Welcome to our Busch Gardens Tampa Crowd Calendar page, with a monthly look at estimated crowd levels, park hours, and general tips on crowds throughout the year.
Our crowd calendar for Busch Gardens Tampa is meant as a guide and is only an estimate of anticipated crowd levels. The calendar does not take into account weather, which can have an impact on attendance since most of the attractions at Busch Gardens Tampa are outdoors. Please verify operating hours directly with the park before you visit, as they can change without notice.
General Crowd Info
In general, Saturdays are the busiest day of the week at Busch Gardens Tampa. Sundays, holiday weeks, and event days also tend to draw in larger crowds than weekdays through the rest of the year. On those days, avoid arriving at the park between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Instead, arrive earlier (lots open about 30 minutes prior to park opening) or come in the early afternoon and you won’t spend as much time waiting in line to enter.
Mid-week visits, regardless of the season, typically will have lower crowds compared to the surrounding weekends. The summer season, spring break, and the weeks around Christmas are generally the busiest times of the year. Weekdays in winter, late spring, and fall typically have the lowest crowds.
Because most of the attractions at Busch Gardens Tampa are outdoors, a day with extended inclement weather will often reduce crowd levels. It’s worth keeping an eye on the weather in the days leading up to your visit – a few rainy days in a row will often mean the following day (especially if it’s a Saturday) could end up being busier than normal as guests who put off their visit all come on the same fair weather day.
March 2023 Crowd Calendar
March sees more events on weekends and the start of the Spring Break season. Weekdays early in the month will still have relatively low crowds, with the middle of the month being Spring Break week for many local county school districts, meaning relatively heavy crowds throughout the week. Crowd levels will continue to be elevated through the end of the month with travelers from around the country enjoying their Spring Break in Florida as well.
Friday, March 3 is Biology Day at the park, which will see school groups enjoying both rides and extra educational stations. Mardi Gras wraps up the first weekend, and the popular Food & Wine Festival kicks off the second weekend of the month, so expect Fridays – Sundays to stay busy throughout the month.
See scheduled attraction closures on the park’s website.
April 2023 Crowd Calendar
April is a half and half month for crowds at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. The first half of the month sees the tail end of Spring Break season including Easter Break. Expect moderate to heavy crowds the first two weeks, with weekends being busiest with the addition of Food & Wine Festival and concerts. On Thursday, April 13, expect to see school groups throughout the park as part of Physics Day.
The second half of the month will see overall lower crowds, with weekends still being busy with the festival. Weekdays should be fairly light in terms of crowds, though that does come with shorter hours. Friday, April 28 will see 12th Grade Grad Nite, where those guests begin arriving at 5 p.m. for their mostly after-hours event.
See scheduled attraction closures on the park’s website.
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