·

Getting Ready for the 2026 Vancouver International Boat Show

The Vancouver Convention Centre West is the new host of the 2026 Vancouver International Boat Show

December 4, 2025

The Vancouver International Boat Show is coming up quick, this January 14 to 18. It’s earlier than usual and in a new location, so here’s everything you need to know before you go.

This year marks 63 years of Vancouver’s premier boat show. Due to the FIFA World Cup coming to BC Place, this year’s event will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre in the west building.

The on-water show will still be held at Granville Island, and shuttle busses are available to transit visitors between the two venues. The show starts at 12:00 on the Wednesday in the Convention Centre.

he  Vancouver International Boat Show is a must-see for many boaters along the West Coast.

Bruce Hayne, executive director of Boating BC that runs the boat show, says this year’s event caters to living on the water, not just boating. He called it “a waterfront lifestyle show.”

Many of 2026’s seminars have yet to be confirmed, but Hayne says there’s a lot to be excited about. Seminars in the past have touched on a range of topics like docking techniques, crew communication and boating etiquette. This year, highlights include an expanded women’s day feature on the Saturday, seminars on getting the most out of West Coast boating and a yacht rock lounge where attendees may enjoy a cocktail and listen to live music on the all-new show floor.

“It is going to be a really fun five days,” says Hayne. “The show floor is already looking very busy as far as booths and displays.”

The Vancouver Convention Centre is in the heart of the downtown waterfront next to Canada Place. It’s an easy commute to walk, bike, bus, train, taxi or ferry from just about anywhere inside Greater Vancouver. If you’re driving, the centre offers parking for some 1,190 vehicles across both buildings.

If you aren’t driving, make sure to bring a bag large enough for any goodies you’re sure to find inside the show. The boat show is the perfect opportunity to find deals on all kinds of boating paraphernalia like lifejackets, fishing equipment or tech like your next chart plotter.

  • Eamon Irving·   Assistant Editor, Pacific Yachting

Related Articles

Video Gallery

Bennington 22 MSB

By Andy Adams

If you’ve already had firsthand experience with a pontoon, you will easily understand the appeal of the Bennington 22 MSB. But if you haven’t, let’s start by reviewing a few of the reasons why pontoon boats have become top sellers in markets across North America.

Pontoon boats began in the early 1950s as basically four steel drums lashed to a frame. They were not unlike the log rafts of ancient cultures and not much more sophisticated at first.

Read More

Destinations

The Best of Two Worlds

By Mathew Channer

Interior British Columbia might not be as famous for recreational boating as Canada’s Great Lakes, yet it is no less a world-class boat­ing destination. The mountains offer their own flavour of marine adventure with their series of long, deep ribbon lakes, and there is perhaps no area that embodies this more uniquely than the iconic Okanagan basin in southern B.C. One could be forgiven for assuming this valley was purpose-built for nautical fun, with a few delightful perks thrown in to make the area entirely irresistible (wine-tasting, anyone?).

Read More

Lifestyle