The Annapolis Sailboat Show is not a shopping trip. It is one of the few places where a sailor can step aboard 150 boats, compare gear from 500 exhibitors, and have real conversations with the designers, builders, and riggers who made them, all in a single afternoon. But without a plan, four days at City Dock goes fast and the most important exhibits get missed.
This guide covers everything needed before you arrive at the 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show: when to come, how to get there, what to prioritize, what gear is worth evaluating in person, and how to find Fawcett Boat Supplies at Booth Land 9.
Table of Contents
- What Is the Annapolis Sailboat Show?
- When Is the 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show? Dates, Hours, and Tickets
- How Do You Get to the Annapolis Sailboat Show? Parking and Transportation
- What Can You See and Do at the 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show?
- What Gear Should You Evaluate in Person at the Show?
- How Do You Make the Most of Your Time at the Show?
- Where Is the Fawcett Boat Supplies Booth at the 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Annapolis Sailboat Show?
The Annapolis Sailboat Show is the world's largest and longest-running in-water sailboat show, held every October since 1970 at City Dock, Downtown Annapolis, Maryland. What makes it different from other boat events is the format: boats are tied to floating docks in the water and can be stepped aboard by any ticket holder. You are not looking at boats from behind a rope. You are on them.
The 2026 Annapolis boat show brings 150 vessels from manufacturers around the world and 500 exhibitors across apparel, safety, electrical, rigging, electronics, education, and marine services to the Annapolis waterfront for four days in October. The 2026 show features a reimagined layout at City Dock, giving sailors more room to move between exhibits and aboard boats.
One important distinction: the Annapolis boat shows are two separate events on consecutive weekends. The Annapolis Powerboat Show runs October 8 to 11 at City Dock and is the place to see new and premiering powerboats, rigid inflatables, motors, and watersports equipment in the water. Annapolis Inflatables, a subsidiary of Fawcett Boat Supplies, is at the Powerboat Show with Zodiac and Highfield inflatable boats across booths at Land 10, Land 11, and Land 12, with two new Zodiac model debuts: the Yacht Line 4.0 and the Nomad 310 EuroHelm. Highfield Fall Promo rebates are available at the Powerboat Show exclusively at the Annapolis Inflatables booth. See the full Powerboat Show lineup at Annapolis Inflatables.
The Annapolis Sailboat Show runs the following weekend, October 15 to 18. Each show has different exhibitors, different boats, and separate tickets. If your interests span both sail and power, both weekends are worth the trip to Annapolis.
When Is the 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show? Dates, Hours, and Tickets
The 2026 Annapolis boat show runs October 15 to 18 at City Dock, Downtown Annapolis, Maryland.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Dates | October 15 to 18, 2026 |
| Location | City Dock, Downtown Annapolis, Maryland |
| Thursday to Saturday (Oct 15 to 17) | 10:00 AM to 6:30 PM |
| Sunday (Oct 18) | 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM |
| Preview Day (Thursday October 15) | $55 |
| General Admission (October 16 to 18) | $32 |
| Children ages 7 to 15 | $10 |
| Children 6 and under | Free |
| Military Appreciation Day (Sunday October 18 only) | $22 with valid ID |
The box office is located on Compromise St. next to the Tent D Gate. Buy Annapolis boat show tickets in advance at the official 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show to skip the gate queue on arrival.
The Annapolis Sailboat Show runs rain or shine. October in Annapolis brings daytime highs in the 60s to 70s with significantly cooler mornings and evenings. Plan for layers regardless of the forecast.
Two things to note before you arrive: pets are not permitted on the show grounds except for certified service animals, and strollers cannot be taken onto the show grounds for safety reasons.
Should You Come on Preview Day or a General Admission Day?
Preview Day (Thursday October 15) has the smallest crowds of the four-day run. Exhibitors are fully staffed and not yet fatigued, which means longer conversations and more detailed answers. For anyone serious about gear evaluation or on-the-dock boat research, Preview Day is worth the higher ticket price.
Friday has noticeably lighter crowds than the weekend. Saturday and Sunday bring the highest attendance, the most energy, and the longest waits at popular exhibits.
If the goal is to board as many boats as possible and have unhurried conversations with the right people, Thursday or Friday is the strategic choice. If the goal is to experience the show at full energy with the full sailing community in attendance, Saturday delivers that.
How Do You Get to the Annapolis Sailboat Show? Parking and Transportation
Downtown Annapolis fills quickly during boat show annapolis weekend, and parking in the historic district is extremely limited. The show organizers strongly recommend arriving by shuttle.
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Primary Parking and Free Shuttle
Park at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, 550 Taylor Ave, Annapolis, MD 21401. A free shuttle bus runs continuously from the stadium to City Dock, from one hour before the show opens through one hour after the show closes. Pre-sale stadium parking is $24 per day, and $47 for oversized vehicles.
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Additional Parking
Eastport Elementary School offers additional parking on Friday October 16 from 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and on Saturday October 17 and Sunday October 18 from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
Downtown Annapolis parking garages are also available but fill up fast. If using a garage, arrive early and plan extra time.
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For Sailors Arriving by Water
The Prince George St. Dinghy Dock is closed from September 29 through October 18 during the boat show period. A dedicated dinghy dock at the end of Shipwright St. is available for boaters throughout the show.
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What to Bring
A small backpack or bag works best on the show grounds. Bring a show guide once through the gate, a notebook for recording boat details and gear specs, your boat's key measurements (LOA, beam, chain plate spacing, existing panel amperage), comfortable walking shoes, and a mid-layer or jacket for the morning and evening.
What Can You See and Do at the 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show?
The 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show brings 150 vessels from manufacturers around the world in the water and available to board with a valid ticket, alongside 500 exhibitors across apparel, safety, electrical, rigging, and education. The range of boats covers daysailers, coastal cruisers, offshore passagemakers, racing one-design boats, and blue-water voyagers.
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What Education and Seminars Are Available?
The Annapolis Sailboat Show has offered free educational programming for decades. In 2026:
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First Sail Workshop
Presented by the American Sailing Association and included with admission. A 45-minute classroom overview followed by 90 minutes of hands-on instruction aboard a Beneteau First 22 in the Yacht Basin. The best introduction to sailing available at any maryland boat show.
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Free Seminars in the Yacht Basin
Daily sessions covering topics for sailors at every level, from outfitting for offshore cruising to practical maintenance. Included with show admission.
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Cruisers University
October 12 to 16 at the Historic Inns of Annapolis, running the days before the show. More than 80 classes taught by leading offshore instructors covering navigation, passage planning, systems, and seamanship. Separate registration is required and classes often fill in advance.
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Cruisers Creating Content
The CCC booth in the Yacht Basin gives attendees the chance to meet the sailing content creators and personalities they follow online.
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First Sail Workshop
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What Other Activities Are at the Show?
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Dockside Ducks
A scavenger hunt for younger visitors. Find a hidden rubber duck somewhere on the show grounds, turn it in at a designated booth, win a prize, and keep the duck.
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EWE Spirit Scavenger Hunt
Pick up a card at the SpinSheet booth and work through the show challenges.
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College Sailing Reunion Happy Hour
Saturday October 18 from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM, sponsored by Sailing World. Open to anyone who competed in college sailing. The school that sells the most tickets earns a $1,000 donation to its sailing team.
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Evening in Annapolis
The historic district around City Dock has a full range of restaurants and bars within walking distance. Annapolis fills up quickly during Annapolis boat show 2026 weekend. Dinner reservations, especially for Friday and Saturday evenings, are essential.
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Dockside Ducks
What Gear Should You Evaluate in Person at the Show?
The show is one of the few opportunities in the year to handle marine gear before buying. The action of a block under load, the feel of a foul weather jacket in October Annapolis conditions, the difference between two shore power systems side by side. These are assessments that catalogue descriptions and online reviews cannot replicate.
Gill Sailing Gear and Helly Hansen Sailing Gear
October in Annapolis provides the most representative test environment imaginable for evaluating sailing apparel: variable sky, northwest breeze, water temperature dropping through the 60s, and spray that catches anyone who is not paying attention. Trying on Gill sailing gear or Helly Hansen sailing gear at the dock in these conditions is a better evaluation than any indoor fitting.
The Gill OS26 Offshore Jacket and Gill OS26 Offshore Bib, the Helly Hansen Men's Seven J Rain Jacket, and the Helly Hansen Crew Midlayer Jacket 2.0 are all on display at Fawcett Booth Land 9. The show is the opportunity to build a complete layering system and confirm fit across all three layers before committing. For guidance on how to choose between offshore, coastal, and inshore gear, see our foul weather gear guide.
SmartPlug Shore Power
The show draws sailors who are planning winter upgrades. A SmartPlug shore power upgrade is one of the most practical dock improvements a boat owner can make, and the Fawcett booth is the place to assess whether it is the right fit for the boat.
SmartPlug uses a press-fit connection that creates greater surface area contact than the standard round-pin twist-lock inlet, reducing electrical resistance and lowering the risk of overheating at the connection point. The Fawcett team at Booth Land 9 can confirm compatibility with the boat's existing setup. SmartPlug and standard Marinco twist-lock inlets are not interchangeable, which is a question worth settling before the winter refit begins. For the full technical guide, see our shore power guide.
Barton Sailing Blocks and Vetus Marine Equipment
Barton sailing blocks and deck hardware need to be handled before selecting for a refit. The feel of a block under load, the action of a cam cleat, and the movement of a mainsheet traveler are not assessable from a photograph. Barton blocks in 30, 45, 60, and 80mm are on display at Fawcett Booth Land 9.
Vetus marine equipment covers waterlock, cooling water hose, and exhaust hose systems. The show is the right environment to discuss Vetus system compatibility with the boat's existing engine and exhaust configuration.
How Do You Make the Most of Your Time at the Show?
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Plan Your Visit Before You Arrive
Know which boats match your intended use before arriving. An offshore passagemaker, a coastal cruiser, a racing one-design, and a weekend daysailer are all represented at the show, but they live in different parts of the docks. Arriving with a category in mind prevents spending the day aboard boats that do not match your needs.
Make a short list of must-see boats and must-evaluate gear categories. The show grounds cover significant waterfront area across multiple docks. Trying to see everything without a list means seeing nothing well. Three to five priorities is a manageable target for a full day.
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Bring Key Measurements and Specifications
If shopping for fitted gear, bring:
- LOA and beam for boat-specific storage and canvas
- Mast height and chain plate spacing for rigging questions
- Existing shore power panel amperage for SmartPlug or cord set assessment
- Existing sheet and halyard sizes if replacing running rigging
Exhibitors selling fitted equipment can give meaningful advice when visitors arrive with the boat's actual specifications. Without them, the conversation stays generic.
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What Questions Should You Ask at the Annapolis Sailboat Show?
The Annapolis Sailboat Show is one of the few places where designers, builders, brokers, equipment manufacturers, and experienced offshore sailors are all in the same space at the same time.
For gear: ask what specific problem the product solves and what the most common installation or use mistake is. Those two questions reveal more than any product brochure.
For boats: ask the broker what the most common ownership complaints are. Every honest broker will tell you, because they know you will find out anyway if you buy the boat.
For education: the free seminars in the Yacht Basin are run by working professionals, not presenters. The conversations that follow a seminar are often worth more than the seminar itself.
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Take Notes and Resist Dock Pressure
Bring a notebook or use a phone. Decisions made on the dock under show pricing pressure are rarely the best ones. Record the model name, manufacturer, and the specific questions that arose during each visit. Compare at home and return for a second look if the schedule allows.
Boat show deals are genuine at the Annapolis Sailboat Show. The discount pricing at booths like Fawcett is available for the run of the show only. But a wrong purchase at a show price is still a wrong purchase.
Where Is the Fawcett Boat Supplies Booth at the 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show?
Fawcett Boat Supplies is at Booth Land 9 at the 2026 Annapolis Sailboat Show, a 20 by 25 foot, 500 square foot booth at City Dock. Enter at Dock St. and look for the Fawcett flag.
The booth features 11 brands across sailing apparel, safety equipment, navigation, shore power, sailing hardware, and inflatable boat technology: Gill, Helly Hansen, Mustang, Kong, Signal Mate, SmartPlug, Barton, NeverSoft, NaviSafe, ACR Electronics, and Vetus/Maxwell. Show discounts are available across all 11 brands for the run of the show only. A NeverSoft live demo is available at the booth throughout the show. Every booth visitor receives a complimentary 10% coupon for the Fawcett store at 919 Bay Ridge Rd, Annapolis. See the full product list and booth details on the Fawcett Sailboat Show 2026.
Plan Well and the Show Rewards You
The Annapolis Sailboat Show rewards sailors who arrive with a plan. A list of priorities, the boat's key measurements, and a willingness to ask direct questions to the right people turns four days at City Dock into one of the most productive weeks of the sailing year.
Fawcett Boat Supplies has served the Chesapeake Bay sailing community since 1948 and has been at the Annapolis Sailboat Show since the earliest years of the event. Find us at Booth Land 9, October 15 to 18, for Gill sailing gear, Helly Hansen sailing gear, SmartPlug shore power, Barton sailing blocks, Vetus marine equipment, and the full range of brands we carry. Shop the full lineup before the show at Fawcett Boat Supplies.