachting Center, 801 Seabreeze Blvd, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316, plus Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Marina, Pier Sixty-Six Marina, Superyacht Village at Pier Sixty-Six South, and the Broward County Convention Center - **Tickets:** **$48 for one-day general admission** (Thursday–Sunday), $80 for two days, $73 for Wednesday Preview, kids 6–12 $19, children under 6 free. Windward VIP is $459. - **Buy online only:** There is **no on-site box office** — tickets are digital-only and must be bought in advance at flibs.com ## Why FLIBS is worth the trip **The scale is the show.** More than 1,300 vessels and roughly 1,000 exhibiting brands fill the docks. You can step from a fishing-ready center console to a brokerage yacht to the Superyacht Village in a single afternoon, and talk directly to builders, dealers and gear makers at every stop. Boarding is at each exhibitor's discretion, and the biggest yachts are often by appointment — ask politely, be patient, and you'll get aboard more than you expect. **It's built for non-buyers, too.** The **AquaZone** puts water sports and new marine products up close, the Convention Center floor is packed with gear, electronics and seminars, and kids get their own corner there — plus **Hook the Future** fishing clinics on Saturday and Sunday, where young anglers learn to cast and leave with a free rod and reel. New for 2026, look for the floating pickleball court at Las Olas Marina and the Windward VIP Cabana Club, now relocated to Bahia Mar. **Wednesday is the insider's day.** Preview Day costs more ($73) and opens at noon, but the docks are calmer, the crews have time to talk, and you can actually hear yourself think aboard. If you are seriously shopping — or you just hate crowds — Wednesday and Thursday are your days. Saturday is the biggest, loudest, most electric day, and Halloween on the docks this year should be something else entirely. ## Insider tips 1. **Park once at the Convention Center.** The Broward County Convention Center at 1950 Eisenhower Blvd is the show's transportation hub, with more than 3,000 spaces at a $20 flat daily rate. Free shuttles and golf carts connect you to Bahia Mar and Superyacht Village, running from an hour before opening to an hour after closing. Beach-side parking fills early and costs you dock time. 2. **Ride the water.** The FLIBS Water Taxi is $15 for one day or $65 for all five days (kids under 5 ride free, and it's included with Windward VIP). On a show spread along the Intracoastal, the water is often the fastest route — and arriving by boat to a boat show just feels right. 3. **Consider Brightline from Miami or Palm Beach.** Ride Brightline to Fort Lauderdale station, take the free Red shuttle to the Riverside Hotel, then connect to the water taxi. No I-95, no parking hunt. 4. **Buy tickets before you leave home, and screenshot them.** No box office means no box office — if you show up without a digital ticket, you're buying on your phone in the sun at the gate. Download or screenshot it while you still have good signal. 5. **Dress for docks, plan for weather.** Boat shoes or flat, non-marking soles if you want to board, a hat, and sunscreen — South Florida late-October sun is still real. This week's forecast is unsettled, so pack a light rain layer; the show runs rain or shine and the Convention Center and tents give you plenty of covered ground to wait out a shower. 6. **Work the show in zones.** Pick one anchor venue per half-day — Bahia Mar and Hall of Fame in the morning, Superyacht Village after lunch, Convention Center when you need air-conditioning. Trying to see everything in one pass is how people miss the boats they actually came for. ## The bottom line FLIBS only happens once a year, and nothing else in American boating looks like it. Five days, six waterfront locations, 1,300-plus boats and the whole industry in one city. Whether you're pricing your next center console, touring a superyacht you'll tell stories about for a year, or just spending a perfect fall day on the docks, this is the week to go. **[Get FLIBS tickets at flibs.com](https://www.flibs.com/)** — remember, online only, no gate sales. See you on the docks.