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Busch Gardens has something amazing planned for YOU every week in 2023! Check out the 2023 Busch Gardens Tampa Calendar of Events and make sure you don’t miss your favorite events.
2023 Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Calendar Of Events
Busch Gardens Tampa has another year of fun events and celebrations planned for us! Busch Gardens guests can enjoy the celebration all year with great deals on park admission, including BOGO Fun Cards – purchase a Busch Gardens Fun Card and receive an Adventure Island Fun Card for FREE. Check out all the fun in the Busch Gardens Calendar of Events and plan all the fun things you want to do here in Tampa Florida!
Busch Gardens Event Calendar
Mardi Gras Celebration – Weekends and select dates, January 14 – March 5
Get jazzed up with Mardi Gras-style live music and New Orleans-inspired entertainment. Catch some festival beads from strolling performers throughout the day, and get caught up in the fun as you dance through spacious walkways. Feast like kings and queens on classic Cajun cuisine as Busch Gardens brings the “Big Easy” to Tampa Bay. Inspired by the vibrant colors and delectable flavors of New Orleans’ biggest celebration, Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will transport guests to a festive realm of bayou-inspired fanfare featuring Cajun inspired culinary delights, a lively parade with new festive characters, multicolored beads, an authentic brass band playing live and spirited entertainment offerings for the entire family. Try them all with a Mardi Gras Sampler Lanyard!
Real Music Series January 17 – February 26 (weekly; Tuesdays-Sundays)
Busch Gardens’ longest running concert series returns with All-New acts! The Stanleyville Theater will host fantastic live performances including artistic renditions of some of the best-known classic rock, rhythm & blues, and pop bands. Real Music Series is included with daily park admission, Annual Pass or Fun Cards.
Sesame Street Kids Weekends, Jan. 27 – Feb. 12; April 28 – May 21 (Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays)
Sesame Street® Kids’ Weekends at Busch Gardens is the place for kids and parents to join in on the fun. Now including Fridays, families have an additional option to meet and greet their favorite furry friends at the Sesame Street Safari of Fun area for storytime, interactive dance parties, arts & crafts and much more. New limited-time festivities happen each weekend of the event, all included with park admission, Annual Pass or Fun Cards.
Food & Wine Festival, Friday to Sunday, March 10 – May 21 (select dates)
Each weekend from March 10 through May 21, the Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival offers delectable dishes to pair with wines, craft brews and cocktails. While indulging in the event’s vibrant culinary delights, guests will also enjoy some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. The event and all concerts are included with daily park admission, Annual Pass or Fun Cards.
Cinco de Mayo May 5 – 7 (Friday – Sunday)
Guests can enjoy tasty Mexican cuisine, authentic music and festive entertainment while celebrating Cinco de Mayo at Busch Gardens. Included with daily park admission, Annual Pass or Fun Cards.
Viva la Música May 5 – 21 (Friday, May 5; Saturdays and Sundays)
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay hosts a celebration of Hispanic music food and culture from May 5 – 21. Every Saturday and Sunday, plus Cinco de Mayo, guests can dance to live musical performances from award-winning Latin artists, authentic cuisine and more. Viva la Música is included with daily park admission, Annual Pass or Fun Cards.
Summer Celebration, Daily May 26 – August 6
Welcome to the all-new Summer Celebration! Lose yourself in entertainment from day to night, including the all-new Gwazi Beats show with drums, dancers, and stilt walkers. Get in the party spirit at three DJ locations. Catch the return of the fan-favorite Cirque Electric show. And end the night with an all-new fireworks and fountains spectacular.
An all-new Summer Celebration will debut at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay this Memorial Day Weekend! The park will feature a variety of entertainment throughout the day, including the return of “Cirque Electric”, and “Gwazi Beats”, a new atmospheric show combining drums, dancers, and stilt-walkers in a pulse-pounding display of music and dance. Plus, the award-winning “Turn It Up!” will resume to daily operations in the Moroccan Palace Theater.
To celebrate the summer season, guests 21+ can enjoy a complimentary beer sample daily at Pantopia Drinks & Snacks from May 31 – August 7. For those craving something sweet to beat the heat, the Moroccan Delights ice cream parlor will reopen with a refreshed look and mouth-watering treats like handcrafted thrill shakes, ice cream floats, specialty sundaes and more.
After nightfall, the park glows with unique theming, entertainers, and the thrill of conquering coasters in the dark like the all-new Iron Gwazi. Guests can dance to DJ beats throughout the park, including a newly themed block party plaza presented by Coca-Cola®. For an epic finale to a thrilling day of adventure, guests will be drawn to the vibrant energy radiating from a unique new production on the Festival Field. As the most stunning show ever to light the park’s sky, “Summer Celebration Fireworks Spectacular” will feature an explosive array of colors and exciting effects from dazzling lasers to mesmerizing fountains and pyrotechnics. This all-new production is offered every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at 9:15pm from May 27 – August 7, including extra presentations on May 30 for Memorial Day and July 4 for Independence Day.
With the return of world-class entertainment and all-new thrills like Iron Gwazi, there’s never been a better time to become a Pass Member. Annual Pass Members enjoy 12 months of visits with special benefits including exclusive access to the Pass Member Lounge opening later this summer, plus free parking, free guest tickets, access to special VIP events, savings on merchandise and more! Annual Passes start as low as $14.75/month with no down payment. Restrictions apply.
4th of July Celebration June 30 – July 4 (Friday – Tuesday)
Celebrate the Independence of the United States at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The event features a synchronized fireworks spectacular set to an emotive soundtrack, entertainment and more. Included with daily park admission, Annual Pass or Fun Cards.
BIER FEST WEEKENDS July 21 – Sept. 4 (Friday – Sunday plus Labor Day)
Sip and savor seasonal favorites and brew-inspired dishes featuring fall flavors. This festival blends the local Tampa bay craft scene with time-honored traditions to create a unique food and beer celebration. Enjoy live entertainment and contemporary fare that pays homage to a traditional Oktoberfest with a modern spin.
Bier Fest is included with park admission. Food & Beverage available at an additional cost.
Pair Epic Thrill Rides with NEW Hoppy Culinary Delights
Brew fans will have dozens of beers to choose from at this year’s Bier Fest, featuring over 50 varieties of IPAs, wheat ales, stouts and more! This year’s event shines a spotlight on breweries that bring flavor to Florida and beyond, with iconic local, regional and national brews incorporated into new shareable samples at over a dozen culinary locations, including:
Not into Beer? No fear! Enjoy frozen cocktails, live music and more!
Beyond the brews, Busch Gardens offers plenty of delicious options for everyone to enjoy at Bier Fest this year. From delectable bourbon tastings to chilling frozen cocktails and seltzers, satisfying refreshment is abundantly available in every corner of the park.
Savor and save with a Bier Fest lanyard!
For the best value to taste a variety of food and drink offerings, guests can purchase a Bier Fest Sampler Lanyard!
2020 Pictures*
HOWL-O-SCREAM Select Nights Sept 8 – Oct 31. Select Nights.
Busch Gardens® Howl-O-Scream® returns in full force, taking over the entire park with haunted houses, scare zones, sinister shows and more. Unspeakable horror lives in every dark corner, including on Busch Gardens’ pulse-pounding thrill rides. Howl-O-Scream is bringing fear to the next level and once you’re in there’s nothing to fear but everything. Learn more here.
I had the opportunity to attend last year’s Howl-O-Scream and we had a scary good time! Busch Gardens transformed the entire park with scare zones as well as spooky decor.
Howl-O-Scream is a separately ticketed event.
Busch Gardens Spooktacular, Sept. 8 – Oct. 31 (Fridays – Sundays plus October 30-31)
At Busch Gardens Spooktacular, guests will step into a whimsical world of enchantment full of not-so-spooky Halloween fun. This family-friendly event features a costume parade, story time and trick-or-treating. Spooktacular is included with daily park admission, Annual Pass or Fun Cards.
Christmas Town November 13, 2023 through January 7, 2024. Daily
Tampa’s biggest and brightest holiday event opens earlier this year with millions of twinkling holiday lights throughout the park’s 335 acres, spectacular fireworks, and experiences with Santa that will create merry memories for guests of all ages. More info to come!
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is excited to continue to provide our guests with fun, inspiring and memorable experiences, while addressing important health and safety needs during this time. For detailed information about the measures that guests can expect when visiting the park, including key operational changes, visit buschgardens.com/tampa/safety.
Best Ways to Play at Busch Gardens
For a limited time, for the price of a single day admission ticket to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, guests can secure their 2023 Fun Card guaranteeing year-round access to a stellar event lineup, award-winning rollercoasters like Iron Gwazi, thrilling attractions such as Serengeti Flyer, and endless waterpark fun under the sun at Adventure Island. Right now, guests can purchase a Busch Gardens Fun Card at BuschGardensTampa.com and receive an Adventure Island Water Park Fun Card for FREE.
Which 2023 Busch Gardens Tampa Events are your favorite?
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