What does Halloween look like in a city where the world's largest in-water boat show is using the marinas on the same Saturday? The 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show runs Wednesday, October 28, through Sunday, November 1. Over its five days, Visit Lauderdale expects more than 100,000 attendees, 1,000 exhibiting brands and 1,300 boats, and October 31 is one of those days.
The show's Saturday runs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nearly every Halloween event on the city's 2026 calendar fits around those hours and stays away from the docks. For people who live here, the plan for October 31 depends less on which party to choose and more on timing it against the show's schedule.
The Show Claims the Water First
Start with the six venues the show uses this year:
- Broward County Convention Center
- Bahia Mar Yachting Center, 801 Seabreeze Blvd.
- Hall of Fame Marina, 435 Seabreeze Blvd.
- Las Olas Marina, 240 E. Las Olas Circle
- Pier Sixty-Six Marina, 2301 SE 17th St.
- Superyacht Village at Pier Sixty-Six South, 2150 SE 17th St.
Some of the layout is new for 2026. Visit Lauderdale's guide to this year's show calls Pier Sixty-Six North "newly reimagined," with brokerage vessels longer than 100 feet. It also notes that the Windward VIP experience now has a second home at Bahia Mar alongside Superyacht Village, and that Las Olas Marina will add a floating pickleball court.
The change residents will notice most is on the water. The Water Taxi's boat show page says plainly that "Regular service will be suspended during FLIBS." For those five days, the boats run only between designated show stops. Fares are $15 for a daily pass or $65 for five days, and children under 5 ride free. Annual passholders and Windward VIP guests ride at no charge. Service hours follow the show:
| Day | Water Taxi show service |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, Oct. 28 | Noon to 8 p.m. |
| Thursday, Oct. 29 | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Friday, Oct. 30 | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Saturday, Oct. 31 | 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. |
| Sunday, Nov. 1 | 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. |
The FLIBS water taxi routes connect Riverside Hotel to Bahia Mar, the Convention Center to Pier Sixty-Six Marina North and Bahia Mar, GALLERYone DoubleTree Hotel to Bahia Mar, and Shooters Waterfront to Las Olas Marina. If your Halloween plans count on a regular Water Taxi ride along the river or the Intracoastal, that ride won't run as usual this week. The show-pass network is the only water service.
The Roads Got Their Notice Early
On land, the warning signs went up before the show. The City of Fort Lauderdale is resurfacing Holiday Drive east of Seabreeze Boulevard Wednesday through Friday, October 21 to 23, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. During work hours the street is open to local traffic only, and driveway access is generally maintained. The city has scheduled the paving to finish before the show opens on October 28. Permanent pavement markings and more temporary lane closures are expected about 30 days later, and the city's project notice says the schedule may change.
As this post goes up on Thursday, October 22, that work is underway.
The show's own transportation plan relies on free shuttles and golf carts. The FLIBS shuttle page lists these routes:
- Purple Route: a loop between the Broward County Convention Center and Bahia Mar.
- Green Route: a loop from the Convention Center to Superyacht Village to Bahia Mar, with golf carts also running between Superyacht Village and Bahia Mar.
- Red Route: a shuttle-only loop between Brightline Fort Lauderdale Station and Riverside Hotel.
- Blue Route: a shuttle-only link between West Marine Center and the Convention Center.
Shuttles start an hour before the show opens and stop an hour after it closes. On Saturday that means 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. The official parking and transportation map, dated October 8, lists show parking at Beach Place, the Convention Center, the Las Olas garages and the downtown garages. Several of those garages are the ones many locals use for a night out on Las Olas, and that matters on Friday and Saturday.
Thursday and Friday Start the Overlap
Halloween week doesn't wait for Saturday. On Thursday, October 29, the second day of the show, Galleria Fort Lauderdale holds its Halloween BOO BASH from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. by the Palm Court. It's free, with trick-or-treating through the mall and a children's costume contest that awards $150, $50 and $25 gift cards. It wraps up before the show closes at 7 p.m., so families leave before show traffic does.
On Friday the overlap moves to Las Olas Boulevard. The Halloween Bar Crawls listed by Visit Lauderdale run Friday, October 30, and Saturday, October 31. Check-in is from 5 to 8 p.m. at American Social, 721 E Las Olas Blvd., and the crawl covers five or more bars at a listed price of $24.73. Both nights, check-in opens while the show is still running and ends after it closes. Costumed crowds on Las Olas will meet boat show visitors heading back to the Las Olas garages and hotels.
Saturday, Hour by Hour
On October 31, Halloween runs in the hours around the show's day. Here's how the published schedules line up:
- 9 a.m. FLIBS shuttles begin running.
- 10 a.m. The show opens, and Water Taxi show service begins. The Museum of Discovery & Science lists its Spooktacular Science Halloween activities for October 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., included with admission. The museum's page doesn't print the year next to the date, so confirm with the museum before you go.
- 11 a.m. Halloween Fest at Bonnet House Museum & Gardens opens and runs until 4 p.m. At the same hour, Howlerween starts at Esplanade Park, 400 SW 2nd St., and runs until 3 p.m.
- 3 p.m. Howlerween ends, and check-in opens for the 21+ Fort Lauderdale Halloween Bar Crawl at Bodega Taqueria y Tequila, 21 W Las Olas Blvd. Check-in runs until 7 p.m., tickets start at $18.02, and the event runs until 10 p.m.
- 4 p.m. Bonnet House closes its Halloween Fest.
- 5 p.m. Check-in for the Las Olas crawl opens at American Social.
- 7 p.m. The show closes for the day.
- 8 p.m. Water Taxi show service and the FLIBS shuttles stop, and American Social check-in ends.
The two family events on this list are built for daylight, and both are designed for neighbors more than visitors.
Halloween Fest at Bonnet House takes place on the grounds of one of the city's historic estates. It has a live DJ from Celebrity Entertainment, face painting, and a trick-or-treat trail presented by Event Bliss and the Fort Lauderdale Garden Club. A costume runway has separate categories for pets, adults and children, with prizes that include overnight hotel stays. Food comes from The Greek Gyro Truck, The Mexican Taco Truck and Lina's Batch Macarons. Admission is $25 for adults, $8 for ages 6 to 17, and free for children 5 and under, with registration through the museum.
Howlerween at Esplanade Park is about the dogs. It has pet costume contests, local vendors, food trucks, entertainment and family activities. Every pet entered in a costume contest has to be registered, but people don't need a ticket unless they buy VIP. Riverside Hotel is a stop on both the Red Route shuttle from Brightline and the FLIBS water taxi to Bahia Mar. So boat show traffic will be moving through downtown on the same afternoon.
Sunday, November 1, is shorter. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the Water Taxi stops at 6 p.m.
The Saturday Before Has the City to Itself
The weekend just before the show is the only Halloween Saturday without it. On Saturday, October 24, the city holds two free events. Pumpkins and Palm Trees runs from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Las Olas Oceanside Park, 3000 E Las Olas Blvd. LauderBOO follows at Snyder Park from 1 to 4 p.m. Both are on the City of Fort Lauderdale event calendar. That's two days after this post goes up and four days before the first show boats open on October 28.
If boat show week has you picturing a home with a dock of your own, or you'd like to know how these five days affect the waterfront streets around Seabreeze and 17th Street, The Paiz Group would be glad to talk it through. Book a consultation, and we'll walk through the waterfront parts of Fort Lauderdale with you.
