There hasn’t been a boat show in D.C. for years. Falling attendance led to the last D.C. Boat Show at the Washington Convention Center in 2008.
The inaugural D.C. Boat Show at National Harbor is May 5 through May 7 and promises a much bigger boat show than a convention center could accommodate.
“We’ll have probably over 100 boats in the water, and another 200 or so on land — power and sail, new and high-quality brokerage,” said D.C. Boat Show co-owner Kelly Stewart, who has been involved in boat show marketing in Maryland for nearly two decades.
The pandemic led to increased interest in all sorts of outdoor activities, including recreational boating.
“For the two years when the pandemic was in its height, in 2020 and 2021, I think there were over 300,000 power boats sold a year,” Stewart said.
The D.C. Boat Show will have live entertainment with at least 15 musical performances throughout the weekend. There will be food vendors, and a beach party is scheduled for Saturday.
The D.C. Boat Show aims to appeal to more than just potential boat buyers.
“While boats will be there for sale, we really wanted to focus on the charter industry. We want to focus on luxury boating travel, boat clubs, fractional ownership opportunities, just any way to get people on the water,” Stewart said.
The boat show isn’t free. Individual admission tickets are $40. VIP tickets are $175, and include an open bar, free food and parking, and other VIP perks.
More information about the D.C. Boat Show at National Harbor is online.