From Wednesday, October 28, through Sunday, November 1, Fort Lauderdale's Water Taxi suspends regular service. For the length of the 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the yellow boats run only between show stops, and the Broward County Convention Center serves as the parking lot, shuttle depot and front door for the whole event.
For anyone who lives here, the show works like a transit system. Six waterfront sites spread along the Intracoastal operate as one show for those five days, and boats on the water carry much of the traffic between them. Understanding how that system works is the difference between a good boat show week and a frustrating one, whether you buy a ticket or not.
Six Sites Along One Waterway
The 2026 show maps list six locations, which the organizer groups into three clusters:
- Broward County Convention Center, the transportation hub, with fishing boats, runabouts, cruisers, personal watercraft and marine accessories
- The Bahia Mar area: Bahia Mar Yachting Center at 801 Seabreeze Boulevard, Hall of Fame Marina and Las Olas Marina
- Pier Sixty-Six Marina and Superyacht Village
These sites sit along the same stretch of water, from the 17th Street side up to Las Olas. That is why the show treats water transport as core infrastructure. The show's parking page links the Convention Center to every location by water taxi, shuttle or golf cart, and Citywide.TV's preview describes the shuttles and golf carts as free.
The size of the event explains why the routing matters. Citywide.TV's 30-day countdown reports more than 1,300 boats in the water for 2026 and more than 100,000 visitors at the 2025 show. The organizer's 2025 closeout release, dated November 6, 2025, put that year's economic impact for Florida at $1.78 billion and marine product sales at more than $800 million over the five days. The show's homepage now shows $1.79 billion.
The Water Taxi Changes Jobs for Five Days
When the Water Taxi stops serving its regular routes, locals who rely on it for a Las Olas dinner or a beach afternoon lose that option until Monday. According to Water Taxi's boat show page, the show service works like this:
- A daily pass costs $15 and a five-day pass costs $65, with unlimited boardings at the designated show stops
- Children under 5 ride free
- Water Taxi annual passholders and Windward VIP passholders ride free
The water taxi runs an hour longer than the show each evening, which gives people at the far docks time to get back:
| Day | Show hours | Water Taxi show service |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday, Oct. 29 | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 30 | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Sunday, Nov. 1 | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
Wednesday's opening day runs from noon to 7 p.m. for the show and noon to 8 p.m. for the water taxi. Sunday's earlier close catches people out. The gates shut at 5 p.m., two hours before the other days.
If you live near a show stop and have no plans to attend, plan around those boats. The regular route comes back after the show. Until then, a water taxi trip anywhere means a show pass and a show route.
The Convention Center Becomes the Front Door
The other half of the system is on land. The show's parking page calls the Broward County Convention Center the transportation hub, with more than 3,000 spaces at a flat $40 a day. At least one local preview printed a lower parking rate, so go by the official page before you leave the house.
The organizer's advice is to park there and start the day there. The idea is to keep visitor cars off the beach roads and route people onto boats, shuttles and carts instead. The parking page also lists participating City of Fort Lauderdale garages that take PayByPhone, including:
- Arts & Entertainment Garage, 101 SW 5th Ave.
- Bank of America Plaza, 401 E. Las Olas Blvd.
- Balfour Beatty Garage, 1799 SE 17th St.
- Beach Place, 17 S. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd.
A garage on Las Olas or at Beach Place puts visitors in the same spaces locals use for an ordinary weekday lunch. Expect them to fill faster than usual through Sunday.
As of mid-October, the City's news page had posted no traffic advisory specific to boat show week. City News is the place to check for notices that come out during the week.
Tickets Work Differently Than They Used To
There is no box office at any of the six sites. Every ticket is digital and has to be bought in advance. Citywide.TV calls showing up without one "the mistake that ruins more boat show days than any other."
Current prices on the official ticket page:
- Adult one-day general admission: $48
- Adult two-day general admission: $80
- Child one-day admission: $19, which Citywide.TV notes covers ages 6 to 12
- Children under 6: free with an adult
Citywide.TV also reports that active military members and veterans can request a free one-day general admission ticket online before they go. Its preview names Thursday and Friday as the easiest days to attend.
What Is Different on the Docks This Year
The 2026 changes follow the same idea. Each one spreads activity more evenly across the sites. From Citywide.TV's list of what's new:
- The Windward VIP Cabana Club has moved to Bahia Mar. Windward VIP now has two locations, the lounge at Superyacht Village and the relocated cabana club at Bahia Mar Yachting Center.
- Pier Sixty-Six North has been redesigned for brokerage yachts over 100 feet, next door to Superyacht Village at Pier Sixty-Six South.
- Las Olas Marina has a floating pickleball court that hosts tournament play for yacht crew.
- Chef Ryan O'Sullivan of Hell's Kitchen and Chef Dave White of Below Deck are cooking for the Windward experience.
On the organizer's side, the 2026 show maps have moved to a new digital format powered by MarineSource.com. The maps let visitors search exhibitors, boats and products across all six locations. The parking and transportation map was updated October 16, which makes it the most recent planning document the show has posted.
Halloween Lands on Show Saturday
This is the calendar detail that matters most for locals. Show Saturday is October 31, so Halloween weekend plans share the same streets and parking with the show's busiest stretch.
Along Las Olas, the Las Olas Boulevard events listing includes a Halloween Eve bar crawl at American Social on Friday, October 30, from 5 p.m. to 11:59 p.m. On Saturday, Bonnet House Museum & Gardens holds a Halloween Fest from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Friday crawl starts about two hours before the show closes for the day. Saturday's daytime festival runs entirely within show hours.
Some restaurants have planned around the show directly. Chima Steakhouse on Las Olas has extended lunch hours from October 28 through November 1, with menu options starting at $20, different lunch windows on weekdays and the weekend, and up to two hours of complimentary valet with its Complete Rodizio lunch. The valet is the useful part during the show, because it gives diners a guaranteed parking spot while garages fill up. For more on how the boulevard's dining scene has changed this year, see our look at why Las Olas feels like a different street this fall.
One Road Note That Outlasts the Show
Not every closure near the beach is about the show. On October 14, the City posted an advisory for the Holiday Drive asphalt improvement project, with resurfacing on part of Holiday Drive east of Seabreeze Boulevard set for October 21 to 23, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the week before the show opens.
Holiday Drive isn't fully done, though. The City says permanent pavement markings, with temporary lane closures, are expected about 30 days after resurfacing, and that schedule may change. Drivers who use Holiday Drive should expect another short round of lane work around late November, after the boats have left.
Boat show week is a good reminder of how much life in Fort Lauderdale revolves around the water: docks, marinas and the Intracoastal itself. If seeing 1,300 boats along the Seabreeze and 17th Street corridors has you wondering what your own waterfront or near-water home is worth today, the Aron Team at Premiere Realty can give you a clear, data-based answer. Request a Free Home Valuation or explore our Fort Lauderdale neighborhood guide.
