Carowinds Grand Carnivale 2021 Review
Grand Carnivale is Saturday, July 17 – Sunday, August 1 at Carowinds! It’s the first time the festival has been at Carowinds, and it does not disappoint.
Here’s what you need to know:
The festival officially starts at 5 PM every day and runs till the park closes. The food stations opened at 4 PM on our visit.
Six countries are represented at different stations located near the Carowinds Plaza: Germany, Italy, and Spain are to the right (coming from the entrance), and China, France, and India are to the left.
You can buy sampler cards! 6 samples are $35, and 9 samples are $50. There’s a 9 sampler pass member deal online for $45. The portion sizes range from small to large, but all food samples are priced at $6.99 each. We found the larger portions were in Italy. Overall, the food quality is pretty good, but many items are not authentic (e.g., China has fortune cookies, and the fortune cookie was invented in San Francisco).
There are themed drinks! The Grand Carnivale IPA (by Sycamore Brewing), Carnivale Cocktail, and the Celebration Citrus Twist mocktail are available at every country. Each country also has an additional beer or cider option (e.g., Peroni in Italy). The drinks come in a souvenir plastic light-up pilsner glass and all drinks cost $3 less when you’re reusing your pilsner glass.
There are games at the Mardi’s Game Gallery! There are six different games themed for each country located near Intimidator, and you can win a prize. 2 tokens are $10, and 5 are $20.
Most of the festivities take place at the Carowinds Plaza by the park entrance. The 15-minute Royal Opening Ceremony is at 5 PM each day. The 45-minute Royal Carnivale Variety Show is at two times (5:15 PM and 6:30 PM). The 15-minute musical performance by the Royal Rhythms is at three times (6:15 PM, 8:15 PM, and 8:45 PM), the Royal Dance Party is at two times (7:00 PM and 8:30 PM), and the Royal Send Off with fireworks is at 9:00 PM. The performers are the highlight of Grand Carnivale, so make sure to stop by the stage and also catch the parade.
The Spectacle of Color Parade starts at 7:30 PM from Carolina Harbor, continues through The Arbor, and ends at Carowinds Plaza. The floats stay parked near Carowinds Plaza until the park closes.
Some rides close early because they’re near the parade route. For example, Vortex closes at 7:00 PM.
Watch our vlog to learn more!
