The Palm Beach International Boat Show, which just gets better and better every year, opens on Thursday, March 21, and runs through Sunday, March 24.
Only a month after the Miami show, the Palm Beach affair gathers a variety of upscale cruising boats in an inviting, relaxed, and easy-to-navigate venue that has an appeal all its own. To my mind, Palm Beach is the Goldilocks of boat shows; not too big, not too small. It’s a boat-show case of less is more.
The Palm Beach show is smaller than Miami, but some 800 boats will be on display this year, everything from SUPs to some of the world’s largest superyachts, and including many that were not on display in Miami. And they’re all on one place. The show is along Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach, on the Intracoastal Waterway with Palm Beach itself just across the way to the east.
The show is easy to get to, with parking nearby. And for many would-be buyers who got a look at their perhaps next boat in Miami, it offers a second chance for a deeper inspection without the hassle of so many crowds. Everything is within easy walking distance. There’s a dinghy dock if you’re coming from your boat; even the airport is only 15 minutes away.
Before, during, or after the show, you can get a bite to eat, or something to drink, at a variety of spots nearby. Favorites include E. R. Bradley’s Saloon at the foot of Clematis Street, which isn’t even a 30-second walk from the entrance to the show, and the Avocado Grill, at 125 Datura Street, just on the north side of the show.
More than 55,000 people are expected to visit the show this year; the show organizers say it has an economic impact of $1.05 billion on the Florida economy.
An adult ticket costs $33 from Thursday through Sunday. You have to buy them online at http://pbboatshow.com in advance; no tickets are sold at the show itself. A child’s ticket (ages 6-15) is $17; children 5 and under are free.
If you want a quiet place to relax, you can pay $390 per person per day to join the Windward VIP Club at the Lakeside Pavilion on Flagler Drive. It has a premium open bar, gourmet foot and hors d’oeuvres, a happy hour, and indoor/outdoor seating.
Show hours are noon to 7 p.m. on Thursday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Read more at http://pbboatshow.com and see a video of last year’s show here:
