The Food & Wine Festival at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay began on March 7. We were invited out to visit. What did we see, do, and eat?
Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival is included with regular park admission. It happens on Fridays through Sundays from March 7 through May 18. Guests can expect headlining concerts every Saturday, with additional performances on select Fridays and Sundays. Food & Wine also involves photo opportunities, roaming atmosphere performers, and special activities on non-concert event dates. Guests can also enjoy additional live musical entertainment at the Coke Canopy near many of the festival’s food and beverage cabins.
“We’ve invested in making this year’s Food & Wine Festival the best ever, including introducing Friday concerts to the mix, giving guests even more opportunities to enjoy an incredible variety of musical acts that cater to all tastes,” said Jeff Davis, park president of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. “Paired with our brand-new culinary cabins serving up fresh, innovative flavors, we’re inviting guests to come explore all that Busch Gardens has to offer.”
Concert Lineup for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Food & Wine
Like many theme park festivals, live concerts with some headlining acts function as a part of the event. The concert lineup for Food & Wine at Busch Gardens includes:
- Saturday, March 8, 2025 – Starship Ft. Mickey Thomas (Classic Rock)
- Friday, March 14, 2025 – Sister Hazel (Rock)
- Saturday, March 15, 2025 – Flo Rida (Rap)
- Friday, March 21, 2025 – Joe Nichols (Country)
- Saturday, March 22, 2025 – Luis Fonsi (Latin)
- Sunday, March 23, 2025 – The Commodores (R&B)
- Friday, March 28, 2025 – Easton Corbin & Matt Stell (Country)
- Saturday, March 29, 2025 – Edwin McCain (Rock)
- Friday, April 4, 2025 – Soulja Boy & Paul Wall (Rap)
- Saturday, April 5, 2025 – Village People (R&B/Pop)
- Saturday, April 12, 2025 – Michael Ray (Country)
- Sunday, April 13, 2025 – Fuel & Lit (Rock)
- Saturday, April 19, 2025 – Plain White T’s (Pop/Rock)
- Saturday, April 26, 2025 – Blackberry Smoke (Rock)
- Sunday, April 27, 2025 – Mitchell Tenpenny & Graham Barham (Country)
- Saturday, May 3, 2025 – Third Eye Blind (Rock)
- Sunday, May 4, 2025 – Robin Thicke (R&B/Pop)
- Saturday, May 10, 2025 – Grand Funk Railroad (Classic Rock)
- Sunday, May 11, 2025 – To Be Announced
- Friday, May 16, 2025 – Hoobastank (Rock)
- Saturday, May 17, 2025 – Justin Moore (Country)
All concerts occur at the Festival Field Stage, past the Festival Walkway and behind the thrilling hybrid roller coaster, Iron Gwazi. To view showtimes and purchase reserved seating and VIP packages, guests can visit BuschGardensTampa.com.
Did We Forget to Mention the Food?
Well, yes, we did fail to mention the food. However, we did not forget. This year’s festival will serve up all-new culinary creations influenced by the vibrant spices and bold flavors of the Caribbean and India and feature returning fan favorites spanning South American and European cuisines. With a diverse selection of dishes to pair with wines, craft brews, and cocktails, every bite offers a delicious new adventure for food lovers to explore.
With over 85 flavors, guests can embark on a culinary journey with dishes inspired by ten different countries. In addition, guests can enjoy Old World Wines and a selection of beers at the Festival of Beer cabins.
In a previous resource, we listed all the menu items for Food & Wine at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. Also, the food and beverage cabins open at 3:00 p.m. on Fridays and at noon on Saturdays and Sundays during the event.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Food & Wine Festival Lanyard
A great way to savor the festival is with a festival sampler lanyard, allowing guests to enjoy multiple tastes throughout their visit. Guests can buy a ten-sample lanyard for $70. The 15-sample lanyard makes an even better deal, costing $85. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay annual pass members receive 18 samples when purchasing the 15-sample lanyard.
Busch Gardens President’s Reception
As a part of our media invitation, we participated in the President’s Reception at Gwazi Pavilion. Jeff Davis, whom we met at the opening of Pass Member Landing, held a reception for the media and invited guests. Our invitation indicated that we would visit Gwazi Pavilion, an area not open to all guests but used for special events. This would give us another opportunity to meet Davis.
This event was supposed to allow us to “Connect with fellow guests and hear Jeff’s vision for the future while enjoying an exclusive selection of gourmet food and beverage offerings, available only at this venue.” Based on our previous experiences at Busch Gardens Flower & Garden Festival and Concert Series, we expected to see many of the festival food items available to try.
We tried several Food & Wine Festival items in the evening. In a future blog, we will break down the highs and lows of this event regarding food.
During the media reception, we spoke with Jeff Davis. He expressed excitement about many aspects of Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. He also sounded excited about Wild Oasis opening later this year.
Live Music
In addition to the headlining concerts, we encountered theme park areas with live music playing. The Coke Canopy area will have area bands playing on festival days. This made a nice touch for the event.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Food & Wine Festival and Concert Series runs until May 18. Please visit the Busch Gardens Tampa Bay official website for more information about the event. For more theme park-related news and information, please visit MSM News.
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