The 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs October 28 through November 1, 2026. Visit Lauderdale expects more than 100,000 attendees, 1,000 exhibiting brands and 1,300 boats across six venues. Show week has always tested the drawbridges between the mainland and the beach. This year it arrives while two of those three crossings are under FDOT rehabilitation work and running in reduced configurations.
That changes the usual playbook for people who live here. East Las Olas Boulevard is down to one narrow lane in each direction. Sunrise Boulevard is running on half its bridge. The crossing FDOT named as the alternate is the 17th Street Causeway, and that is also the corridor the show uses as its transportation hub. For a resident on the barrier island, or anyone who crosses the Intracoastal to reach it, the most dependable way across during show hours may be the water taxi.
Where each beach bridge stands this month
FDOT's traffic-shift notice for the East Las Olas Boulevard Bridge covers October 1 through late 2026. After a 48-hour full closure, the north half of the bridge closed and all traffic moved to the south side. Eastbound and westbound traffic each keep one lane, and those lanes are now 10 feet wide. Pedestrians and cyclists use the south side, and the north sidewalk is closed. This is one stage of a $14.1 million rehabilitation that started in May 2026 and has an estimated completion of late 2027.
On Sunrise Boulevard, the City of Fort Lauderdale announced that the south side of the bridge over the Intracoastal would close starting September 3, with all traffic moving to the north side. That configuration keeps two lanes in each direction and runs through early 2027. While it is in place, drivers on westbound Sunrise can't turn left onto southbound NE 26th Avenue. FDOT's broader Sunrise project runs from west of Middle River Drive to east of North Birch Road and is also scheduled to finish in late 2027.
| Crossing | Current setup | Stated duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Las Olas Blvd Bridge | All traffic on the south side, one 10-foot lane each way, north sidewalk closed | Through late 2026; full project late 2027 |
| Sunrise Blvd Bridge | All traffic on the north side, two lanes each way, no left from westbound Sunrise onto southbound NE 26th Ave | Through early 2027 |
| SE 17th Street Causeway | Normal lanes; no openings at 7:30, 8:30, 4:30 and 5:30 on weekdays except federal holidays | Permanent since February 2026 |
During the earlier 48-hour Las Olas closure, FDOT directed drivers to the 17th Street Causeway Bridge. With Las Olas now down to a single lane each way for the rest of the year, the causeway carries much of the load during show week.
Why the causeway carries the show
The show itself starts at the south end. FLIBS recommends the Broward County Convention Center as its transportation hub, with more than 3,000 parking spaces at $20 per day. From there, shuttles, golf carts and water taxis carry visitors to the other show locations. The six locations on the official 2026 map are the Convention Center, Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Marina, Superyacht Village and Pier Sixty-Six Marina.
The Convention Center itself is different this year. Broward County says the expanded center is open, along with the 801-room Omni Fort Lauderdale connected to it. The county also says the new Convention Center Connector links U.S. 1, SR 84 and the Convention Center without going through Port security checkpoints. For show week, that gives the parking hub a direct route in from the mainland road network.
The 17th Street rush-hour schedule helps a little. In February 2026 the City made the weekday schedule for the Southeast 17th Street Bridge permanent after Coast Guard approval. The bridge does not open at 7:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. on weekdays, except federal holidays. U.S. vessels and tugs with tows can still pass at any time with the proper signal. For a weekday crossing during show week, those four times are the ones when the bridge is scheduled to stay down.
On the beach side, the show map for Bahia Mar, Hall of Fame Marina and Las Olas Marina marks A1A/Seabreeze Boulevard as "Southbound Only." The map doesn't give hours or dates for that restriction. As of October 5, the City's news page has no show-week traffic advisory for 2026. Treat the map label as the show's plan and watch City News for the official traffic details.
The water taxi as a resident's crossing
The water taxi doesn't use the bridges, and its 2026 show routes stop at places many residents already know. The show's transportation map lists these stops:
- Bahia Mar
- Broward County Convention Center
- Pier Sixty-Six North
- Riverside Hotel on Las Olas Boulevard
- GalleryOne
- Las Olas Marina
- Shooters Waterfront
Service runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on October 28, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. from October 29 through 31, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on November 1. The show closes at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and at 5 p.m. Sunday. That means boats keep running for about an hour after the gates close each day. Visit Lauderdale lists the water taxi daily pass at $15.
The Riverside Hotel and Shooters Waterfront stops matter for residents who aren't going to the show. Someone near downtown can board on Las Olas Boulevard, and someone near Shooters can board at the Intracoastal, without driving across a reduced bridge or competing for parking near A1A. The show also runs free land shuttles for ticket holders. One loop connects Brightline to the Riverside Hotel. Others run between the Convention Center and Bahia Mar, through Superyacht Village, and from West Marine to Bahia Mar. These are for attendees, but they show where the show is sending its own traffic.
How the week lines up on the calendar
The bridge work isn't the only thing overlapping the show. The City's event calendar adds a few more dates to plan around.
- Saturday, October 24. Two free City events are on the weekend before the show. Pumpkins and Palm Trees runs at Las Olas Oceanside Park from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. LauderBOO runs at Snyder Park from 1 to 4 p.m. Both happen before the show crowds arrive.
- October 24 through 31. The City lists King Tides for this window and expects some roadway flooding. That covers the first four show days.
- Wednesday, October 28. Preview Day, noon to 7 p.m. Water taxi service starts at 11 a.m.
- Thursday and Friday, October 29 and 30. Show hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. These are the two weekdays when the 17th Street rush-hour no-open times apply during show hours.
- Saturday, October 31. Halloween falls on the show's busiest weekend day, and the show is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. It is also the last day of the City's King Tides window.
- Sunday, November 1. The show closes at 5 p.m., and the water taxi runs until 6 p.m.
What's new along the docks this year
Some residents will go to the show, and others will just pass by the marinas. Either way, the venues look a little different this year. Visit Lauderdale calls Pier Sixty-Six North "newly reimagined." It will hold brokerage vessels longer than 100 feet. New-build yachts will be at Hall of Fame Marina, and Las Olas Marina will hold boats from 60 to more than 200 feet. The Windward VIP Experience adds a second location, the Windward VIP Cabana Club at Bahia Mar, with the Goslings Island Bar between Docks C and D. Las Olas Marina will have a floating pickleball court for a yacht-crew tournament.
At the Convention Center, families can find the FLIBS Kids Corner. Don Dingman's "Hook the Future" kids fishing clinic runs at noon and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and children take home a free rod and reel. All tickets are digital and sold only at flibs.com. There is no ticket booth on site. Children under 6 get in free with a ticketed adult.
The Bahia Mar map also shows a St. Regis Captain's Quarters and a St. Regis Sales Gallery on the grounds. The map doesn't say whether any construction there affects access for residents during the show.
What's still unconfirmed
Two items will probably get more detail before October 28. The first is the City's show-week traffic plan, which hadn't been published as of today. The second is the timing of the "Southbound Only" label on A1A/Seabreeze Boulevard. The bridge setups are already settled. Las Olas has one lane each way through late 2026, Sunrise has two lanes each way through early 2027, and 17th Street doesn't open at the four weekday rush-hour times. Neither of the narrowed bridges is scheduled to change before the show closes on November 1.
If you're planning a sale, a purchase or a move on either side of the Intracoastal this season, timing matters as much as it does for a beach trip during show week. The advisors at Engel & Völkers Fort Lauderdale work from 3301 N Ocean Blvd and follow these bridge and waterway schedules every day. Contact Us to talk through your plans.
