The Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival is back for its 10th year, taking place Fridays through Sundays March 7-May 18, with free concerts included with admission.
The festival, open from noon until the park closes, celebrates culinary regions around the world, from Caribbean smoked jerked chicken to dishes from India, Spain, France, Chile to American favorites like a lobster roll and loaded mac and cheese.
The festival booths also pair the food tastings, which range from $6-$12 for an appetizer-sized plate. They offer suggestions for wine or cocktails to match the food, but also have booths like the Bourbon Barn where you can get a flight of cocktails or tastings of top bourbons.
The festival’s food cabins will be in and around the Festival Pathway and the Bird Gardens area, with concerts held on Festival Field that are free, though you can pay extra for VIP seating.
More artists will be announced later, the park said, but this is the schedule so far for the concert series, which is free or you can pay $39.99 for VIP seating and one beverage:
- March 7, Montgomery Gentry, featuring Eddie Montgomery, one of the most recognizable voices in country singers. He has five No. 1 country radio hits including “Roll With Me” and “If You Ever Stop Loving Me.”
- March 8, Starship featuring Mickey Thomas, classic rock.
- March 14, Sister Hazel, the Gainesville rockers topped the 1997 charts with “All For You.”
- March 15, Flo Rida. Best known for his hits “Low” and “Right Round,” Flo Rida has dipped into the country music world lately by collaborating with artists like Walker Hayes and Jimmie Allen.
- March 21, Joe Nichols. The three-time Grammy nominee Joe Nichols has delivered six No. 1 country singles and ten Top 10 hits including “Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off” and “Sunny and 75.”
- March 22, Luis Fonsi. The Grammy-winning Puerto Rican singer is best known for his hit with Justin Bieber, “Despacito.”
- March 23, The Commodores, classic R&B.
- March 28, Easton Corbin and Matt Stell. Easton Corbin has spent over a decade performing his signature baritone and country hits like “A Little More Country Than That” and “Roll With It.” Matt Stell, known for his No. 1 hits “Prayed For You” and “Everywhere But On,” has earned over half a billion streams.
- March 29, Edwin McCain, the classic rock singer composed two of the biggest love songs in the history of music, “I’ll Be” and “I Could Not Ask For More.”
- April 4, Soulja Boy and Paul Wall. The rap artist Soulja Boy gained fame with his platinum hit singles 2007’s “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” and 2008’s “Kiss Me Thru The Phone.” Paul Wall earned a No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Top 200 with his 2005 album “The People’s Champ” and received a Grammy nomination for his feature on “Grillz” with Nelly and Jermaine Dupri.
- April 5, Village People, one of the most iconic music groups in the world (“Y.M.C.A.” and “Macho Man”).
- April 12, Michael Ray. The country artist is known for hits like “Think a Little Less” and “Whiskey and Rain.” He has earned over 2 billion global streams and multiple RIAA Platinum and Gold certifications.
- April 13, Fuel and Lit. Grammy-nominated multi-platinum rock band Fuel is joined by post-grunge era Lit, with late ‘90s hits like “My Own Worst Enemy” and “Miserable.”
- April 19, Plain White T’s. The late ‘90s pop stars have earned over 2.7 billion global streams, two Grammy nominations, and Platinum success with their hit “Hey There Delilah.”
- April 26, Blackberry Smoke, known for their Southern rock, blues, and rich country sound, their latest album, “Be Right Here” reached No. 5 on the albums chart, following the success of “You Hear Georgia” which hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk chart.
- April 27, Mitchell Tenpenny and Graham Barham. The country singer, songwriter, and producer, Tenpenny is known for hits like “Drunk Me” and “Truth About You.” Graham Barham blends Southern storytelling with soulful country. His debut singles, “Something to Chase” and “Lie to Me” showcase his rural roots.
- May 3, Third Eye Blind. The San Francisco rockers have recorded 10 best-selling albums.
- May 16, Hoobastank. Their iconic hit “The Reason” has surpassed 1 billion streams on Spotify. Celebrating 20 years, the band recently gained new attention through viral TikTok trends and the Netflix show “Beef.”
- May 17, Justin Moore. The multi-platinum hitmaker known for his traditional country sound and captivating live shows, recently earned his 13th No. 1 with “This Is My Dirt,” following the success of the Platinum-selling duet “You, Me, and Whiskey” with Priscilla Block.
If you go
Held Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays March 7-May 18 with food cabins dotted along the main festival pathway with appetizer-sized foods inspired by cuisines from around the world. Food samples range from $6-$12. The festival’s concert series is free, included with admission. See BuschGardensTampa.com for tickets and information.