The biggest boat at this year's Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show is not a party yacht. It is Draak, a 305-foot Oceanco that has been rebuilt as a floating research and exploration base, with its own dive center, a medical treatment area and a hyperbaric chamber on board. It leads a fleet that the show expects to include more than fifty debuts when the 67th edition opens across six waterfront sites from Wednesday, Oct. 28, through Sunday, Nov. 1.

The ships worth the walk

The show's 2026 vessel announcement, released Oct. 12, reads like a list of very different ideas about what a yacht is for. Draak was first delivered in 2014 and now works as a companion ship to the superyacht Leviathan, built to haul tenders and gear for science and exploration trips. Lady Christine, a 223-foot Feadship from 2010, is the long-haul cruiser of the group, with room for 10 guests and a range of roughly 7,600 nautical miles. Scout, a 209-foot ice-class explorer launched by the Dutch yard Hakvoort in 2019, has a helideck and a forward observation lounge, a boat designed for the far ends of the map rather than a weekend in the Bahamas.

The debuts are where a regular visitor gets the most for the ticket. Viking and its sister brand Valhalla are bringing four world premieres: a second generation Viking 70 Convertible, the Viking 64 and 50 Sport Coupes and the Valhalla 46 Sport Yacht. Pearl Yachts is showing its new flagship, the Pearl 100 Hybrid, the first boat in its fleet with hybrid propulsion. The Princess C48 is the first Princess ever offered with outboard engines. Galeon's 570 SKY has fold-down balconies that open the deck out over the water, and the Aquila 35 Sport, a compact power catamaran, makes its debut in the Americas here.

One thing to know before you get in line at a gangway: boarding is up to each broker, builder or dealer, not the show. The show suggests shoes that slip on and off easily, since you may be asked to take them off before stepping aboard.

What is new on the docks

The oddest new attraction this year is a floating pickleball court at Las Olas Marina, with a tournament set aside for yacht crew members, according to the show's ticket launch announcement. The VIP experience has also shifted: its Cabana Club has moved to Bahia Mar, with food from Ryan O'Sullivan of Hell's Kitchen and Dave White of Below Deck and Chopped. The Goslings Island Bar is back on the water at Bahia Mar, between Docks C and D.

For families, the Broward County Convention Center is the easy room. It holds the fishing boats, runabouts, personal watercraft and diving gear, plus a Kids Corner with face painting and crafts. Captain Don Dingman's Hook the Future kids fishing clinics run Saturday and Sunday at noon and 2 p.m., and young anglers go home with a free rod and reel.

The seminar schedule at the Convention Center is a quiet bargain for anyone who owns a small boat or wants one. Thursday, Oct. 29, alone runs from a hands-on knot clinic at 11 a.m. to a session on crossing to the Bahamas at 1 p.m., a Boating 101 class at 3 p.m., wildlife showman Manny Puig of Gator Boys and Wildboyz fame at 4 p.m., and Florida Fish and Wildlife officers with a trained K-9 at 5 p.m.

Tickets, hours and the Halloween wrinkle

There is no box office at the show this year. Every ticket is sold online at flibs.com, all sales are final, and the show runs rain or shine. A one-day adult ticket for Thursday through Sunday is $48, and a child ticket for ages 6 to 12 is $19. Children under 6 get in free with an adult. The Wednesday preview ticket is $73, a two-day pass is $80, and the Windward VIP ticket is $459. Active military members and veterans can request a free day of general admission in advance through the show's site; the show's announcements point them to Sunday, Nov. 1.

Hours, per the show overview, are noon to 7 p.m. on preview Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Note that Saturday is Oct. 31. If your evening belongs to trick or treating, Thursday or Friday is the better day to go.

How to get there without circling the 17th Street Causeway

The show runs from the Convention Center at 1950 Eisenhower Blvd. to Bahia Mar and Hall of Fame Marina on Seabreeze Boulevard, Las Olas Marina, and Pier Sixty-Six on both sides of SE 17th Street, where the Superyacht Village sits at the foot of the causeway bridge. One ticket covers all of it.

The show's own advice is to park at the Convention Center, which works as the transportation hub, with more than 3,000 spaces at a flat $20 a day. From there, free shuttles and golf carts connect every site. Shuttles start an hour before the gates open and keep running an hour after close, per the shuttle page.

The prettier route is the water. A one-day water taxi pass is $15, a five-day pass is $65, and children under 5 ride free, with stops at the Riverside Hotel, the Convention Center and Pier Sixty-Six, the GALLERYone DoubleTree and Shooters Waterfront. Coming from Palm Beach or Miami-Dade, Brightline runs to its Fort Lauderdale station, where a free shuttle heads to the Riverside Hotel on Las Olas and the water taxi takes it from there.

Leave the drone, the dog and the scooter at home. Pets other than service animals are not allowed, and neither are bikes, skateboards or scooters of any kind.

Why it matters here

For most of the year, the superyachts tied up along the New River and the Intracoastal are something Fort Lauderdale residents see from a bridge. For five days, they are open for a closer look, alongside the center consoles and fishing boats that people here actually buy. The show says the 2025 edition drew more than 100,000 visitors and exhibitors from 52 countries, and that it generates about $24.5 million in state and local taxes in Broward County alone. That is the business side. The resident side is simpler: a $48 ticket, a water taxi ride across the city's own harbor and a chance to stand on the deck of a 305-foot research ship parked a few minutes from home.