Ft Lauderdale Boat Show Begins Now!

One of, if not "the" largest international boat shows in the world begins today, and it's right here in the United States...

Photo courtesy of the Ft Lauderdale International Boat Show's facebook page

Every Thursday we tell you about all the weekend's boat shows and nautical events, but this weekend is special. Not just because it's Halloween weekend, but because one of the largest and most influential boat shows of the year has just kicked off in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. It happens on or around the last weekend of every October. Today we're taking a look at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show as well as the other nautical events going on this weekend, including China and Texas.

Feel free to jump right to our calendar of boat shows at FirstBoat, or continue reading this article at the Daily Boater...

First, Let's Look at This Weekend's Boating Events

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
Clearly this is the biggest boating event going on this weekend, and perhaps all year. It runs through Monday (yes, you can go the boat show on Halloween. No, we don't know if people will be wearing costumes, but many of the exhibitors will likely be handing out candy.) More on this show later.

Toyota Texas Bass Classic
This is a world-class bass fishing tournament, featuring the top tournament bass anglers in the world, along with a festival that will include concerts as well as a variety of family and industry activities. The fishing is on Lake Conroe, and the activities are at the Lone Star Convention and Expo Center in Conroe, Texas.

Macau Yacht Show
China is having another boat show this weekend, this time at Fisherman's Wharf in Macau. Now through this Sunday.

More on the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is known as the "Yachting Capital of the World", so when they host a boat show, it is always a big event. This year is the 52nd Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, running today (October 27) through MONDAY, October 31, 2011.

The show includes all the major yacht builders and designers with their latest offerings, as well as a plethora of brokerage yachts. Boats on display include everything from runabouts to superyachts. In fact, the Miami Herald reported yesterday that trawlers are making up a larger segment of the show this year.

Ft Lauderdale - There's an app for that
The show is spread across six locations and over 3 million square feet of space, with a network of bus shuttles, water taxis, and riverboats to help you reach all areas of the event. To help visitors better navigate the sprawling event, 2011-style, the show organizers have put out a free boat show app called MyBoatShow so that you can find your way around the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show using your iPhone or Android device. 
Here's the download page for the app: http://www.showmanagement.com/app/app.html

Event Details, Directions, and More
As always, there are more details about these events - including links to the official websites - on our calendar of boat shows. If we missed an event in this article or on our calendar, please send us an email - boatshows@firstboat.com - or post it on the Daily Boater Facebook page.

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