The 2025 Sydney International Boat Show will be split into two separate events several months apart – and bring Jet Skis and trailer boats closer to Sydney’s heartland – as the soaring costs of the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Darling Harbour made the current format prohibitively expensive.
Instead of a combined indoor and outdoor event at the ICC in Darling Harbour – with displays inside the exhibition halls for Jet Skis and trailer boats, alongside on-water displays for larger boats in a temporarily constructed marina – the 2025 event will be split into two categories.
The 2025 Sydney International Boat Show for Jet Skis, trailer boats and accessories will held be at Sydney Showground in Sydney Olympic Park – the home of the Sydney Olympics in the year 2000 – from 14 to 17 August 2025, keeping the event in the same month it has been for decades.
A second event – for larger and more expensive moored boats – will be held in November 2025 in Darling Harbour in a similar format to previous years, in a temporarily constructed marina.
For now, there is no specific date for the November 2025 on-water event.
The news announced earlier this week was met with mixed reaction by the Jet Ski and boating industry.
While the cost for Jet Ski, boating and accessory companies to book a display space at Sydney Showgrounds is expected to be cheaper than it would have been at the ICC in Darling Harbour, the shift to two separate events has created a dilemma for companies that want to attend both shows.
Especially among accessory companies that sell products across the Jet Ski and trailer boat community, as well as to those with an interest in larger and more expensive moored boats.
The 2024 Sydney International Boat Show marked the 55th running of the event since 1968, with the first show held at Sydney’s Moore Park.
The increasing cost of exhibition space in Sydney has taken its toll on several events over the past decade or so.
The last Sydney Motor Show was held in 2012 after alternating with the Melbourne Motor Show in its final years in an attempt to cut costs.
But even this format proved too expensive and the motor show era in Australia came to an end in 2012 as more car buyers did their research online.
A media statement issued by the Boating Industry Association (which operates the Sydney International Boat Show) said the 2025 event at Sydney Showground will be dedicated to Jet Skis, trailer boats up to 10 metres in length, paddle boats, sail boats and the accessory and fishing segments.
“Sydney Olympic Park is the perfect venue, offering world-class exhibition facilities, excellent public transport, ample parking and the ability to expand outdoors,” BIA President Adam Smith said in a media statement.
“It places a premier boating event in the geographic heart of Sydney with its vast population of more than 6 million people and will … enable exhibitors to connect even more with passionate boaters and those keen to get out on the water.”
The 2025 Sydney International Boat Show will be staged in The Dome and adjacent Exhibition Halls at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.
Moving the on-water category – for boats ranging from 10 to 30 metres in length – to Darling Harbour in November was designed to take advantage of Sydney’s spring weather.
“Our decision to move the 2025 Sydney International Boat Show to November allows us to take full advantage of the city’s ideal spring conditions – longer, warmer days and perfect boating weather,” BIA President Adam Smith said in a media statement.
“By stepping away from conventional indoor exhibition halls and fully activating the harbourside precinct, we’re creating a truly immersive experience where people can connect with the boating lifestyle in the most natural setting, on and around the water.
“These exciting changes are designed to meet the evolving needs of both the industry and boating enthusiasts.”
The BIA said more details on both 2025 Sydney International Boat Show events will be released in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, the changes to the 2025 Sydney International Boat Show leave the Sanctuary Cove Boat Show in Queensland and the Melbourne Boat Show in Victoria as the only two events that combine trailer boats and moored boats.
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