Chicago Boat, RV & Sail Show

About This Event

The Chicago Boat, RV & Sail Show is five days of actual boats, RVs, and fishing gear you can climb into and walk through, not just look at from behind a rope — historically the Midwest's largest and longest-running event of its kind. Worth knowing before you go: it's no longer downtown, having relocated to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont.

It's been running since 1930, when marine dealer Hubbard Erickson Sr. put on the first Chicago boat show at Navy Pier. The '80s were its peak in the city — an estimated 100,000 people a year moving through 700 boats, 300 RVs, and a full floor of travel exhibits. It spent decades afterward at McCormick Place (and, before that, the old International Amphitheatre), running inside Chicago city limits for more than 90 straight years before finally relocating to Rosemont in 2025.

If you're used to the old McCormick Place location out of habit, budget real drive time to get out to Rosemont instead. Hours vary by day too — a shorter Wednesday evening slot, longer weekend hours — so check the exact schedule for the day you're planning to go rather than assuming one set of hours applies all five days.