Parking increasing for boat show

18 lots will be available to Fort Lauderdale ticket holders

Twelve additional parking lots will be available for park-and-ride use by attendees of this fall’s 59th annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, which is set to run Oct. 31 through Nov. 4, organizers have announced.

The additions bring to 18 the number of parking lots available to boat show ticket holders. up from six, said boat show spokesman Daniel Grant, of the firm Pierson Grant Public Relations.

The lots will be incorporated into a parking master plan that will utilize the downtown Brightline train station, bus shuttles and seven Water Taxi pickup/dropoff sites, according to a map released by boat show organizers.

The expanded network is “designed to make reaching the show easy from any direction,” organizers said in a news release.

This year’s show will be spread across seven locations:

Bahia Mar Yachting Center,

801 Seabreeze Blvd.

Hall of Fame Marina, 435 Seabreeze Blvd.

Las Olas Municipal Marina,

240 Las Olas Circle

Hilton Fort Lauderdale Marina, 1881 SE 17th St.

Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina, 2301 SE 17th St.

Pier Sixty-Six South (formerly Sails Marina), 2150 SE 17th St.

Greater Fort Lauderdale/ Broward County Convention Center, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd.

Transportation prices will vary, depending on which options attendees choose, Grant said.

Guests arriving by car can walk from any of 12 downtown parking lots to the Brightline station, at 101 NW Second Ave., and board a free shuttle bus, or walk to the Water Taxi dock at 600 SE Fourth St., near the Riverside Hotel.

In addition to varying prices for parking garages or parking lots, an all-day Water Taxi pass will cost $12, Grant said. From the Bahia Mar Yachting Center, attendees can use the Water Taxi to access all of the venues. Four routes will operate in continuous loops beginning an hour before each day’s show opening and ending two hours after each day’s show close. The new parking lots are:

One River Plaza, 305 S. Andrews Ave.

Riverwalk Parking Garage, 150 SE Second St.

Fifth Third Bank, 200 E. Las Olas Blvd.

Broward Financial Centre, 500 E. Broward Blvd.

AutoNation Building, 200 SW First Ave.

Broward County Governmental Center Garage, 151 SW Second St.

Broward County Courthouse East Garage, 540 SE Third Ave.

Tower 101, 101 NE Third Ave.

Las Olas Square (formerly SunTrust Center), 515 E. Las Olas Blvd.

Las Olas City Centre, 401 E. Las Olas Blvd.

Plaza at Las Olas, 301 E. Las Olas Blvd.

GALLERYone Hotel, 2670 E. Sunrise Blvd.

Lots that have been previously available for boat show parking will be available again this year. They are:

Riverside Hotel Garage, 620 E. Las Olas Blvd.

Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina, 2301 SE 17th St.

Pier Sixty-Six South (formerly Sails Marina), 2150 SE 17th St.

Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center, Northport Parking, 1950 Eisenhower Blvd.

War Memorial Auditorium Parking, 800 NE Eighth St.

The Galleria at Fort Lauderdale, 2414 E. Sunrise Blvd.

In addition to the Brightline station, buses will pick up and drop off attendees at the War Memorial Auditorium, the convention center, Pier 66 Hotel & Marina, the Las Olas Marina and the Bahia Mar Yachting Center.

Recognized as the world’s largest in-water boat show, this year’s event is expected to feature more than 1,500 boats on display, more than 1,200 exhibitors, 3 million square feet of exhibition space, and 6 miles of floating yachts, according to the show’s website. More than 110,000 visitors from all over the world are expected to attend, viewing boats that range in size from skiffs to superyachts.

A relocated and redesigned main entrance will be one of the most noteworthy changes to this year’s show, according to a news release from Informa Exhibitions, a Londonbased event company that bought longtime promoter Show Management in 2017. It will be several hundred yards to the north end of the Bahia Mar property, along Seabreeze Boulevard, just south of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and Marina.

The new entrance will feature a plazalike configuration, “efficiently designed security,” and a VIP and exhibitor gate, the release said, adding that the previous main entrance will be used for exhibitor move-in, move-out and other show logistics.

Organizers also are promising improved cuisine from a new culinary provider offering “fresh, farm-to-plate fruits and vegetables, sustainable seafood, and natural, organic meats through partnerships with purveyors of locally-sourced, organic and sustainable products.”

Grant said similar changes are in store for the Miami Yacht Show in February. “More parking, access to the Brightline, additional bus routes all work to make the shows more approachable. Add all that to the enhancements seen with show infrastructure, elevated concessions and other improvements, and we see many meaningful changes to the overall visitor experience,” he said.

For information, visit FLIBS.com.