Busch Gardens Tampa announced new details today about their modified Christmas Town event that will be taking place this year. New this year, the event kicks off with a preview weekend with light displays and select entertainment elements on November 14 and 15. Christmas Town runs daily with park-wide festive fun from November 20, 2020 through January 3, 2021.
This seasonal event features open-air entertainment and experiences as well as enhanced health, safety and sanitation measures, including temperature checks, face covering requirements and physical distancing. Included in park admission, park guests can enjoy holiday traditions with a twist, from millions of twinkling lights throughout the park’s 335 acres to physically distant holiday shows, breathtaking animal encounters and contact-free visits with Santa and Rudolph® the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Here are some other entertainment options the park will offer:
- NEW “Spark the Night” Fireworks Show: This year, guests will have several opportunities to enjoy festive bursts of Christmas colors as they cover the sky in a dazzling display. Fireworks are offered select nights throughout the event at the Festival field, offering plenty of space for guests to spread out and enjoy the sights.
- “Christmas on Ice”: For the first time ever, park guests can enjoy Busch Gardens’ longest-running holiday show at a NEW outdoor location on the Festival Stage. This fan-favorite skating production will perform awe-inspiring delights on real ice for physically distant audiences every Friday through Sunday and additional holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve.
- Elmo’s Christmas Wish: Families can sing and dance with their favorite furry friends in this fun holiday show. Celebrate the Christmas spirit with Sesame Street in the outdoor Sunny Day Theater with physically distant seating.
- Three Kings Journey: The musical tale of the famed journey to Bethlehem is now offered alongside festive eats at the spacious Dragon Fire Grill.
- Holly Jolly Express: All aboard for Christmas Cheer! With limited capacity, this locomotive is on track to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year with favorite songs of the season as guests venture through the park in festive fashion.
Guests will also have a variety of socially distanced photo opportunities to choose from, including:
- Santa’s Merry Meet & Greet: Jolly elves guide guests to see Santa for a physically distant photo at a spacious new outdoor location this holiday season.
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: Jingle all the way to Pantopia to Rudolph’s Winter Wonderland to find the most famous reindeer of all and snap some contact-free pictures with Rudolph and Clarice.
- Original Christmas Town Characters: For moments that sparkle, guests will encounter the Poinsettia Princess, Sugar Plum Princess, Ice Princess and jolly snowmen throughout their Christmas Town journey.
- Sesame Street Friends: Enjoy physically distant photo opportunities with everyone’s favorite furry friends in their festive holiday attire.
Holiday eats & merchandise
As guests dash through the night between iconic rollercoasters, they can explore the Christmas Town Village: a delicious destination filled with drinks and dishes from an all-NEW chef and mixologist created holiday menu. Beyond a selection of fan-favorite seasonal beers and mulled wine, guests can also choose from a variety of NEW holiday inspired beverages rooted in classic Christmas traditions. These unique, limited time options include specialty cocktails like the “Winter Wonderland Hot Toddy” made with winter cider, honey whiskey and a chai infusion and the festive “Spiked Hot Cocoa” with gingerbread crumbles, caramel and whipped cream.
The spirit of the season is in every bite of holiday dishes throughout the park such as sliced pork tenderloin, smoked turkey legs with pumpkin cider glaze, harvest turkey and prosciutto sliders and a variety of peppermint desserts. The best way for guests to savor and save during the holidays is with a Christmas Town Sampler Lanyard, starting at ONLY $34.99 for a 5-punch lanyard. Pass members can enjoy an extra special offer with an exclusive 12-punch lanyard for the price of a 10-punch lanyard to sip and savor throughout the event.
After fueling up for festive fun, guests can check everyone off their holiday shopping list from dazzling ornaments to charming nutcrackers with Busch Gardens exclusive 2020 holiday merchandise which is only available during this special event.
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Clint Gamache is the owner of ThrillGeek. He started ThrillGeek to share his love of theme/amusement parks and pop culture with the world. You can find him at Halloween Horror Nights. Also, be sure to follow him on Twitter @iamcg83