The live music portion of Busch Gardens’ Food and Wine festival is back with a slew of national acts playing two limited-capacity sets every weekend through April.
The concerts happen on Saturdays—with a bonus Friday, April 2 show from Sugar Ray (yes, Mark McGrath still leads the California pop rock band)—and everything kicks off next weekend when “American Idol” Season 11 winner Phillip Phillips hits the stage on March 6.
Starship featuring Mickey Thomas—supposedly responsible for GQ calls the worst song of all time—wraps up the series April 24. (I respectfully disagree; Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” is the worst song ever.)
To keep shows as socially-distanced as possible, each headlining act is playing two shows, one at 5 p.m. and another at 7 p.m.
“Since our reopening in June, our park teams have safely and successfully hosted multiple productions at our spacious outdoor venues,” Neal Thurman, Park President for Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and Adventure Island wrote in a press release. “Through creativity, adaptability and dedication to guest safety, our staff made it possible for park-goers to once again enjoy live music from some of their favorite artists.”
Reserved seats can be had by purchasing a VIP ticket on top of park admission (VIP gets you a five-item sampler lanyard and a private bar and entrance). Whether you go VIP, are a passholder or have a single-day ticket, you still have to make reservations for Busch Gardens the day you plan on attending.
Busch Gardens’ COVID-19 protocols include mask requirements, temperature checks, increased sanitation and capacity reduction.
More information is at buschgardens.com, and the full concert lineup is below.
- March 6 Phillip Phillips
- March 13 Parmalee
- March 20 Dylan Scott
- March 27 38 Special
- April 2 Sugar Ray
- April 3 Sister Hazel
- April 10 Locash
- April 17 Tito Nieves
- April 24 Starship Feat. Mickey Thomas
Support local journalism in these crazy days. Our small but mighty team is working tirelessly to bring you up to the minute news on how Coronavirus is affecting Tampa and surrounding areas. Please consider making a one time or monthly donation to help support our staff. Every little bit helps.
Subscribe to our newsletter and follow @cl_tampabay on Twitter.
