The Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival & Concert Series has begun at the Tampa Bay based park. Free concerts, limited time food and drink options, plus live entertainment scattered throughout. This event began March 7 and will continue through May 18. All concerts and live entertainment are included with standard park admission.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is hosting numerous events throughout this year, with most of them being included with Annual Passes and standard park admission (select dates*):
- Food & Wine Festival*, March 7 – May 18
- St. Patrick’s Day Celebration, March 15 – 17
- Pin Trading Weekend, March 22
- Guy Harvey Weekend, April 11 & 12 / December 12 & 13
- Wild Summer, May 23 – August 10
- Giraffe Celebration Weekend, June 21 & 22
- Busch Gardens Brews & BBQ*, August 16 – September 2
- Howl-O-Scream (separately ticketed event), September 5 – November 2
- Kandy’s Sweetacular Celebration*, September 6 – November 1
- Christmas Town, November 14 – January 5, 2026
Concerts at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
Concerts are happening each weekend, now through the end of the Food & Wine Festival. These concerts are included with theme park admission, but V.I.P. seating is an optional add on. In our opinion, you don’t need speciality seats unless you want to truly be front and center. This concert venue has more than enough room to enjoy a show.
Numerous iconic names in the music industry will make their way to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay over the next few months:
- Village People
- Plain White T’s
- Third Eye Blind
- Justin Moore
- Soulja Boy & Paul Wall
- Flo Rida
- … and more!
Snacking away at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay
During our hosted media preview on the opening night of the event, we tried out foods from numerous stands. There are 13 total food and drink stands, but be warned the stands (called Cabins by Busch Gardens) are not numbered 1-13. You can checkout the menu list on their website, complete with a map of where to get food items.
As of the writing of this article, food stands 9-11 don’t appear to be available, the same for stand 16. Renovation is happening around these areas and these stands may open in the future. For now, keep an eye on that menu link to see what to get and where. But, don’t worry, all of the stands are conveniently located within a quick walking distance of each other.
From savory to sweet, our overall favorite is the Nanaimo Bar from the Canada food stand. On the other hand, we would recommend against the Chocolate Hazelnut Empanadas at the Columbia food stand. These were small and not worth their $10 price tag. Even with a food sampler, we recommend trying items elsewhere.
Money saving advice at Busch Gardens
There is always a good deal to be found. At Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, we suggest the sampling lanyard if you are going to be ordering more than three food items. Dollar for dollar, these will save you A LOT of money (especially passholders). Also, save the Sample Lanyard for the food. The lanyard can get you drinks with alcohol, but it comes in a smaller cup. To maximize your dollar, buy the drinks outright and get the food on the sampler. We already said that the VIP Seating Package isn’t a necessity, but it can amplify the concert experience.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Annual Passes are a great deal if you plan to attend numerous times in one year. You get savings on food, drinks, sample lanyards and merchandise, plus parking is included (for most passes) and you can get free food items and guest tickets. For those visiting even twice in a year, we recommend considering the annual pass.
No, we aren’t sponsored to say any of that. But, as passholders ourselves, we have visited Busch Gardens for years and years now. A pass can let you have a “zoo day,” a “coaster day” and a day dedicated to concerts and festival food. Passes for any theme park take out so much stress, so it might be a good option to consider.
