The insider’s guide to the Palm Beach International Boat Show 2026

Where to shop, stay, eat, and play in Palm Beach, Florida

The Palm Beach International Boat Show runs from 25-29 March along Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach—five days on the Intracoastal, with more than 1,000 boats in the water and the full spectrum of the industry gathered on one stretch of Palm Beach waterfront. Whether you’re coming to buy, to charter, or to simply be there, Palm Beach in March is where you need to be.

This is our guide to doing it properly.

Show schedule

The show opens on Wednesday, with a preview afternoon before running at full pace Thursday through Sunday. The early close on Sunday is worth noting if you’re planning to travel home that day.

• Wednesday 25 March — 12:00 pm–7:00 pm
• Thursday 26 March — 10:00 am–7:00 pm
• Friday 27 March — 10:00 am–7:00 pm
• Saturday 28 March — 10:00 am–7:00 pm
• Sunday 29 March — 10:00 am–5:00 pm

Tickets are available directly via the PBIBS website or your dedicated Moravia broker. Windward VIP tickets (see below) must be arranged in advance and are worth booking early—they sell out.

Navigating the Superyacht Show at Palm Harbor Marina

The Superyacht Show Palm Beach runs within PBIBS but operates as a world of its own. Housed at Palm Harbor Marina—a separate area from the main Flagler Drive docks—it brings together the largest yachts at the show: every vessel here exceeds 30 metres (or 100 feet).

Access is included in all general admission tickets, but it is worth noting that Palm Harbor is a short walk north of the main show entrance. First-timers sometimes miss it entirely. Head there early in the day if superyacht viewings are your priority; by Saturday afternoon, the docks get busy, and boarding queues at the most prominent vessels can be long.

Private viewings are possible—contact your broker in advance to arrange a dedicated slot rather than joining the general flow. If you are attending with a serious interest in buying or chartering, this is the only way to have a genuine conversation on board. The difference between a short viewing and a private appointment is considerable.

The Moravia team will be present throughout the show and can arrange viewings on request. WABASH will be in the water—more information below.

The Windward VIP experience: is it worth it?

The short answer: yes, if your show schedule is heavy. The Windward VIP Experience is the show’s premium access tier, and it comes with a few practical advantages that extend beyond the open bar.

The headline benefit is on hour of early entry on Wednesday—Preview Day—via the Banyan Entrance only. For those with a full programme of vessel viewings, arriving before the crowds is genuinely useful. You will cover more ground in the first hour of a quieter show than you will during peak Saturday afternoon.

Beyond the early entry, Windward VIP includes:

• Access to the Windward Lounge—a well-designed indoor and outdoor hospitality space with open bar and gourmet food, separate from the general show
• Complimentary golf cart transfers
• Guaranteed access to the Superyacht Show at Palm Harbor

Private restrooms are also included—which sounds minor until it is not.

However, if you’re attending for one day and have no particular interest in networking in the Lounge, the general ticket is perfectly sufficient. Windward VIP earns its price for those spending multiple days at the show or who want a dedicated base from which to operate. For an industry professional with a full week of meetings, it pays for itself in the first morning.

Where to shop in Palm Beach

Cross the bridge from West Palm Beach onto the island and you are, almost immediately, somewhere else. Worth Avenue runs four blocks from Lake Worth to the Atlantic—Mediterranean Revival architecture, hidden vias trailing off the main street into open-air courtyards, and somewhere north of 250 shops and galleries. It’s been this way since the 1920s.

Worth Avenue

The obvious starting point. The main strip carries the names you would expect—Hermes, Dior, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Graff, Van Cleef & Arpels—but the real pleasure is in the vias. Via Mizner and Via Parigi are the most architecturally intact, and both lead to smaller boutiques and galleries that reward the detour. Raptis Rare Books, on Via Parigi, is one of the better antiquarian bookshops in Florida.

Royal Poinciana Plaza

A short drive north on the island, the Royal Poinciana Plaza is more relaxed than Worth Avenue and slightly younger in its edit. This is where you’ll find Veronica Beard, Alice + Olivia, and Sant Ambroeus Café that is as good a reason as any to make the trip. The architecture here—mid-century Mizner-influenced—is easy on the eye.

Where to stay in Palm Beach

Palm Beach in late March is high season. Hotels on both sides of the bridge book out quickly and show week adds further pressure. The rule of thumb: if you want to be on the island, book early. If you want to be within walking distance of the show docks, stay in West Palm Beach.

The Breakers Palm Beach

A Michelin Key property and the most reliable choice on the island. A hundred-year-old resort on half a mile of private beach, with four pools, a spa, and a level of service that justifies the rate. It is 20 minutes to the show by car—not walking distance—but for those who want to decompress fully in the evenings, nothing in Palm Beach touches it. Book the oceanfront rooms: the HMF bar is worth an evening regardless of where you’re staying.

1 S. Country Road, Palm Beach

Four Seasons Resort, Palm Beach

Another Michelin Key property and the only Forbes Five-Star, Five-Diamond resort on the island. The interiors were designed by Martin Brudnizki—mid-century glamour in a palette of pale pink and Atlantic blue, which manages to feel both deliberate and effortless. Two pools (one adults-only), a private beach, a well-regarded spa in its tenth consecutive year of Forbes five-star recognition, and a restaurant with a Michelin-starred collaboration in place. More intimate than The Breakers, which is either a recommendation or a caveat, depending on what you’re looking for. Twenty minutes from the show by car.

2800 S. Ocean Boulevard, Palm Beach

Palm House

After an extensive renovation, Palm House reopened in late 2024 to much fanfare. Situated on Royal Palm Way—steps from the beach and a short walk from Worth Avenue, the 79 rooms and suites are designed with genuine care; the architecture is by Cooper Carry, and the signature restaurant is a Nobu collaboration, which is a considerable draw in its own right. For guests who want the island without the scale of The Breakers, this is the considered choice.

160 Royal Palm Way, Palm Beach

The White Elephant

Located on Narcissus Avenue, The White Elephant’s 32 rooms in its Mediterranean-Revival style is one of the more characterful options on this list. Its size is the point: the service is attentive in a way that only smaller properties can sustain, and the pace is noticeably slower than the larger resorts. The onsite restaurant, Lola 41, brings a Nantucket sensibility to the Florida season. Only three minutes to the show by car.

280 Sunset Avenue, Palm Beach

The Ben, Autograph Collection

As the most practical base for show week, The Ben is located right on the West Palm waterfront, four minutes by foot to the show entrance, with views of Palm Harbor Marina from some rooms. The YATCO Lounge—where Moravia’s team will be based, alongside our sister company Hill Robinson—is here. If convenience to the show is your priority, nowhere comes close.

600 N. Flagler Drive, West Palm Beach

What to eat in Palm Beach

Like hotels, restaurants book out quickly in March. A reservation made on the day isn’t always possible at the places worth going to. Book as far in advance as you can.

Café- l’Europe

A Palm Beach institution. The dining room—arched, candlelit, and hung with mirrors and flowers—has been drawing a certain kind of clientele since 1980. The menu is classic European with a French lean; the wine list is serious. If you want an occasion, this is it.

331 S. County Road, Palm Beach

Buccan

Seven-time James Beard Award semi-finalist chef Clay Conley’s Buccan is notoriously hard to book. Small plates, global influences, and homemade pasta that justifies the hype. The bar is lively. Try the Maine lobster ceviche, followed by the grilled wagyu short rib with a side of parmesan fries—indulgent? Yes. Worth it? Always.

Tropical Smokehouse

This entry may surprise you, but it’ll stick with you long after departure. Tropical Smokehouse is a craft barbecue restaurant on South Dixie Highway—not a waterfront terrace, not a white tablecloth—but it has a James Beard-nominated pitmaster in Rick Mace, a loyal local following, and frequently places in lists as a top barbecue joint in the South. The brisket is the thing to order. If you want to eat somewhere that has nothing to do with the show and everything to do with where West Palm Beach actually eats, this is it.

3815 S. Dixie Highway, West Palm Beach. Tuesday–Sunday 11:30 am-9:00 pm.

Things to do in Palm Beach

The show fills most days easily, but Palm Beach rewards time outside the docks—it’s a destination in itself.

The Henry Morrison Flagler Museum

The winter estate of Henry Flagler—Standard Oil co-founder, Florida developer, and arguably the man who built Palm Beach—is now a museum. The house, Whitehall, is a 1902 Beaux-Arts mansion that was once described as more magnificent than any private dwelling in the world. That may be overstating it, but not by much. For anyone with an interest in the history of American wealth—and where better to develop one than Palm Beach—an hour here is well spent.

1 Whitehall Way, Palm Beach

The Palm Beach Lake Trail

The western shore of the island runs along the Intracoastal, and in the early morning—before the show opens, before the city has fully woken up—it is one of the quieter places in Palm Beach. The Lake Trail follows this stretch for three miles: no traffic, good light, views over the West Palm skyline across the water. Worth an hour before the day begins, on foot or by bicycle. Most hotels on the island can arrange both.

The Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary Art Fair

For those arriving in the days before the show, the Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary Art Fair runs 19-22 March 2026 at the Palm Beach County Convention Center. A well-regarded fair with a strong gallery line-up; it closes just before PBIBS opens, so the timing works well for those who want to extend their stay. Worth Avenue’s gallery circuit is also active throughout the season—the John H. Surovek Gallery, in particular, is known for its American art collection.

Superyacht spotlight: yachts to watch at PBIBS 2026

The Superyacht Show is expected to bring together some of the most significant yachts currently in the market, for sale and charter alike. Confirmed lineups will be announced closer to the show; we will update this section as details emerge.

WABASH—managed by Hill Robinson, for sale with Moravia

WABASH will be in the water at Dock C, slip #C209, at Palm Harbor Marina throughout the show, with the Moravia charter and sales teams on board for viewings and enquiries. Whether you’re considering a season on charter or exploring ownership, the show is the natural moment to come and see her. Contact us in advance to arrange a private viewing.

What else to expect at the Superyacht Show

The Superyacht Show consistently draws vessels exceeding 30 metres or 100 feet from the world’s leading shipyards. Previous editions have featured significant debuts from builders including Benetti, Sunseeker, Amels, and Damen—and with over USD 1.2 billion in vessels expected across the wider show 2026 looks set to follow suit.

Find Moravia at PBIBS 2026

The Moravia team will be at PBIBS from 25-29 March, available for charter and sales enquiries throughout the week. Our sister company, Hill Robinson, is also sponsoring the YATCO Lounge at The Ben—come and find us there if you’d prefer somewhere quieter than the docks.

Interested in booking a meeting with us at PBIBS 2026?

Our team’s calendars are filling up fast. Contact us to arrange a private meeting.

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