Get Together at the 2026 Annapolis Powerboat Show
Date: August 4, 2026Meet your crew at City Dock.
Boating has always been a social pursuit. Whether you spend your weekends rafted up with friends or you’re still working up the nerve to step aboard, the Annapolis Powerboat Show (Oct. 8-11 at City Dock) offers four days of connection, conversation, and community. Here’s why this year’s show deserves a spot on your fall social calendar.
Face-to-Face Time
Forums and blogs can offer a window into the world of boating, but a screen only gets you so far. At the show, attendees can put their questions to living, breathing industry experts: boat builders, brokers, riggers, marine technicians, and fellow enthusiasts who are always happy to talk shop. It’s intelligence that’s anything but artificial.
Raise a Glass
The bars around the show make ideal gathering spaces to recap this boating season and plan for the next. The No Wake Zone presented by Morgan Stanley, located in the Yacht Basin, features Boat Show Brew and other regionally brewed beers from Pherm Brewing, a bar by Latitude 38, and mixers from Gray Wolf and Cane Collective.
Gear Up for Your Next Raft-Up
Few traditions capture the social side of boating like a raft-up. Exhibitors throughout the show carry everything needed to host one properly, including water toys, coolers, wireless speakers, and fenders (your gel coat will thank you).
Find Your People, and Your Slip
A marina is more than a place to keep a boat; it’s the social center of your time afloat. Amenities can be compared online, but nothing replaces a conversation with a real person. Attendees can meet representatives from marinas across the region and, quite possibly, a few future slip neighbors.
Bring the Whole Crew
The show welcomes the next generation of boaters, too. Young attendees can hunt for Dockside Ducks hidden throughout the show and turn them in for a small prize (they keep the duck, naturally), or visit the CCA Kids Zone for boat building, Bay-themed crafts, casting competitions, and cornhole, run by CCA Maryland.
The Annapolis Powerboat Show runs Oct. 8-11. Tickets are available now at annapolisboatshows.com.