Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's Food & Wine Festival 2022 entertainment line up

Olga Tañon

A world of taste awaits at the annual Busch Gardens Tampa Bay Food & Wine Festival with a delicious menu and drinks as dynamic and unique as the park's thrilling roller coaster collection. Guests can sip & savor their way through flavorful eats and mouthwatering treats before finding their new favorite brew or cocktail. 

With more than 20 new delicious dishes to pair with wines, craft brews and cocktails, park guests can explore a variety of flavors while enjoying a diverse concert lineup of the best in pop, rock, Latin, country, contemporary and classic music on select dates during the event. Concerts are free with park admission.

The Food & Wine Festival runs Fridays through Sundays from March 11 to May 22 and is included with admission to the park.

Food & Wine Festival entertainment schedule:

• Sean Paul - Friday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m.
• American Authors - Saturday, March 12 at 7:00 p.m.
• Boyce Avenue - Sunday, March 13 at 6:00 p.m.
• Scott Stapp: Voice of Creed - Saturday, March 26 at 7:00 p.m.
• The Purple Xperience: Prince Tribute - Sunday, March 27 at 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
• Rodney Atkins - Saturday, April 2 at 7:00 p.m.
• Air Supply - Sunday, April 3 at 6:00 p.m.
• TBA - Saturday, April 9 at 7:00 p.m.
• Chris Janson - Sunday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m.
• Fleetwood Max: Fleetwood Mac Tribute - Saturday, April 16 at 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
• Hotel California (Eagles Tribute) - Sunday, April 17 at 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
• Kansas - Saturday, April 23 at 7:00 p.m.
• Clint Black - Sunday, April 24 at 6:00 p.m.
• 3 Doors Down - Saturday, April 30 at 7:00 p.m.
• Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute - Sunday, May 1 at 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
• Latin Explosion: Selena, Santana & Estefan Tribute - Friday, May 6 at 3:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.
• Jenny and the Mexicats - Saturday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m.
• Grupo Cañaveral De Humberto Pabón - Sunday, May 8 at 6:00 p.m.
• Jerry Rivera - Saturday, May 14 at 7:00 p.m.
• Gente de Zona - Sunday, May 15 at 6:00 p.m.
• Olga Tañon - Saturday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m.
• Tito Nieves - Sunday, May 22 at 6:00 p.m.

Go VIP with reserved seating on the concert field, plus receive a 5-item sampler lanyard valid at any Food & Wine Festival location. To purchase reserved seating, click here.

Check out the food and wine menu here. Don't have a pass or tickets, then buy them here.

Busch Gardens Tampa Food & Wine Festival - ride, eat, drink and dance

Photo and video credits Doris Irizarry (photo & video reproductions prohibited)

Ride, eat, drink, and dance until dusk. It's kindo of what we did and you can too at Busch Gardens Tampa fourth annual Food & Wine Festival. The event kicks off yearly the first weekend in March and runs through to the end of April.

The weather has been splendid, believe it or not Tampa has had some cold weather lately. If you want to get more than your moneys worth of all that Busch Gardens has to offer from rides, animals, and shows, get to the park as soon as it opens. Parking is $20 at the park, Busch Gardens Tampa online parking is a few dollars cheaper. Even cheaper if you find an offsite parking within walking distance. I park at the same off site place for $5. Of course the all year pass members are all set when it comes to parking.

At noon the Food & Wine Festival opens up for guests to sample the select cuisine, wines, beers and cocktails of course at a cost. The best deal is to purchase a lanyard or pay per samples.

Photo credit Busch Gardens Tampa

These are the samples I tried:

Fried plantain cups filled with stewed chicken (tostones rellenos de pollo). A Hispanic myself that loves plantains I went for it. In addition, the plantain cup filled with chicken caught my eye but not my taste buds. The sauce just didn't blend well with the chicken.

Photo credit Busch Gardens Tampa

Gochujang Ribs in Korean barbecue sauce - the ribs smelled and looked delicious but I prefer my ribs well done so I took them home and cooked them a little more.

Lobster Tart with leeks & swiss cheese - did anyone say lobster? Yum, yum!

Bison Slider on a poppy seed roll with bacon and Sriracha Ketchup and blue lemonade - my favorite hands down! 

Photo and video credits Doris Irizarry (photo & video reproductions prohibited)

After a few samples, I was ready for live entertainment. Every year the line up is great. It is diverse - country, pop, soul, rock, Latin... I opted in for the latter. I was ready to sing and dance my heart away to one of the best female merengue music artists.

From the island of enchantment Puerto Rico, living in Orlando, Olga Tañon took the Food & Wine Festival stage located at Gwazi promptly at 7 p.m. An hour announced concert that turned into nearly two hours at the grace of Olga Tañon. 

 

A sensational show gal that offered her best past hits to her current chart toppers that includes reggaeton. Her phenomenal interaction with fans lead to inviting a fan to join her onstage, a fan that became popular all of a sudden. Pascuala, not only saw the show from the stage but was also gifted Olga's jacket that she wore for a portion of her performance.

 

What an amazing way to spend a weekend at Busch Gardens Tampa Food & Wine Festival. Check out the line up and additional information here.

   

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's Food & Wine Festival entertainment line up

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay's most delicious event returns this March with tastes for every palate and diverse entertainment at the fourth annual Food & Wine Festival. Guests can sample delectable cuisines paired with a selection of more than 65 wines, more than 50 craft brews and specialty cocktails, while enjoying some of the biggest names in entertainment. The Food & Wine Festival runs Saturdays and Sundays starting March 3 through April 29. 

The Festival features all-new twists on cuisine at 13 culinary cabins, along with favorites like mango shrimp ceviche and beef brisket on a spiced corn waffle. Experience bold new eats at the Savory Tavern with fried frog legs, bacon corn fritters, or indulge in flavorful treats at Artisan Eats with duck fat truffle fries and then spice it up with tostones rellenos de pollo at Comfort Kitchen. Opt for lobster tart with leeks and Swiss cheese or mushroom vol-au-vent at the Light Fare Canteen, or relish in the robust flavors at Chef’s Plantation with salmon cake with lemon aioli, Korean-style ribs and the all-new short rib and brie grilled cheese. Guests can elevate the Food and Wine Festival experience even more by sipping a carefully curated selection of fine bourbons and new tequila tastings.

But that's not all. Check out the headlining entertainment to enjoy as you savor the delectable menu or simply sing and dance along with the select performers. Concerts begin at 7 p.m. on Saturdays and 6 p.m. on Sundays.

Food & Wine entertainment:

• Saturday, March 3 - Edwin McCain & Sister Hazel
• Sunday, March 4 - Grupo Niche
• Saturday, March 10 - The Fray
• Sunday, March 11 - Southern Uprising Tour: A Southern Rock Revival with Travis Tritt, The Charlie Daniels Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, The Outlaws
• Saturday, March 17 - Olga Tañón
• Sunday, March 18 - Goo Goo Dolls
• Saturday, March 24 - Better Than Ezra & Tonic
• Sunday, March 25 - Michael Bolton
• Saturday, March 31 - Boyz II Men
• Sunday, April 1 - Natalie Grant
• Saturday, April 7 - Hank Williams, Jr.
• Sunday, April 8 - TLC
• Saturday, April 14 - Bret Michaels
• Sunday, April 15 - Coming Soon!
• Saturday, April 21 - The All-American Rejects
• Sunday, April 22 - Cole Swindell
• Saturday, April 28 - Flo Rida
• Sunday, April 29 - Kaleo & Bleachers

Admission to the Food & Wine Festival is included with any Annual Pass, Fun Card or daily admission to the park. Guests can choose from two exclusive VIP concert upgrades at the festival which include priority seating and a 5-item sampler lanyard for even more access to great times and great tastes. Additionally, guests can purchase 5, 10 and 12-item sampler lanyards to tailor the experience to any taste bud. Although food and beverage is not included with park admission, they are available for an additional fee. Guests must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages.

If you are a Florida resident, for a limited time, buy a Busch Gardens Fun Card and get an Adventure Island Fun Card free allowing you to experience both parks through 2018 for the price of one. For those wishing for more VIP offerings, the Annual Pass includes unlimited admission for 12 months, free parking, no blackout dates, in-park discounts and other benefits, valued at more than $350. With EZ-pay, annual passes start at just $14 per month for one park, and $16 per month for both Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island. Tickets and passes can be purchased at the park or online here.

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Source - Busch Gardens Tampa