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Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival – the many reasons why you don’t want to miss it!
Big Flavors, Big-Name concerts and a Celebrity Chef highlight this year’s festival
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from May 17 – June 30, plus Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day)
Time: 11 a.m. until park closing
This is a great opportunity to sample cuisine from around the world and we do mean cuisine – this is not your ordinary amusement park fare.
Admission to the festival is included with park admission, and individual tastings range in price from $3 – $7. If you have an Annual Membership make sure to present it when you purchase your food for a discount.
Busch Gardens is offering up to 6 single day discounted admission tickets for U.S. veterans to enjoy time together this summer. Learn more about this offer from their Waves of Honor Program here.
If you are looking for a ticket discount – check out our latest Busch Gardens & Water Country USA discounts post for all the coupon codes, Groupons, Military Discounts and Special Offers we can find – HERE
First, let us say that “Yes, the Food & Wine Festival is kid friendly. There are many options kids will love to eat. ” And, “Yes, this is a great date night option too – because of the food, wine, beer, and desserts plus the beautiful park as a back drop all add up to a great night out.” We did not even mention the shows and rides!
Here is how the Food & Wine Festival works; 15 different kiosks are set up throughout Busch Gardens on Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Each one is easily identified with the Food & Wine Festival logo and a four-sided billboard telling you about the country you are sampling from and interesting food facts. Large signs with that country’s menus are near each kiosk. Pick up a Food & Wine Festival Guide located at each participating country, these guides include a map of the park, locating each kiosk and it also includes menus for each country. Keep an eye out for live chef demonstrations located throughout the park.
Plant-based options (vegan friendly) are available in Japan and Garden Glass
Enjoy authentic tastes from around the world including 6 new kiosks: Garden to Glass, Herbal Infusion, Jamaica, Mexico, Philippines, and Sangria Garden. Here is a short run down including our favorite samples, for the full menu go here
Our lowdown on some of the Kiosks:
Located in New France, next to the Trapper’s Smokehouse. We’ve heard wonderful things about the Brazilian Kiosk! The Churrasco is a must, this is grilled beef with a chimichurri sauce. The Linguica (Brazilian sausage) is also worth a try. Also to note if you enjoy mixed drinks this is your opportunity to try the Caipirinha, made with rum, lime juice & simple syrup!
CUBA
Located in France. I love a Cuban sandwich and this one did not disappoint and it comes with plantain chips.
HAWAII
Located in Ireland, next to Castle O’Sullivan. Those that were a fan of Mac n’ Cheese then Hawaii is your place! The ham & pineapple cheese is going to be a hit with the kiddo’s! We loved the Tuna Poke (fantastic sushi – yes, sushi!) and Huli Huli Chicken with purple and orange sweet potatoes. The iced Hibiscus Lemonade is a great non-alcoholic treat on a hot day if you have non-drinkers or kids with you.
IRELAND
Located in Ireland, near the new ride, Finnegan’s Flyer. Dark chocolate & Guinness mousse with whiskey-infused whipped cream is delish!
JAPAN (used to be the Asian Kiosk)
Located in Italy, near The Battering Ram. GET the Mushi-Gyoza (steamed chicken dumplings)!!! I had to try the Bubble Tea, it was good, cold and sweet. I am not a huge fan of tapioca balls but lucky they tend to stay at the bottom so it wasn’t a big deal. I super excited to try the Matcha Ice Cream!!
New – JAMAICA
For those with a sweet tooth you need to try the Pineapple Upside cake…yummy! Sorry we ate it before we got a picture…
MEDITERRANEAN
Located in Italy, next to Escape from Pompeii. Highly recommend the Dolmades (not pictured) delicious and perfect on a hot day! The Spanakopita (left in pic). I was not a huge fan of the Falafel (right) which is no longer available so guess I was not the only one. I really enjoyed the Iced Cafe Au Lait! It was tasty, cold and served in a nice large cup.
New – MEXICO
Looking forward to trying the Fried Shrimp Taco!
Wine tastings the park has five wine-tasting experiences and everyone receives a complimentary souvenir glass (France, New France, Ireland, Italy, and Germany). One tasting is $14.99 or (3) for $29.99.
French Wine Tasting – located at La Belle Maison
German Wine Tasting – located at German Gifts
Italian Wine Tasting – located at Bella Casa
Scotch Tasting
Scotch Tasting located at Tweedside gifts, includes three 2 oz pours and a commemorative glass..
Talisker Storm
Highland Park 12YR
The Macallan 12YR
Tequila Tasting
Located in Oktoberfest village, you can sample the following:
Don Julio Blanco
Herradura Reposado
Patron Extra Anejo
And for those who want to “add a little extra ambiance to their tasty adventure” check out a Wine on the Rhine river cruise where you will swing to live music while you enjoy fruit, cheese and a chocolate truffle with a glass of wine. Wine on the Rhine is for the whole family and is throughout the day, Date Night on the Rhine is a river cruise for guests 21 and older.
New – SANGRIA GARDEN
Because it is too difficult to choose just one…with the sangria flight, you’ll get to try the traditional red, citrus moscato, strawberry rose, and frozen sangrias…YES PLEASE!
Admission to the festival is included with park admission, and individual tastings range in price from $3 – $8. Food portions are generous sampling size so you can visit several countries. You can save a little cash if you choose to do a Food or Wine Sampler.
The Food & Wine Festival Food & Beverage Sampler – Mix and match 10 entrées or dessert dishes, beer, wine or specialty beverages from any of the kiosks for one delicious price of $49. (this is enough food for 2 people).
The Food & Wine Festival Deluxe Food Sampler – try 15 Food & Wine Festival entrées or dessert items for $69.
Now here are a few insider tips
If you like wine, and who doesn’t? They have tastings at 5 different locations. Each tasting runs $14.99 or you can buy Wine Tasting Trio for $29.99 which is like getting three wine tastings for the price of 2. However if you are not planning on three tastings in one night – just do one and then your wine glass that they give you will allow you to get your next wine tasting for $9.99. So why do the trio at all? Well, if you are planning on doing the Ice Wine tasting you will get you that tasting at no extra fee but there is an upcharge with the wine glass. Ice wines start at $90+ a bottle so this tasting is more costly for the park.
Wine tastings is a fun addition to the Festival. If you like the wine and want to buy a bottle – you can buy right at the tasting. They will even uncork it so you can enjoy it all around Busch Gardens with your friends. They will put it in a gift bag (if it is a red) or you can purchase a cooler bag from a gift store and fill it with ice if it is a white. We saw many folks walking around with their newly purchased bottles and sharing them with their party.
Your kids will delight at The Art of Food – where food becomes art. In 2016 in Ireland Greg Butauski and his team made a turtle from a butternut squash! (See picture below)
For the complete menu visit Busch Gardens Menu tab on the Food & Wine Festival page
Food and Wine Festival 2019
Dates: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from May 17 – June 30, plus Monday, May 27 (Memorial Day)
Time: 11 a.m. until park closing
Admission to the festival is included with park admission, and individual tastings range in price from $3 – $7. If you have an Annual Park Pass make sure to present it when you purchase your food for a discount.
Need a ticket discount – check out our latest Busch Gardens & Water Country USA discounts post for all the coupon codes, Groupons and Special Offers we can find – HERE
Visit Busch Gardens Website for more info.
Cheers to another great Wine and Food Festival!
WilliamsburgFamilies.com is a blogger for Busch Gardens. Affiliate links are included in this post.
Can you buy the sampler packages in park or only in advance?