Boat Show Week Reaches the Foot of Las Olas This Year

From October 28 through November 1, 2026, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs across six sites. One of them is the new Las Olas Marina at 240 E. Las Olas Circle, where the boulevard meets the beach. The marina is showing brokerage yachts from 60 to 200 feet, so the show's in-water footprint runs right up to the end of Las Olas Boulevard.

Two things change in the same five days. Water Taxi suspends its regular service for the show. And the East Las Olas Boulevard Bridge over the Intracoastal is still under FDOT rehabilitation, with one lane in each direction. Put together, those make the bridge the dividing line for the week. Residents on the downtown side and residents on the beach side will have very different experiences of the same show.

What the 2026 Map Puts at the End of the Boulevard

The official Bahia Mar, Hall of Fame, and Las Olas map, dated September 30, puts docks A through E of Las Olas Marina in the show's in-water Orange Zone. The same map shows a Las Olas Marina show entrance, the Oasis Captain's Lounge, a water taxi stop, and a floating pickleball tournament at the marina. So the marina has its own gate, lounge, and programming. It runs as a full venue.

The marina has 88 slips, according to its operator. We covered what that slip count does and doesn't mean for nearby condo owners in our earlier look at the Las Olas Marina. For show week, the open question is how much of that dock space stays available for regular use. Nothing published so far says how ordinary slip reservations or access to Las Olas Oceanside Park will work during the show. If you keep a boat there or walk that stretch every day, ask the marina directly before October 28.

The other sites spread south from there. Hall of Fame Marina is at 435 Seabreeze Blvd. and Bahia Mar at 801 Seabreeze Blvd. Superyacht Village is at 2150 SE 17th St., Pier Sixty-Six Marina at 2301 SE 17th St., and the Broward County Convention Center at 1950 Eisenhower Blvd. Las Olas Marina is the northern end of a corridor that runs down Seabreeze toward 17th Street. On that same September 30 venue map, A1A/Seabreeze Boulevard is labeled "Southbound Only." The map doesn't say when that starts or ends. No official setup or teardown calendar had been posted as of early October, so watch city notices for the days just before and after the show.

The Week, Hour by Hour

The FLIBS transportation map lists earlier water taxi start times than the operator does: 11 a.m. on October 28 and 9 a.m. from October 29 through November 1. If an early boat matters to you, confirm with Water Taxi before you plan around it.

Halloween falls on the show's Saturday. On a normal year that's one of the busier evenings on the boulevard. This year the show stays open until 7 p.m. that night, and water taxis run until 8.

Why the Bridge Decides Which Week You Get

FDOT's notice for the East Las Olas Boulevard Bridge describes the following setup. After a 48-hour full closure, the north side of the bridge closes and all traffic moves to the south side. That leaves one lane in each direction, each narrowed to 10 feet. Pedestrians and cyclists use the south side, and the north sidewalk stays closed. The city moved that closure to Tuesday, September 29 at 8 p.m. through Thursday, October 1 at 8 p.m., and says the new traffic pattern stays in place through late 2026. That means the narrowed bridge will still be in use during the boat show. The whole $14.1 million rehabilitation, which started in May 2026, is expected to finish in late 2027. If you own on the isles, our piece on the bridge and Las Olas Isles covers the project in more detail.

Consider where the show sends its visitors. FLIBS calls the Convention Center its transportation hub, with more than 3,000 parking spaces at $20 a day. Its transportation map also points drivers to garages on the downtown end of the boulevard: the Fifth Third Bank Garage at 200 E. Las Olas Blvd., The Main at 201 E. Las Olas Blvd., and Las Olas Centre I and II at 450 and 350 E. Las Olas Blvd. The parking is on the downtown side of the Intracoastal, and Las Olas Marina is on the beach side. Show visitors who park downtown will mostly reach the beach by shuttle or water taxi. Anyone driving across adds to traffic on a bridge with one lane each way.

The city's guidance doesn't name a boat show detour for the bridge, and we found no FLIBS-specific road closure notice as of October 4. FDOT's advice for the work zone applies all week: use alternate routes when you can and leave extra time.

Getting Around Without Crossing the Bridge by Car

The show runs its own transit network, and much of it skips the bridge entirely. These are the pieces a resident on either side can use.

1. Water Taxi show passes. A daily pass costs $15 and a five-day pass $65. Children under 5 ride free, and Water Taxi annual pass holders ride free. The routes include a Shooters Waterfront to Las Olas Marina run, along with routes connecting Bahia Mar to the Riverside Hotel, to the Convention Center and Pier Sixty-Six Marina North, and to the GALLERYone DoubleTree Hotel.
2. The downtown boat stop. On the FLIBS map, the Downtown Las Olas water taxi stop is the Riverside Hotel Docks at 335 SE 6th Ave. The Las Olas Marina stop is at 240 Las Olas Circle. From the west end of the boulevard, that's a way to reach the beach end by boat.
3. Free shuttles and golf carts. The routes are Convention Center to Bahia Mar; Convention Center to Superyacht Village to Bahia Mar; Brightline Station to Riverside Hotel; West Marine to Bahia Mar; and a golf cart between Superyacht Village and Bahia Mar. The Brightline to Riverside Hotel shuttle is the one that serves the downtown end of the boulevard.

One catch for anyone who rides the water taxi for everyday errands: these are show passes on show routes. With regular service suspended, the usual trips people take outside the show won't run that week.

The Beach Side Becomes Show Territory

Off the docks, much of the show-week hospitality near Las Olas Marina is at Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale. The hotel lists a FLIBS Best of Show gathering on its Ocean Sun Deck on Thursday, October 29 at 5 p.m., with live music, champagne, and coastal dishes. It also lists Ocean Sun Deck food and drink pop-ups starting at noon each day from October 29 to November 1, and weekend brunch at Evelyn's from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The hotel's page doesn't say whether people who aren't staying there can attend, so call ahead before counting on a table.

On the downtown side, Hyatt Centric Las Olas at 100 E. Las Olas Blvd. runs its Halloween-themed "Carrie at Room 901" from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., including Thursday, October 29 and Saturday, October 31. On Halloween, the boat show is open until 7 p.m., so the first part of that evening overlaps. If you want a night out on the west end of the boulevard without crossing the bridge, this is one option.

The Two Weekends Before

The quieter weekends come first. The 39th Annual Las Olas Art Fair runs October 17 and 18, ten days before the show opens. The city's free LauderBOO family event is Saturday, October 24, from 1 to 4 p.m. at Snyder Park, away from the waterfront. For the businesses opening along the east half of the boulevard this fall, see our fall 2026 opening preview.

Both weekends come before the show takes over the marina. For a beach-side errand that requires crossing the bridge by car, either weekend will be easier than show week.

Show week is when brokerage yachts tie up at the end of the boulevard. It also shows clearly which homes near Las Olas come with real water access and which only look out at it. If you're wondering what your property's dockage, bridge clearance, or location on the beach side of the bridge is worth right now, Glen Primak can walk you through it. Start with a free home valuation.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.