Friday night, November 6, a band will play on NE 1st Street outside the Bailey Contemporary Arts Center until 10 p.m. At that same hour the Fisher Family Pier will close to the public and stay closed until Sunday morning, while drone crews set up on its north side. Old Town Untapped ends and the pier closes at the same hour on the same night. They are two separate city events, and they sit a few miles apart.
This year a parking change links them. The W Hotel lot near the beach is closing, and the city has answered with a free weekend shuttle. One of its two Park & Ride lots is in Old Town, a few blocks from Untapped. For the fifth Drone Show Extravaganza on Saturday, November 7, the easiest way to reach the sand starts inland.
| Weekend at a glance | Where | When | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Old Town Untapped | NE 1st St and N. Flagler Ave, by BaCA | Fri., Nov. 6, 6–10 p.m. | Free |
| Pier closure | Fisher Family Pier | 10 p.m. Nov. 6 to 7 a.m. Nov. 8 | n/a |
| Drone Show Extravaganza | Beach just south of the pier | Sat., Nov. 7, 5:30–9 p.m.; show at 7 | Free |
| Drone show parking | Pier Parking Garage | Sat., Nov. 7 | $20 cash only |
The Lot That Closed and the Shuttle That Replaced It
On September 16, the City of Pompano Beach announced the Fishing Village Shuttle. It's a free, on-demand service added to the city's Ride Circuit, meant to cut parking demand near the beach as the W Hotel lot closes. It started Friday, October 2, and runs Friday through Sunday and on holidays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
It works one of two ways, depending on where you start:
- Inside the service area, shown in green on the city map, you can request a ride from your home or a business straight to the Fisher Family Pier and beach, and back again.
- Outside the service area, you park free at one of two Weekend Park & Ride lots and request a direct ride to the pier. The lots are City Hall at 100 W. Atlantic Boulevard and the Old Town parking lot at NE 2nd Street and NE 2nd Avenue.
The fleet has three vehicles. They seat up to five, up to six and up to 15 passengers. Wheelchair-accessible service is available, and there's room for beach chairs, bags and coolers. Rides are requested through the Ride Circuit app, and maps and hours are on the city's Pompano Circuit page.
Drone show weekend is the first time the new shuttle runs alongside a full set of pier and road closures.
Friday Starts Where Saturday's Parking Is
Old Town Untapped runs every first Friday of the month in downtown Pompano Beach. It sets up on NE 1st Street and N. Flagler Avenue near the Bailey Contemporary Arts Center, known as BaCA, at 41 NE 1st Street. The November 6 edition runs 6 to 10 p.m. and is free. If you register online, you're entered in a monthly giveaway for an event of your choice.
The Shane Duncan Band is November's headliner. Pompano Beach Arts describes it as a South Florida party band whose set runs from Top 40 and disco to rock, country and some Latin. The block party also brings gallery openings at BaCA, work from local artists and food trucks. Docent-led art tours run from 8 to 8:45 p.m., with sign-up through Pompano Beach Arts. Chairs and blankets are welcome. The series has support from the Broward County Cultural Division.
The Old Town lot at NE 2nd Street and NE 2nd Avenue is a short walk from the Untapped block, and it's also one of the Park & Ride lots. Driving to Untapped on Friday is a quick way to see where you'd leave the car the next day for a shuttle to the beach.
Saturday, Hour by Hour
The drone show itself lasts about 15 minutes. Pompano Beach Insider reports that the city launched South Florida's first municipal drone show in 2022, which makes this year the fifth. The city's event page says Firefly Drone Shows will fly 500 drones over the ocean just south of the pier, for Veterans Day weekend, with support from Fishing Village businesses. The show starts at 7, but road closures and shuttles shape the whole afternoon, so here's the day from the start:
- 1 p.m. Free shuttles start running from Pompano Community Park. The stop is by the Pompano Beach Aquatic Center at 820 NE 18th Avenue, and the beach stop is the Beach Branch Library at 3250 NE 2nd Street.
- 2 p.m. Riverside Drive closes to traffic from NE 14th Street to 2nd Street until 10 p.m. You'll need proof of residency to pass.
- 5:30 p.m. A DJ opens the beach festivities.
- 6 p.m. Junior's Entertainment Group takes over with Top 40 and retro hits in English and Spanish. The last shuttle to the beach leaves Community Park. North Pompano Beach Boulevard and eastbound Atlantic Boulevard at Harbor Drive can close as early as now.
- 7 p.m. Drone show.
- 7:15 p.m. Junior's Entertainment Group plays again until 8:15, then a DJ closes the night at 9.
- 10 p.m. The last return shuttle leaves the beach for Community Park.
Pay attention to the 6 p.m. cutoffs. Arrive at Community Park after the last outbound shuttle, or reach Atlantic at Harbor Drive after the road closes, and you'll likely miss the show.
Gather on the sand south of the pier. The north side is closed for drone staging. Blankets, lawn chairs and coolers are allowed. Alcohol, pets, glass containers, personal drones and personal fireworks are not. Wheelchair users can reach the sand on any of the city's six beach access mats.
When You Live Inside the Closures
The closures fall hardest on people who live near the beach, and several rules on the city page apply only to them.
Riverside Drive is the clearest case. Between 2 and 10 p.m., you'll need proof of residency to drive through the closed stretch from NE 14th Street to 2nd Street. If you have guests coming that afternoon, tell them before they leave home.
Rideshare pickups and drop-offs go to the Beach Branch Library at 3250 NE 2nd Street, the same stop as the event shuttle.
Parking near the pier costs $20, cash only, at the Pier Parking Garage. Other lots and street meters charge the holiday rate of $4 an hour.
The Circuit is part of the city's show-night plan. The event page tells visitors to request a free electric ride in the Ride Circuit app or wave down the nearest driver. Saturday falls within the Fishing Village Shuttle's posted weekend hours. Still, with the pier closed and roads shut, check the app and the city's event page on the day before counting on a pickup from home.
Boats are welcome, as long as they stay outside the swim exclusion buoys and the drone safety zone. Pompano Beach Insider notes that on a clear night the drones can be seen from up to five miles away.
Staying home works too. The city will stream the show live on its YouTube channel and its live stream page, and on Comcast Channel 78, digital 1092.
Where to Eat Without Losing Your Spot
The Fishing Village helps fund the show, and it sits at the foot of the pier. Its own site currently lists seven dining spots.
- Oceanic, Lucky Fish, Beach House Pompano and Baresco for a sit-down meal before the show
- BurgerFi, at 245 N. Pompano Beach Blvd., for something quick
- How You Brewin' for coffee and Kilwins for something sweet after the show
- Pier 6 Rooftop Lounge, at 200 N. Ocean Blvd. atop the Home2 Suites and TRU, a full bar and lounge with light bites, per Visit Pompano Beach
Remember that alcohol isn't allowed on the beach during the event. A drink at the rooftop lounge or a restaurant bar has to come before or after the show. Island Water Sports, which opened a Village location in 2025, rounds out the retail.
A block west, East Atlantic Boulevard has a row of restaurants close to the sand. You'll find Falafel Beach Grill at 3414, Carlucci's Brick Oven Trattoria & Pizzeria at 3420, 9 Face Sushi Cafe at 3422 and Briny Irish Pub at 3440. Between them, at 3428 E. Atlantic Blvd. in the former Mora Grill, RimLay Seafood is building a Thai-Cajun seafood boil restaurant. Pompano Beach Insider reports it's aiming for late November or December, so it won't be open in time for the show.
For a slow Saturday morning before the beach, there's a new option on the mainland. GRUB – A Finer Diner was set to open October 7 at 14 N. Federal Highway, according to its announcement. It serves breakfast all day, seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Chef Kinsler Josaime, a Miami native, runs the kitchen. Pompano Beach Insider lists a Brown Butter Cast Iron Pancake, French toast on house-baked Japanese cinnamon milk bread, shrimp and grits, and in-house smoked meats among the dishes. Farther up Federal at 1154, Vicky Bakery has a "Baking Soon" sign up but no announced opening date. On East Atlantic at 2515, Phở Bar Vietnamese Kitchen is building out its space, also with no date yet.
Later in November, the Same Map Applies
The shuttle and Park & Ride lots stay in service after the holiday weekend. On Friday, November 13, Music Under the Stars is back on the Great Lawn, where Atlantic Boulevard meets Pompano Beach Boulevard. Laura Goodstone performs from 7 to 9 p.m., and Briny Irish Pub presents the series. The Great Lawn is right by the pier, on a Friday within the shuttle's hours.
The next morning, Saturday, November 14, the Green Market sets up on the Cultural Center campus at 50 W. Atlantic Blvd. from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. It returns Saturday, November 28. It's free, and the Pompano Beach Historical Society and the city run it together. The City Hall Park & Ride lot at 100 W. Atlantic is on the same stretch of road.
If November has you watching the Fishing Village shuttles and the beach from your own front step, the team at Florida Exclusive Living knows how much a parking change can shift daily life near the pier. When you're thinking about a home in Pompano Beach, on either side of the Intracoastal, we'll start with the routines that matter to you. Contact Us.
