For years, the easy way to a pier afternoon was the lot at Atlantic Boulevard and North Ocean Boulevard. It was about 230 paved and unpaved spaces that the city used but the developer owned. That lot has now closed. As of this fall, the cheapest weekend parking for the beach is two free lots on the mainland, at City Hall and in Old Town. A free ride from either one takes you to the Fisher Family Pier.
So getting to the beach now works differently. Below you'll find what changed, what each option costs, and how to use the new setup on the busiest night of the season, the November 7 drone show.
What closed, and what is planned in its place
The site is planned for W Pompano Beach Hotel & Residences at 20 N. Ocean Blvd., across the street from the Briny Irish Pub. The Sun Sentinel names Related Group and BH Group as the developers. The paper's March 2026 report estimated an October 2026 groundbreaking. When the project gets underway, the tower will be a new landmark at the pier end of Atlantic Boulevard.
The parking numbers matter more for a beach day. New Pelican reported that the finished project is planned to include 145 public spaces on the ground floor of its garage. The old lot held about 230. New Pelican also reported that parking at the site would likely be unavailable during construction. Even after the tower opens, that corner is planned to have fewer public spaces than it had before. The closure isn't a short-term detour you can wait out.
How the Fishing Village Shuttle works
The city added the Fishing Village Shuttle to its free Pompano Circuit service. It started Friday, October 2, and the city's announcement says it is meant "to help reduce parking demand near the beach" as the W lot closes. The key details:
- Days and hours: Friday through Sunday plus holidays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- How to ride: Request a ride in the free Ride Circuit app.
- If you live inside the service area: The shuttle can pick you up at a home or business and take you straight to the pier and beach, then bring you back.
- If you live outside it: Park free at City Hall, 100 W. Atlantic Blvd., or at the Old Town lot at NE 2nd Street and NE 2nd Avenue. Then request a direct ride to the Fisher Family Pier.
- What fits: The vehicles carry beach chairs, bags and coolers, and wheelchair-accessible service is available.
- Fleet size: Three vehicles that seat up to five, up to six and up to 15 passengers.
The rides are direct. Park & Ride trips go only between the designated lot and the beach, so plan on the pier as your drop-off point. The city's Pompano Circuit page has the green service-area map, which tells you whether your street gets door-to-door pickup.
The regular Circuit keeps running in its usual blue service area. That's handy on weekdays, when the Fishing Village Shuttle isn't running.
What parking near the pier costs now
If you'd still rather drive to the sand, the city's parking locations page lists these rates. Every row is per hour except valet, which the city prices as a flat charge by day of the week:
| Where | Weekday | Weekend | Holidays and events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pier Parking Garage, 3460 NE 3rd St., Zone 2 | $1.80 | $2.50 | $3.25 |
| Beach Lot, Briny Ave., Pompano Beach Blvd., Zone 3 | $2.50 | $3.25 | $4.00 |
| Harbor Village Plaza | $1.50 | $1.80 | $2.15 |
| Valet for Oceanic and Beach House patrons | $10 Mon–Thu | $15 Fri–Sun |
The street spaces closest to the water are in Zone 3, the most expensive zone. The garage costs 70 to 75 cents less per hour on any given day. The Fishing Village operator lists 655 spaces in the garage. Self-parking is on levels 2, 3 and 4, which are color-coded green, red and yellow. The first floor is for valet. Enter at the south entrance, take a ticket, and pay before you leave at a kiosk on floors 1 through 4 or at the exit gate. Both accept tap-to-pay cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Some other rules worth knowing before you go:
- Beach parking is enforced 24 hours a day, every day of the year. No beach parking is allowed from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
- Meters are pay-by-plate. You can pay at a station, through PayByPhone or Passport Parking, or by calling 888-680-7275.
- Drivers with an ADA placard or disabled plates park free in any marked space for the first four hours and pay the hourly rate after that. Garage fees still apply.
- Monthly hangtags for the Oceanside Lot at 100 N. Riverside Drive cost $75 a month. Garage permits run $100 a month for the rooftop and $150 for levels 2 through 4. Call One Parking at 954-786-5580.
The resident discount only works one way
Pompano Beach residents can get 20% off hourly parking. The discount applies only when you pay through the PayByPhone app. To register, bring a current utility bill or lease agreement to the Pier Garage office at 3460 NE 3rd Street, or upload one with the online application. The discount has to be renewed every year. The same 20% applies to hourly parking at the Harbor Village shops.
The city's parking FAQ says resident parking permits are currently suspended, so the PayByPhone discount is the resident benefit available right now. Paying with Passport Parking or at a pay station gets you the full rate.
Even with the discount, a resident who parks free at City Hall and rides the shuttle pays nothing. If you're going on a weekend afternoon and just need to reach the sand, the shuttle costs the least.
Drone show night: Saturday, November 7
The night the new routes matter most is the first Saturday in November. The city's Drone Show Extravaganza 2026 puts 500 drones from Firefly Drone Shows over the ocean just south of the pier for Veterans Day Weekend. The show is supported by Fishing Village businesses. Admission is free.
The evening's schedule
- 5:30 p.m.: DJ
- 6:00 p.m.: Live music from Junior's Entertainment Group
- 7:00 p.m.: Drone show, about 15 minutes
- 7:15 p.m.: More live music
- 8:15 to 9:00 p.m.: DJ closes the night
What closes
- The Fisher Family Pier closes at 10 p.m. on November 6 and stays closed until 7 a.m. on November 8.
- The north side of the pier is closed for drone staging, so watch from the beach on the south side.
- Riverside Drive from NE 14th Street to 2nd Street is closed from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. You'll need proof of residency to get through during those hours.
- North Pompano Beach Boulevard and eastbound Atlantic Boulevard at Harbor Drive can close as early as 6 p.m.
What parking costs that night
On drone night, the Pier Parking Garage charges a flat $20, cash only. Other lots and street meters charge the $4 holiday rate. That's the one night when the garage isn't the cheap option.
Ways to get there without parking at the beach
The city is running a separate free event shuttle. It starts at 1 p.m. from the Pompano Beach Aquatic Center, 820 NE 18th Avenue, at Pompano Community Park, and drops riders at the Beach Branch Library, 3250 NE 2nd Street. The last shuttle to the beach leaves at 6 p.m. The last ride back leaves the beach at 10 p.m. The Circuit is also running, and you can request a pickup in the Ride Circuit app or wave down a driver. Rideshare drop-off and pickup is at the Beach Branch Library. Plan around the 6 p.m. cutoff. After it, the Circuit and rideshare are the ways to arrive without parking, and both run on streets that start closing around 6 p.m.
Make the mainland lots part of the day
The Park & Ride lots sit near some of the city's own fall events, so you can start the day on the mainland and end it at the beach.
The free Green Market Pompano Beach returns on November 14 and November 28, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at the Cultural Center campus, 50 W. Atlantic Blvd. It runs on the second and fourth Saturdays from November through April. City Hall is at 100 W. Atlantic Blvd. Browse the market, and when the shuttle starts at 11 a.m., request a ride to the pier without moving the car.
On Friday, November 6, Old Town Untapped runs from 6 to 10 p.m. around NE 1st Street and N. Flagler Avenue by the Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, 41 NE 1st St. The Shane Duncan Band is playing, and the event is free. The Old Town Park & Ride lot at NE 2nd Street and NE 2nd Avenue is close by.
On the beach side, the Fishing Village operator lists Baresco, Beach House Pompano, BurgerFi, How You Brewin', Kilwins, Lucky Fish and Oceanic among the businesses at the pier. The city's Fishing Village page also lists Alvin's Island. If you're having dinner at Oceanic or Beach House, valet is available from the kiosk on Pompano Beach Boulevard. On Friday, November 13, Music Under the Stars brings Laura Goodstone to the Great Lawn at Atlantic Boulevard and Pompano Beach Boulevard from 7 to 9 p.m. Fridays are a Fishing Village Shuttle day, so you can park free at City Hall or in Old Town and ride to the pier and beach. The shuttle runs until 10 p.m., an hour after the music ends.
At The House & Key Collective, we follow changes like this lot closure because they shape how people use their neighborhoods every day. If you're thinking about how access to the beach and the Fishing Village fits into your next move in Pompano Beach, we're happy to talk it through with you. Contact Us.
