Busch Gardens Williamsburg 2021 Food & Wine Festival - Our Review!
The Food & Wine Festival has started at Busch Gardens Williamsburg! The limited-capacity runs April 2 through May 23, and our visit was on Friday, April 2, from 11 am - 9 Ppm.
Here's a quick summary:
Parking - We were directed to park in the France preferred parking lot, though we heard they were later using the Germany parking lot. Germany is usually only used with the tram, which is not operating. So, if you are attending one of these events, you may want to pay for the VIP parking in England.
Entering the Park - Guests are instructed to remove hats and glasses before entering the temperature screening tent. They’re using a thermal scanner, so they don’t have to take temperatures of individual guests.
Rides - Due to cold temperatures below 40 degrees on our visit, coasters didn’t start operation until about 11:45 am. Apollo’s Chariot, Verbolten, InvadR, Griffon, and Finnegan’s Flyer are operating for this event, along with many flat rides.
Pantheon! - It is so awesome to see Pantheon testing. You can get good views from the stroller station in Italy, and on the bridge to Germany.
Health and Safety - Mask compliance continues to be very good at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. However, social distancing in queues needs improvement.
Crowd Level and Wait Times - To be honest, this was a mixed bag. Our longest wait was about 40 minutes for food at the Jamaica kiosk. The queues for rides seemed to be the longest in the early-to-mid afternoon. But, we didn’t wait at all to board the Busch Gardens Railway in the early evening.
Festival Food Items - The overall food quality is very good. You can buy a 10 or 15-item sampler card. Our top food and drink recommendations: Hushpuppies (Virginia), Frozen Blue Hawaiian (Hawaii), Churrasco (Brazil), Gamba Fritters & Jerk Chicken Slider (Jamaica), and Korean Ribs & Banana Milk (South Korea). Unfortunately, the Mexico kiosk was not operating, and some items were not available for us to try. Also, all of kiosks did not open till noon.
Entertainment - There is no shortage of live entertainment, with some temporary stages added for the festival. We enjoyed the performers in Virginia, Jamaica, and the San Marco Theatre (Bel Concertino). Ireland also has its band, and the Oompah band performs inside Das Festhaus - which was at-capacity when we walked by.
Animals - We didn’t seek out the animals on this trip, but we did see the Clydesdales, bald eagles, black face sheep, and some lorikeets! The aviary wasn’t open when we walked by, so it seems to have limited hours.
Overall, Food & Wine Festival continues to be one of the best events at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. We recommend arriving early if you’re planning on riding Apollo’s Chariot, Verbolten, or Griffon. It may be best to eat right at noon when the kiosks open and expect some mid-afternoon crowds.
Check out our event overview on YouTube:
