The Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. Seven venues, one afternoon.
Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November 2026. The show is spread along five miles of waterfront, the bridges open on a schedule, and the diary is full of appointments that do not care about either.
The show
FLIBS 2026 at a glance
- DatesWednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November 2026The 67th edition. Wednesday is a preview day with a later opening; Sunday closes early.
- WhereSeven waterfront sites in Fort LauderdaleBahia Mar is the centre of it, with Las Olas Marina, the Hall of Fame Marina, Pier 66 and the convention centre alongside.
- SuperyachtsThe Superyacht Village at Pier 66 SouthThe large-yacht end of the show sits away from the main Bahia Mar docks, on the other side of the 17th Street bridge.
- Nearest airportsFort Lauderdale-Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale Executive and Opa-lockaExecutive and Opa-locka take the business aviation traffic when the nearer ramps fill, with Palm Beach as the next option.
Dates and venues as published by the show. We review this page after each edition.
The geography
It is not a venue. It is a coastline
People who have not done Fort Lauderdale before book a car to the boat show and discover there is no such address. The show runs across seven sites strung along the Intracoastal and the beach, linked by the organisers' own shuttles, golf carts and water taxis, and a working day at the show means Bahia Mar at ten, the Superyacht Village at Pier 66 at noon, a lunch on Las Olas and a yard visit up the New River in the afternoon.
The road between those points is short and slow. A1A and Las Olas Boulevard carry the whole beachside population in show week, and the drawbridges on the 17th Street Causeway and on Las Olas open to marine traffic on a schedule, stopping the road each time they do. A car that is genuinely at your disposal, with a driver who reads the bridge schedule rather than the satellite navigation, is worth more here than anywhere else in the yachting calendar.
Journey times
Around the show
| From | Quiet day | Show week |
|---|---|---|
| Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood airport | 15 to 25 minutes | Allow 25 to 50 minutes |
| Fort Lauderdale Executive | 20 to 30 minutes | Allow 30 to 55 minutes |
| Opa-locka | 35 to 50 minutes | Allow 50 to 90 minutes |
| Palm Beach | 55 to 75 minutes | Allow 1 hour 15 to 1 hour 45 |
| Miami Beach | 45 to 70 minutes | Allow 1 hour to 1 hour 40 |
| Bahia Mar to Pier 66 | 8 to 12 minutes | Allow 20 to 40 minutes, more when a bridge lifts |
Planning guidance, not promises. Bridge openings and the show's own road closures move these numbers on the day.
What clients usually book
A car at your disposal, for the whole day
- A saloon or a large SUV held as-directed across the show days, with the same driver learning your pattern
- A larger vehicle for a party of six or more moving between viewings together
- Collection at the private terminal on arrival, timed against the aircraft rather than a slot in a diary
- Aircraft arranged into South Florida, with a realistic view of which field will still have parking that week
- Evening running to dinners in Las Olas, Miami Beach and up towards Palm Beach
- Yacht charter arranged from the same desk if the show turns into a booking, in the Caribbean or the Mediterranean
Arriving by air
Book the ramp before you book the flight
Show week is one of the heaviest business aviation weeks in the United States, and parking across South Florida tightens accordingly. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood is closest to the beachfront venues but shares its runways with a busy commercial operation. Fort Lauderdale Executive is the usual choice for a private arrival and sits a short drive inland. Opa-locka and Palm Beach absorb the overflow, and in a bad year the overflow is substantial.
We arrange the aircraft and the handling, and we will tell you honestly when the third choice of field with a car waiting beats the first choice with two hours in a hold. On the ground our own fleet and employed chauffeurs are in London and Manchester; in Florida we arrange cars through operators we have used for years, and we stay the single point of contact throughout.
If you are exhibiting
Crew, clients and the long days
Brokerage houses, yards and management companies have a different problem from visitors. You are moving clients you cannot keep waiting, crew who finish at eleven at night, and colleagues who need to be at two places on opposite sides of a bridge. The arrangement that works is a vehicle dedicated to the team for the run of the show rather than a series of individual bookings, plus one person on our side who knows the week's schedule and can be called at any hour. Tell us how many people and how long the days will be, and we will build it around that.
Book early
South Florida fills up in October
Cars, hotel rooms and aircraft parking in Fort Lauderdale are all spoken for weeks before the show opens. Tell us your dates as soon as you have them, even if the appointment diary is still empty.
Around the show
Related pages
Fort Lauderdale and Florida
Request a quote
Tell us your show days
Which days, how many of you, where you are flying in from and whether you want the aircraft arranged as well as the cars. We reply with a clear price. Nothing is booked or charged online.
Prefer to talk? +44 2030 048300 or WhatsApp, at any hour.
Questions people ask
About boat show week
Can a car drop us at each venue?
At most of them, yes, though the show operates its own road closures and drop-off arrangements and the last stretch is sometimes on foot or on the show's shuttle. We plan against the published arrangements rather than against a map.
Which airport should we use?
It depends on what still has parking that week. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood is closest, Fort Lauderdale Executive is the usual private choice, and Opa-locka and Palm Beach take the overflow. Ask us early and we will give you a straight answer.
Are these your own cars?
No. Our own fleet and employed chauffeurs cover London and Manchester. In Florida we arrange cars through operators we know, and we remain your single point of contact.
Can you arrange a charter if we see something we like?
Yes. We arrange yacht charter in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean, and we can pick the conversation up from the show rather than starting again.
Are you connected to the boat show?
No. We are an independent company arranging transport to and around the show. We have no official status and claim none.
We deal with problems before you know they exist