Boat Show Week Like a Local: Your 2026 FLIBS Guide from Rivr Lofts

For five days every fall, Fort Lauderdale becomes the center of the boating world. The 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) runs October 28 through November 1, 2026, and it is the largest in-water boat show anywhere.

Living downtown gets you the best version of it. You are close enough to drop in for an afternoon and far enough to come home to a quiet rooftop. Here is how to do Boat Show week like a local, from your neighbors at Rivr Lofts.

The essentials

The show runs Wednesday through Sunday, with a later start on preview day and an early close on Sunday.

Tickets are sold online only at flibs.com. There is no box office at the show, so buy before you leave home.

Where the show happens

FLIBS spreads across six waterfront locations, so it helps to know what each one is for before you pick a starting point.

• Broward County Convention Center. The family-friendly anchor, with fishing boats, runabouts, cruisers, gear and personal watercraft. It also hosts the FLIBS Kids Corner and kids fishing clinics on Saturday and Sunday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.
• Bahia Mar Yachting Center. The show's home address on the beach, and where you will find the floating Goslings Island Bar between Docks C and D.
• Pier Sixty-Six Marina and Superyacht Village. Where many of the largest and most luxurious yachts dock.
• Las Olas Marina. New this year: a floating pickleball court hosting a tournament for yacht crews.
• Hall of Fame Marina. Rounds out the six, with more boats on the water.

You will not see all of it in one day. Pick two or three locations that match what you came for and save the rest for next year.

Getting there from Rivr Lofts

The local rule for Boat Show week is simple: keep your car out of the beach traffic. From Rivr Lofts you have three good ways to do it.

• Arrive by water. FLIBS water taxis run between the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas and Bahia Mar. A day pass is $15, a five-day pass is $65, and kids under 5 ride free. Take a short rideshare to the dock and skip the beach traffic entirely.
• Park once at the Convention Center. The show's transportation hub has more than 3,000 spaces at a flat $20 per day. Free shuttles and golf carts connect it to Bahia Mar and Superyacht Village.
• Send visiting friends by Brightline. A free FLIBS shuttle loops between Brightline's Fort Lauderdale station and the Riverside Hotel, where they can meet you for the water taxi.

Shuttles and water taxis start one hour before the show opens and stop one hour after it closes. Buy water taxi passes ahead of time at watertaxi.com/flibs.

Five tips for a better day on the docks

1. Buy tickets before you go. Nothing is sold at the gate.
2. Go early in the week if you can. Saturday, October 31 is also Halloween, so expect downtown to be busy that night.
3. Wear shoes that slip off. You will walk a lot of dock, and many yachts ask you to board without shoes.
4. Pack for the sun. Bring sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses and water.
5. Use the official maps. The 2026 show maps and the FLIBS mobile app help you find your way between locations.

Before and after, in the neighborhood

The best part of doing the show from the Tarpon River district is what waits for you at either end of the day.

• Fuel up first. Grab coffee at Wells Coffee or breakfast at Bagels & Co before you head out.
• Toast the day. Trade dock stories over a pint at Tarpon River Brewing or a cocktail at The Fitz Bar.
• Stay on theme for dinner. Pirate Republic serves seafood a block from our front door. Pummarola and Sapidocover pizza and Italian.
• End with a view. Head to Rooftop @ 1WLO on Las Olas, or come home to ours.

After a full day on the docks, nothing beats the highest rooftop pool in the city, with the skyline, the river and the ocean all in view.

Live where the week happens

Boat Show week lasts five days. Life by the Rivr is year-round.

Rivr Lofts offers studio, one- and two-bedroom residences 29 stories above the New River. Residents enjoy the city's highest rooftop pool, an athlete-inspired rooftop gym and a 3,000-square-foot coworking space, all within walking distance of downtown.

In town for the show and thinking about staying? Check availability or call (954) 807-3898 to book a tour, and ask about our current leasing specials.

Publishing notes (not for publication)

Publish by October 14 so the post has two weeks to index before the show opens.

Before it goes live:

• Add the current leasing special to the closing section. The draft keeps it generic.
• Confirm the neighborhood spots are open during show week. They come from the Rivr neighborhood page.
• Confirm Pirate Republic is "a block from our front door" and adjust if not.
• Recheck hours and prices on flibs.com the day you publish.
• Add photos: the rooftop pool, a river view, and a licensed Boat Show image.

One discrepancy to know about: FLIBS names six locations and its August press release says six, but a few pages on its site still say seven. The post uses six.

Sources

• FLIBS ticket sales press release, August 4, 2026: dates, hours, ticket prices, parking, new attractions
• FLIBS shuttle and golf cart info: shuttle routes and service hours
• FLIBS water taxi info: water taxi prices and routes
• FLIBS parking info: Convention Center parking
• YATCO FLIBS 2026 overview: where the largest yachts dock
• Rivr Lofts and its neighborhood page: property details and nearby spots