Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival 2023

By James | Last updated December 28, 2023

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Busch Gardens has introduced their own Food and Wine Festival to rival that of Disney’s Epcot. In 2023, the festival starts shortly after the Mardi Gras Festival ends and runs over 11 weekends (Friday through Sunday) from March 10 through May 21 and admission is included with a standard ticket, Fun Card or annual pass.

Note though that both Fun Cards and Bronze Annual Passes have one blackout date in March and April so not every day is available to those members.

Food & Wine Festival Cabins

Busch Gardens Williamsburg has been running a Food and Wine Festival since 2013 during May/June but 2015 was the first year for an event of this kind at the Tampa park.

It follows the same format as Williamsburg, where guests are be able to try out a variety of individual appetiser sampler sized portions priced at around $3 to $7 each from around 20 cabins located around the Festival Walkway and the Bird Gardens.

The cabins offer different dishes inspired by a different region of the country along with beverages (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic).

For 2023 there are 18 cabins plus Xcursions and the Springs Taproom offering food, drinks and shopping:

  • Artisan Treasures
  • Asian Inspired
  • Bourbon Tasting
  • Cocktails
  • Cocktails & Beer
  • Creamery
  • Dessert & Sweet Wines
  • European Delights
  • Food & Wine Marketplace
  • Greek Isles
  • Land & Sea
  • Latin Twist
  • Moroccan Market
  • Old World Wines, Flights & Snacks
  • Springs Taproom
  • Trek through Africa
  • Twisted Egg Rolls
  • Vineyard Marketplace
  • Wines of the Americas
  • Xcursions

† – Purchase sampler landyards

In total there are over 80 different food items, wines, craft brews and cocktails to choose from.
The food cabins open at noon each day until park closing time.

Prices typically range from $6.99 to $10.99 for entrée food items, $3.49 to $9.99 for desserts and from $4.99 to $14.99 for drinks.

You can also purchase full sized wine bottles to take home with you as well as cooking and gardening related gifts from a couple of artisan festival cabins.

In 2017 Busch Gardens introduced a series of larger-than-life topiaries of animals, birds, marine mammals and insects located throughout the festival area plus special Coca-Cola inspired festival games including Coke bottle ring toss and Coke “can crush”. New for 2018 was an amazing living statue fountain.

Food & Wine Festival Concerts

As well as providing the opportunity to sample food and drink from around the world there are also live music concerts each day of the festival, everything from rock, country, Latin and alternative.

Each day of the event, there is live music from local musicians on the Coca-Cola Canopy Stage.

There is a live headline music concert at Gwazi Field usually each Saturday and Sunday throughout the festival. The headline concerts started at 7 p.m. and typically run for about one hour.

2023 Concert Lineup

The festival concert performers confirmed so far include:

  • Saturday, 11 March 2023 − Kansas
  • Sunday, 12 March 2023 − Maddie & Tae
  • Saturday, 18 March 2023 − SWV
  • Sunday, 19 March 2023 − Dustin Lynch
  • Saturday, 25 March 2023 − Rodney Atkins
  • Sunday, 26 March 2023 − Flo Rida
  • Saturday, 1 April 2023 − Jeremy Camp
  • Sunday, 2 April 2023 − MacKenzie Porter
  • Saturday, 8 April 2023 − +LIVE+
  • Sunday, 9 April 2023 − The Fab Four
  • Saturday, 15 April 2023 − 38 Special
  • Sunday, 16 April 2023 − Mitchell Tenpenny
  • Saturday, 22 April 2023 − Air Supply
  • Sunday, 23 April 2023 − Gabby Barrett
  • Saturday, 29 April 2023 − Hoobastank
  • Sunday, 30 April 2023 − WALK THE MOON
  • Friday, 5 May 2023 − The Como La Flor Band
  • Sunday, 7 May 2023 − El Gran Combo
  • Saturday, 13 May 2023 −
  • Sunday, 14 May 2023 −
  • Saturday, 20 May 2023 − Elvis Crespo
  • Sunday, 21 May 2023 −

† – To be confirmed

Food & Wine Festival VIP Seating Package

All concerts are free but you can purchase a VIP Seating Package to get reserved seating.

The VIP package gets you closest to the stage and prices start at $49.99 per person and include one free beverage certificate and access to a private entrance and VIP Bar.

Annual passholders can get a 10% discount off the VIP Seating Package.

Food & Wine Festival Sampler Lanyards & Tastings

As well as buying individual dishes or drinks, you can also purchase a Food & Beverage Sampler with lanyard for 10 or 15 choices of food, wine, cocktails or craft brews from the various cabins.

Note that the All Day Dining Deal is not valid at the food festival cabins and Busch Gardens has dropped the 5 item sampler this year.

A 10 item sampler is $70.00 and the 15 item is $85.00 (all plus tax). Annual pass holders can purchase an exclusive 18 item sampler for the price of the 15 item one.

Amongst the food items are four roller coaster inspired signature cupcakes. You can buy them individually using the sampler but you can also buy them as a four pack but this is not valid with the sampler.

Likewise with the Bourbon Tasting, you can get one drink per punch of the sampler, but the four drink Tasting Flight is not included in the deal. You must be 21 or over to participate.

At Old Worlds, Flights & Snacks they are offering three different Wine Flights, each with four different wines (1.25 oz pour per drink).

The samplers and tastings are only valid on Festival dates and expire on the last day of the festival.

Food & Wine Festival Guided Tour

For the ultimate experience, you can purchase a Food & Wine Festival VIP Guided Tour for up to 10 guests. Prices start at $139.99 plus tax per person and the tours are available each weekend up to May 21, 2023.

The tours are walking tours, typically last about 3 hours and are wheelchair accessible.

Included in your tour are:

  • a 5 item sampler to spend on the festival food and drink offerings
  • front of line access to some of the main roller coasters
  • reserved seating at the live music concert
  • a complimentary cup of food to feed to the Lorikeets and Kangaroos

Pass holders can get a 10% discount.

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