Held every year in late October to early November, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) is celebrating its 62nd year and cementing its place as the largest in-water boat show in the world. Typically, the show is a destination for boaters of all kinds with over 100,000 attendees and more than 1,200 exhibitors from over 50 countries.
This year's 2021 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show takes place Oct. 27-31, and the five-day event showcases more than 1,300 vessels so if you’re in for a heck of a shopping spree.
Be sure to use this guide to find out all you need to know before heading to the show.
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Getting Around: Multiple Venues
FLIBS 2021 spans more than three million square-feet of exhibit space.
- Superyacht Village at Pier Sixty-Six marina will feature vessels topping 300 feet. This venue is an exclusive waterfront and on-land area that will display the most spectacular yachts in attendance.
- Meanwhile, each section of the main venue at the Bahia Mar is color-coded to help you navigate.
In case that gets confusing, there will also be an app to help you find that outboard, PFD or fishing boat you’re looking for.
Transportation to and from the show offers options. A shuttle system will be available with several color-coded routes. Guests can also access the boat show by water taxi, enjoying traffic-free waterways and fantastic city views, or you can take one of the many bus shuttles.
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Things to Do at the Show
You don’t have to be in the market for a boat to enjoy all that the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show has to offer. This is an event that goes well beyond boat sales and is budget friendly at multiple levels.
Check out other things (some free) that you can do over the weekend:
- Hook The Future will host kids’ fishing clinics which open with a 30-minute classroom session on fishing techniques, tackle and safety with Captain Don Dinghman. Each child will receive a free Hook the Future/ Carolina Skiff custom rod & reel combo.
- Visit AquaZone, which provides a personal experience with a variety of watersports and innovative marine products. Demonstrations start one hour after the show opens and end one hour before the show closes.
- Boost your safety skills by attending the free seminar, How to Drive a Boat with Confidence, hosted by Lazy Locations founder, Chris Juall, in partnership with the Qualified Captain.
Explore Boats & Accessories
FLIBS is a destination for boat builders and marine equipment manufacturers and it’s where they debut new models and gear each year. Nautical products from apparel to generators and fishing tackle to yacht décor will keep you busy the whole weekend. If you need the boat or anything to go on it, you’ll likely find it at FLIBS.
Each year, vessels on display include inflatables, center console fishing boats, high performance speedsters, trawlers, power catamarans, and plenty of distance cruisers and motoryachts from builders around the globe. Viking’s perennial display is always the photo of the weekend and yachts of all shapes and sizes will make you rethink life on shore.
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Tickets & VIP Experience
There are a number of ways you can experience FLIBS and prices vary by how and when you want to do it.
Primetime Preview is on Wednesday, October 27, when tickets are $57. Thereafter, tickets for adults start at $37 per day or $63 for two-day access. Hours vary by day.
If you’re looking to splurge, try out the Windward VIP Club experience. In the heart of the show on the main dock at the Bahia Mar, the Windward VIP Club will have a climate-controlled tent with outdoor terraces for shore and water views. An exclusive open bar and gourmet food will be accessible all day. Tickets start at $300 per person per day and include show entry, Windward VIP Club access, food and premium beverages, and complimentary water taxi transportation.
The annual Fort Lauderdale Boat Show is an economic driver for South Florida where outdoor recreation accounts for two percent of GDP half of which comes from boating and fishing. This is the ultimate showcase for all things that float and have a motor. Do your pre-game plan, get some comfortable shoes and then dive into the fun.
Find a Boat Show Near You: Boat Shows Calendar
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