Welcoming 2021 with high spirits and high thrills, exciting events will safely return to Busch Gardens starting with the park’s Mardi Gras event, now expanded to weekends and select dates from January 16 to February 16. Look for the event around the Moroccan Palace Theater beginning at noon on Fridays, Saturdays & Sundays, plus Mondays January 18 and February 15 & Fat Tuesday, February 16.
- Enjoy Colorful Beads and Brass Beats
With more weekends to celebrate safely, Busch Gardens is getting jazzed up with music, beads, and more for open-air festivities with French-Quarter flair. Guests will have the opportunity to catch some beads from physically distant New Orleans street performers periodically strolling throughout the day. There will be plenty of room to dance through spacious walkways while enjoying festive tunes from live musicians while flavorful dishes and cocktails tempt the senses.
- Feast like Kings and Queens on Classic Cajun Cuisine
Busch Gardens has brought the “Big Easy” to Tampa Bay with Mardi Gras-inspired food including a signature shrimp po’boy, hearty jambalaya, and hot and fresh beignets. Handcrafted cocktail classics like Hurricanes join new signature drinks for a perfect pairing with the park’s carefully crafted culinary offering, which can be best enjoyed with a Mardi Gras Sampler Lanyard. Starting at $34.99 for a 5-punch lanyard with a 10-punch option and an exclusive 12-punch lanyard for Pass Members, Sampler Lanyards make it easy for guests to embrace that “Fat Tuesday” feeling!
Below is a preview of the menus that will be available:
BEVERAGES
- Canal Street Distilled Tastings
- Select Bourbon and Tequila Offerings
- Hurricanes
- Traditional Hurricane
- Purple Passion
- Green Fairy Margarita
- Gold Coin Mojito
- Big Easy Taps
- Select Draft Beers
VOODOO COFFEE
- Specialty Coffees & Hot Cocoa
- Cinnamon Spiked Dark Roast Coffee
- Bourbon & Cream Coffee
- Cayenne Spiked Hot Chocolate
- New Orleans Style Chameleon Cold Brew
- Mardi Gras Cupcakes (2 or 4 Packs)
- Hurricane Sugar Frost
- Deviled Chocolate Frost
- Bananas Foster
- Caramel Bourbon
SWEET BEIGNETS
- Traditional Powdered Sugar Beignets
- Bourbon Caramel Beignets
- Rum Glazed Bananas Fosters Beignets
ESPLANADE STREET BITES
- Shrimp Po’boy
- Crispy Shrimp, Tabasco pepper remoulade, crisp lettuce & pickles
- Pork Po’boy
- Bourbon BBQ smoked Pork, crisp lettuce & pickles
- Chicken Po’boy
- Ghost Pepper Glazed Hot Chicken, celery remoulade, crisp lettuce & pickles
- Braised Brisket Po’boy
- All Po’boys served with Zapp’s New Orleans Style Voodoo Chips
NOLA CREAMERY
- Bananas Foster Waffle Cone
- Kahlua Ice Cream, White Chocolate, Chocolate Chips, Whipped Topping & Sprinkles
- Bourbon Salted Caramel Waffle Cone
- Baileys Salted Caramel Ice Cream, Bourbon Caramel, Whipped Topping & Sprinkles
- French Quarter Thrill Shake
- Mardi Gras Sprinkled Sugar Cookie
SAVORY BISCUITS
- Crawfish Etouffée
- Spicy Cajun Style Stew, Crawfish, Vegetables
- Gumbo
- Chicken & Andouille Sausage
- Braised Brisket
BAYOU GRUB
- Shrimp & Grits
- Creole Style Shrimp, Stone Ground Grits
- Jambalaya
- Chicken & Andouille Sausage
- Impossible Jambalaya
- Okra & Mushroom Dirty Rice
- Spiced & Smoked Pork Shoulder
- Bourbon BBQ, Red Beans & Dirty Rice
Guests will be able to purchase food & beverage items a la carte or with a Mardi Gras Sampler Lanyard. Each punch on the lanyard is valid for any one food or beverage items from the Mardi Gras booths during the event. A 5 item lanyard is $34.99, and a 10 item lanyard is $49.99. Pass member discounts apply on the 5 and 10 item lanyards. Annual pass members can also get an exclusive 12 item lanyard for $49.99, but no further discount applies.
The fun in 2021 doesn’t stop with Mardi Gras – park guests can look forward to modified versions of their favorite seasonal events to promote enhanced health and safety measures, including Sesame Street Kids’ Weekends, and the Food & Wine Festival.
- Sesame Street Kids Weekends, January 30 – February 14
For kids and kids-at-heart, there are more special moments with Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, and the rest of their Sesame Street friends coming up this season! Fans won’t want to miss new physically distant celebrations for Elmo’s birthday and Valentine’s Day this year. - Food & Wine Festival, Friday to Sunday, February 20 – April 25
Taste buds will bloom this spring with a delicious menu of dishes and drinks as dynamic and unique as the park’s thrilling roller coaster collection. Guests will also enjoy a taste of local musical talent throughout the open-air festival to accompany their sweet and savory samples.
Enjoy TWO parks all year for the price of a single day Busch Gardens ticket with a limited-time Fun Card offer!
With so much to look forward to in 2021, Florida families can start the year with incredible savings on year-round park admission to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island! For a limited time, guests who purchase the Busch Gardens Fun Card for $113.99 will receive an Adventure Island Fun Card for FREE. Save over $60, more than 35% off of the normal price and the same price as only one day of fun for unlimited visits in 2021! (Blockout dates apply.) Buy now before prices go up!
For more park benefits, guests can upgrade to a Bronze, Silver, Gold, or Platinum Annual Pass to enjoy the perks they want most throughout 2021. Annual Pass Members* receive 12 months of visits with the best benefits ever, including FREE parking, up to 6 free guest tickets, Pass Member-exclusive ride events for the NEW Iron Gwazi opening in spring, and up to 50% savings on merchandise, photo prints, Quick Queue, and more!
Expanded Health and Safety Measures:
The Busch Gardens team has consulted with medical experts to offer modified events with required reservations and limited capacity for safe celebrations. All seasonal events feature open-air entertainment throughout the park’s more than 300 spacious acres as well as enhanced health and safety measures including increased cleaning and sanitation, temperature checks, face-covering requirements, and physical distancing. Reservations are required and limited and can be made at www.BuschGardensTampa.com.
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is committed to the health and safety of our guests, employees, and the animals in our care. The park has worked diligently with state and local health experts, outside consultants, and attraction industry leaders to enhance our already strict health, safety, and cleanliness standards. These protocols and guidelines will be modified based on evolving industry standards and methodologies, public health, and governmental directives, and advancing scientific knowledge on the transmissibility of COVID-19.
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.
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