FLIBS 2020 Countdown: Get Your Tickets!

From VIP tickets to social distancing guidelines, here are five things to know about the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show

In the countdown to this year’s Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, every Tuesday we’ll bring you the latest news from the show. Here are 5 things you need to know this week.

Tickets Are On Sale

FLIBS on-line ticket booth opened for business this week with a cool offer-slash-inducement to buy. Seems the first 100 buyers will get a free round-trip ride on the official water taxi from any of the official stops. Remember, thanks to Covid-19, there’ll be no paper tickets to buy this year, so it’s on-line or not at all. As you know, the show runs from Wednesday, October 28 to Sunday, November 1. Want to beat the crowds? Prime Time Preview tickets are available for Wednesday, October 28, from 12pm to 7pm, costing $55. All one-day general admission tickets for Thursday through Sunday cost $35. How about a two-day ticket? Yours for $61. To purchase, go to www.flibs.com.

Heroes Get In Free

If you’re a Frontline Hero from Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Country, FLIBS will thank you for your service and welcome you into the show for free. Just show your ID at the entrance. Qualifying heroes include hospital workers, firefighters, police, EMTs and paramedics. The offer is valid from Thursday through Saturday – from 4pm to 7pm – but all-day Sunday.

Socially Distance in Style

The Windward VIP Club is back for 2020, providing that oasis of climate-controlled calm and socially-distant serenity away from the masses. Pay your $300 per person per day and you get access to the club on the main face dock at Bahia Mar, with its non-stop open bar and morning-to-night gourmet food offerings. You also get a personal concierge to help you book appointments for private boat inspections, plus 8am early-bird access to the show with complimentary water taxis, and a private tender service to the Superyacht Village.

Hot Boat of The Week

FLIBS will be the first time for boat show visitors to get to climb aboard Intrepid Powerboat’s stunning 40-foot 409 Valor luxury sport-fisherman. Developed from the much-loved 407 Cuddy, it focuses on more luxury below decks, with its new hull-side windows and separate ensuite master aft. We Floridians will appreciate the huge extended hardtop which not only shades the helm, but also the large seating area ahead of it. That, and the swing-in dive door with built-in ladder and grab handles. Power of choice is a trio of Mercury Racing 450s that punch the new 409 to a top speed of 68mph. Like all Intrepids, this 2021 409 Valor is a semi-custom build to incorporate a customer’s every desire. For more information, go to www.oystercoveboatworks.com.

Flashback of the Week

FLIBS wasn’t always the mega show it is today, with its display of more than 1,300 boats, around 900 exhibitors and three million square-feet of exhibition space. Flashback to the very first Fort Lauderdale boat show, held inside the Lauderdale War Memorial Auditorium in July – yes, July – 1959.  It had just 13 exhibitors. The following year, the show moved to Pier 66 (pictured above) so that boats could be exhibited in and out of the water. This time 20 exhibitors showed up. But to call it the city’s “first” boat show isn’t quite true. Back it February 1954, the Fort Lauderdale Downtown Kiwanis Club held a fishing-focused Boat and Sports Show at the National Guard Armory to raise money for underprivileged kids. If you have a few minutes to spare, take a look at local video producer Forest Johnson’s terrific video history of the show’s first 50 years. It’s right here.

 

For all information on FLIBS 2020, go to www.flibs.com

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