Fort Lauderdale Boat Show Week 2026: A Local Guide to Getting Around

On a normal day, the LauderGO! Water Trolley runs free on the New River from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. It stops at Riverwalk Laura Ward Park, Esplanade Park, Tarpon River, New River Yacht Club, Downtown and Smoker Park. The city estimates a wait of 20 to 30 minutes at any stop. Two stops, Huizenga Plaza/Bubier Park and Riverfront Plaza, are already closed because of ongoing construction.

From Wednesday, October 28, through Sunday, November 1, 2026, the trolley stops running entirely. The city's Water Trolley page gives one reason: the Boat Show. Water Taxi of Fort Lauderdale also suspends its regular service that week. For five days, the boats that usually move people around town carry showgoers between marinas. If you live here, the week goes smoothly once you know which links still serve you and which ones have been taken over by the show.

Two Boat Services, Two Different Changes

The Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs October 28 to November 1. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, which is Preview Day, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. The 2026 show maps list six locations: Broward County Convention Center, Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Marina, Superyacht Village and Pier Sixty-Six Marina. Each of those sites sits on water that locals use the rest of the year.

The two services change in different ways. The city's free river boat stops completely. The Water Taxi keeps running, but only between show stops, and its hours follow the show's schedule.

The Water Taxi Turns Into a Show Shuttle

During the show, the Water Taxi runs from noon to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Boats keep running an hour after the show closes each day, and the operator says vendor setup trips start an hour early for vendors only. Water Taxi annual passholders and Windward VIP passholders ride free.

The show's parking and transportation map lists the water taxi stops for the week. They include Bahia Mar, Broward County Convention Center, Pier Sixty-Six Marina North, Las Olas Marina, Riverside Hotel/Downtown Las Olas and Shooters Waterfront. The Riverside Hotel stop at Downtown Las Olas is the closest thing to a downtown river stop that week. Esplanade Park, Smoker Park and the other trolley stops will have no boat service until November 2.

On Land, the Show Starts at Eisenhower Boulevard

The organizer calls Broward County Convention Center at 1950 Eisenhower Blvd. the show's transportation hub. Its parking guidance says the center has more than 3,000 spaces at $20 a day, with shuttles, golf carts and water taxis running to the show sites. The Convention Center is also a show venue, with fishing boats, runabouts, cruisers, personal watercraft and marine accessories.

The show's shuttle page calls its shuttles and golf carts complimentary. Shuttles start an hour before the show opens and stop an hour after it closes. There are four routes:

1. Purple Route. A loop between Broward County Convention Center and Bahia Mar.
2. Green Route. A loop from the Convention Center to Superyacht Village to Bahia Mar.
3. Red Route. A loop between Brightline Fort Lauderdale Station and Riverside Hotel. Shuttle only.
4. Blue Route. A loop between West Marine Center and Bahia Mar. Shuttle only.

Golf carts from ICON Electric Vehicles run during show hours. They loop between Superyacht Village and Bahia Mar. The parking map also lists offsite and downtown parking at Brightline Station, Riverwalk Center Garage, Riverside Hotel Garage, the Las Olas garages and Shooters Waterfront. All of these lots will be marketed to visitors that week, including the downtown garages you may normally use for dinner on Las Olas.

The Convention Center also looks different from a couple of years ago. Broward County says the expanded Convention Center East and the Convention Center Connector, also called the Bypass Road, opened on October 20, 2025. The 801-room Omni Fort Lauderdale Hotel held its grand opening on December 18, 2025. The county's expansion page says the Connector goes around Port security checkpoints and improves access along the 17th Street Causeway corridor. This will be the first boat show since the Omni opened. Show traffic will now run past a large hotel that operates year-round, right at the show's main parking hub.

Brightline offers up to 15% off eligible SMART SELECT trips between Fort Lauderdale and Orlando for travel from October 27 through November 2, booked through the show's site. The Red Route shuttle connects the station to Riverside Hotel during show hours.

Saturday Is Halloween, and the Water Trolley Still Isn't Running

October 31, 2026, falls on the show's fourth day. Several events overlap that day, and the free boat that normally connects the New River stops won't be running for any of them.

• 10 a.m. The boat show opens for the day.
• 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Riverwalk's Howlerween takes place at Esplanade Park, 400 SW 2nd Street, with pet costume contests, vendors, food trucks, music and family activities. Esplanade Park is a Water Trolley stop, and the trolley won't run that day.
• 5 p.m. TIMBR Restaurant & Lounge at 15 W. Las Olas Blvd. starts its nightly show-week program, which runs until 11 p.m.
• 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wicked Manors takes over Wilton Drive from NE 21st Court to N. Dixie Highway, and organizers say the road will be closed to traffic.
• 7 p.m. The boat show closes for the day, an hour after Wicked Manors begins.
• 8 p.m. The last show-week Water Taxi runs.

Visit Lauderdale's listing covers all five show days, October 28 through November 1. It promotes dinner reservations, cocktails, live entertainment and a lounge open until 2 a.m. It doesn't mention a special discount or set menu.

If you want a Halloween event before the show starts, LauderBOO is a free family event at Snyder Park on Saturday, October 24, from 1 to 4 p.m. The city's parks department lists community events the same day at Croissant Park from noon to 3 p.m. and at Riverland Park from 1 to 4 p.m.

What's Posted So Far

The show week comes after two other October weekends with street closures. The city's City News page lists a Riverwalk Fall Festival closure on SW 2nd Street between SW 5th and SW 4th Avenues on Saturday, October 17, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. For the Las Olas Art Fair, E. Las Olas Boulevard closes between SE 6th and SE 11th Avenues from 4 a.m. Saturday, October 17, through 11 p.m. Sunday, October 18. LauderBOO follows the next Saturday, and the show begins the Wednesday after that.

We couldn't find a 2026 show-week notice about A1A, the 17th Street Causeway, Seabreeze Boulevard, Las Olas or beach parking as of October 12. The city's boat show page links to the show's ticketing and information pages and doesn't give separate traffic instructions for residents. No notice doesn't mean no restrictions. Closures and parking rules from past shows don't confirm anything for this year either.

The show's own transportation details are still being updated. The current parking and transportation map is dated October 8, 2026, and the organizer's FAQ says route details may change. Check the shuttle page and watertaxi.com/flibs again in the days before October 28, especially if you depend on the Riverside Hotel stop or the downtown garages.

The show's six sites sit on the same waterfront blocks where Fort Lauderdale owners live and rent out homes. At Isabela Faria, we track the parking, shuttles and water access around each show site. That's how we prepare properties on The Short Term Spot for event weeks, and how we advise investors on which locations work best during those weeks. If you're wondering how your place near Bahia Mar, Las Olas or the 17th Street Causeway could do in a week like this, Schedule a Consultation.