The just-opened Palm Beach International Boat Show has an economic impact of more than $1 billion, with hundreds of exhibiting brands and more than 1,000 vessels on display, organizers said.
It also happens to be the busiest time of year for the Palm Beach Marina, the town-owned docks on the island’s lakeside, just south of Royal Palm Way, manager Mike Horn said.
“We’re seeing about an additional 50 boats over the regular transient boats that we would see that are just here for the boat show,” he said.
The Palm Beach International Boat Show’s opens today and runs through March 29 along the West Palm Beach waterfront. Tickets and more information are available at PBBoatShow.com.
The town’s marina has its own economic impact, bringing in nearly $15 million in municipal revenue for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30, 2025, said Bob Miracle, deputy town manager of finance and administration.
Boaters who dock at the marina during the Boat show typically walk across the bridge into West Palm Beach to attend events, but they also spend time and money at restaurants and businesses in Palm Beach, Horn said.
And the demand is great for slips during the boat show: “They call all the time, but we won’t guarantee their reservation,” he said, adding that the town established a reservation and cancellation policy specifically for dates around the boat show.
That policy includes non-refundable up-front payments when booking, according to the marina’s website.
“It’s helped us manage spaces a lot better,” Horn said of the policy’s implementation. He added that the policy also helped the marina not lose out on potential revenue from canceled reservations.
Yachts will stop at the marina to stage, and then move when their docks at the show are available, Horn said. Speaking to the Daily News on March 18, he said three or four boats that had been at the town’s marina for one night to stage had left that morning to be loaded into the boat show.
“That will continue on up until they get the last boat in there,” Horn said.
Palm Beach’s marina has 84 slips that are large enough for superyachts — it can hold boats from 60 feet to 294 feet long — which may be a draw for boat show attendees eyeing their own super-sized vessels. The show this year boasts a lineup that includes more than 100 superyachts.
Boat show visitors also may see marina staff west of the bridge, talking with brokers and buyers about potential dock space availability at the town’s facilities, Horn said.
“We’ll see what we can do, depending on what our annual leaseholders are doing,” he said.
A multi-year, $40 million renovation project of the marina was completed in 2021. The work replaced the aging Town Docks with modern floating concrete docks, along with new amenities including showers and lounge space.
More information about the marina is available at TownofPalmBeachMarina.com.
IF YOU GO
The Palm Beach International Boat Show will run today through Sunday along South Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach. Hours are noon to 7 p.m. today and Saturday; and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets range in price from $37 to $430. Details are available at PBBoatShow.com.
Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Boat show is busiest time of year for Palm Beach Marina, manager says
Reporting by Kristina Webb, Palm Beach Daily News / Palm Beach Daily News
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