Fort Lauderdale Boat Show 2026 Guide
Douglas Elliman is back at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show this week, for the eighth year in a row as a sponsor. The show runs Wednesday, October 28 through Sunday, November 1, 2026, and the Elliman team is hosting at the Windward VIP Cabana Club, which moved to Bahia Mar this year.
The show at a glance
This is the 67th edition, and it spreads across several marinas and the convention center. Bahia Mar Yachting Center is the headquarters and the main in-water hub. Hall of Fame Marina sits next to it, Las Olas Marina carries brokerage yachts, Pier Sixty-Six hosts the Superyacht Village, and the Broward County Convention Center is the indoor hall and the main transportation hub. Free shuttles, golf carts and water taxis connect the venues.
Wednesday is a preview day from noon to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday run 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday closes earlier. Tickets are sold online only through the official site, flibs.com, so buy before you go.
Why a boat show is a real estate conversation
Boat show week always brings the same conversation with buyers who are really shopping for two things: the boat, and the home that keeps it close. The questions are practical. How deep is the water at the dock? How long is the run to the inlet? Can the dock take the boat you want in five years, not just the one you have today? Does the community or association allow a lift, and who maintains the seawall?
Those answers decide which neighborhoods make sense long before price does. I wrote about how my team and I work through them in Buying a Home Around Your Boat in North Palm Beach County, and the community guides cover the waterfront neighborhoods from Jupiter Island to Boca Raton.
If you are at the show
If you are walking the docks this week and thinking about a home on the water anywhere in South Florida, I would love to hear what you are looking for. Call me at 561-768-3331 or send me a note, and I will start a list of homes that fit the boat as well as the house.
