Today both the 2016 Busch Gardens Williamsburg map and this year’s new pass member Fun Tracker have been posted. We are going to tackle the Fun Tracker first, but if you’d like to skip down to the new map instead, feel free to click here.
Fun Tracker
We at BGWFans thought we’d help out our loyal readers this year, by summarizing and annotating Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s 2016 Fun Tracker. The PDF can be found here. There is a lot going on this year, including several new offerings, ranging from a new kids concert series to a craft beer room.
Pass Member Preview
The first thing that jumped off the page for us is that Killarney is 15 years old! Busch Gardens Williamsburg is celebrating the hamlet’s birthday with a party for pass members during the Preview Day, in addition to the usual announcements.
Speaking of Pass Member Preview Day… it looks as if we will get more information on Project 2017 on Saturday, March 19th. We are also looking forward to hearing more about the new restaurant in San Marco, Marco Polo’s Marketplace, as well as the new show in the Royal Palace Theater called “All For One.”
Pass Member Benefits
I think the most interesting thing on the benefits page is the new bring a friend system. One-park pass members will be able to bring a guest for free to BGW once in the Spring, Summer, and Fall for a total of three tickets. Two-park pass members will also get a free ticket for Water Country USA.
In addition, Platinum pass holders will now be guaranteed free preferred parking, if they arrive before noon all season long.
The Calendar
Looking through the calendar, the 2016 season is chocked full of events:
- Spring Break: From March 21st to April 10th the park will be open everyday
- Jack Hanna: On April 2nd and 3rd Jack Hanna and his animals will be in Il Teatro Di San Marco
- Glory at the Gardens: The annual concert series will be held on May 7th and 8th
- Food and Wine Festival: Every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from May 27th to June 26th
- Independence Day: There will be fireworks from July 2nd to July 4th
- WCUSA Splash Night: Exclusive event for pass members on August 5th
- Oktoberfest Ride Night: Exclusive ride time for pass members on August 13th
- Bier Fest: Sample a variety of beers and German food from September 2nd through September 18th
- Howl-O-Scream: BGW’s Halloween event will run from September 23rd to October 30th
- Christmas Town: Celebrate the holidays at the park starting November 25th and running through January 2nd
In addition to these annual favorites, the park is premiering several new things throughout the year…
March
It looks as if the park is introducing several new attractions in March. Elmo Rocks will be relocated to the Globe Theater (much more comfortable for the adults, I’m certain!), and expanded to run for six weeks (from March 19th to May 1st).
Once again recognizing an anniversary, Busch Gardens Williamsburg will celebrate Das Festhaus’s 40th by opening the Brauhaus Craft Bier Room, where guests will be able to sample a rotating selection of beers, and even become Stein Club member by reserving one of the 300 limited-edition 1/2 liter steins.
April
Starting in April BGW will host a free KIDsiderate Concert Series in Il Teatro Di San Marco on Saturdays with three performances a day over four weeks.
May
Busch Gardens Williamsburg is replacing two kiosks at the annual Food and Wine Festival this year. It is rumored that the Scottish and Scandinavian booths will become Local Virginia and Hawaii. We are very curious to see what will be served at both.
June
July & August
Pass Members will get free reserved seating in the Royal Palace Theatre for the premiere of All For One on July 1st. The reserved seating tickets are available at Guest Relations for two shows that night.
August is pass member appreciation month. We looked and apparently details have not been posted yet.
September & October
While we don’t see anything new after September, there are a lot of events and activities on the calendar, which you can find listed above.
November & December
Park Map
The 2016 Busch Gardens Williamsburg map has also been published. In addition to some updated artwork throughout, you can also spot a couple new things like Acadia Traders in New France and Brauhaus Craft Bier Room in Das Festhaus.
We hope both the calendar and the map are useful to everyone for the upcoming season! Be sure to follow us on Twitter or Instagram and like us on Facebook to stay up to date on the latest news!