FLIBS 2026: The First-Timer's Complete Guide to the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show

The 67th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs Wednesday, October 28 through Sunday, November 1, 2026, and the organizers bill it as the world's largest in-water boat show. It is also spread across miles of waterfront, which means your first visit rewards a little planning. Here is how to do FLIBS right the first time.

Buy your ticket before you leave the house

There is no box office at the gate. Tickets are sold exclusively online at flibs.com, with purchases running through eventspass.com, so handle it from your couch, not the curb. Per the show's official ticket launch release, a one-day General Admission ticket is $48, valid Thursday through Sunday. The Wednesday Preview ticket is $73 and works for any one day of the show. A two-day General Admission ticket is $80, and a two-day Preview plus General Admission combo is $105. Kids 6 to 12 are $19 for a day, and children under 6 get in free with an adult. At the top end, the Windward VIP Experience runs $459 per adult per day, tax included.

One more thing worth knowing: active military members and veterans can request one free General Admission ticket for Sunday, November 1, in advance. If that is you, claim it.

Hours by day, and why two days beats one

Wednesday runs 12 PM to 7 PM. Thursday through Saturday the docks are open 10 AM to 7 PM, and Sunday closes the show at 5 PM. Now do the math on the two-day ticket: $80 for two days versus $96 for two singles. Take the two-day. This show does not fit in one visit, and nobody has ever walked all of it in an afternoon. A common plan that works: one day at the Convention Center and the smaller-boat docks, one day on the water for the brokerage yachts and the big-boat end.

Know the map before you go

The show spreads across the city's waterfront venues: the Broward County Convention Center, Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Marina, Pier Sixty-Six Marina, and the Superyacht Village at Pier Sixty-Six South. The Convention Center is the main transportation hub, with vessels up to around 50 feet plus the accessories, electronics, and gear aisles, along with the Kids Corner and The Blue Wild exhibits. Las Olas Marina carries brokerage yachts roughly 60 to 200 feet, Pier Sixty-Six North holds the 100-foot-plus brokerage fleet, and Superyacht Village is where the largest yachts at the show tie up.

Parking, and the water taxi strategy

Here is the parking reality: the Broward County Convention Center has more than 3,000 spaces at a $40 flat daily rate, per the official parking page, and it is the recommended place to park and start your day. Complimentary shuttles and golf carts connect it to the other show sites, and the show also lists roughly 26 area garages and lots, with city garages running on the PayByPhone app. If you would rather skip driving entirely, Brightline rail serves Fort Lauderdale and is promoted as an official way to reach the show.

Once you are in, do not plan to drive between venues. The show's water taxi serves every location, runs from one hour before the show opens until one hour after it closes, and costs $15 for a one-day pass or $65 for all five days, with kids under 5 riding free, per the official water taxi page. Passes are sold at watertaxi.com/flibs. Riding between venues on the water is faster than any car, and honestly, it is half the fun.

Your first FLIBS, done right

Reading the show map

The show publishes official 2026 maps covering its six locations: the Broward County Convention Center, the Bahia Mar area (Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, and Las Olas Marina), and the Pier Sixty-Six side with the Superyacht Village, plus a dedicated parking and transportation map. Grab them from flibs.com before you go and mark your must-sees, because wandering ninety acres of docks without a plan is how whole days disappear.

The sharpest tool this year is digital: the show's next-gen FLIBS map, which flibs.com describes as powered by MarineSource.com, its exclusive marketplace partner. It lets you explore the show, discover exhibitors, and find specific boats and products before you ever hit the docks. MarineSource also powers the marketplace here on Nautical Network, so you can shortlist the boats you want to walk in person, then use the map to route your day around them.

Buy the two-day ticket, park once at the Convention Center, ride the water taxi, and wear shoes you can stand in for seven hours. If you want to know which boats are worth hunting down on the docks, start with every premiere announced for 2026, and if the big-boat end is calling you, read the Superyacht Village guide before you go.