“Forgot this was a thing.” — @thatcoasternerd That was a comment in response to our Instagram post Thursday about Water Country USA’s Cutback Water Coaster, and it was hardly out of the norm. Busch Gardens Williamsburg is currently building and designing two thrill rides—Finnegan’s Flyer and Project 2020—that are large enough to overshadow Cutback, their sister […]
? I think that, any leaks are good leaks, so I took what I could get? Source looked at me with big brown eyes and said ? You ain’t seen nothin’ yet? Baby, you just ain’t seen n-n-n-nothin’ yet? Here’s something, here’s something, here’s a leak you’ll never forget? Baby, you just ain’t seen n-n-n-nothin’ […]
DISCLAIMER This is still a breaking story. The article below should be considered a work in progress for as long as this disclaimer is present. In its current state, this post is not up to BGWFans’ typical quality standards but, in the interest of getting it published before anyone signs off for the night, we […]
New Membership Program Gets a Substantial Overhaul
I have been pondering what to say about the new membership program, announced by Busch Gardens Williamsburg on Monday. My initial response was surprise, followed by confusion, and rounded out by concern. Before I go any further, I want to highlight the fact that both Zachary and I supported the original introduction of the Membership […]
“But y’all already leaked what Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA are building next year! Why y’all writin’ another article?!” Well, dear reader, a closer look at either of the articles you’re referencing (BGW’s, WCUSA’s) would reveal that those were theories. Pretty good theories in my honest opinion, but theories nonetheless. This article is […]
Railroad Fire Shuts Down Part of Busch Gardens
Here we are again. Following the New Years Eve forest fire and the Escape from Pompeii roof fire, we have a third major fire event at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. This afternoon, one of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s trains burst into flames behind the Caribou Train Station injuring one person. Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, […]
Revealing Water Country USA's 2019 Attraction Plans
Guess who’s back, back again BGWFans back, tell a friend I’ve created a monsta, ’cause nobody wants to see reviews no more They want leaks, opinions are chopped liver Well if you want leaks, then this is what I’ll give ya A little bit of analysis mixed with some hard data Some hypotheses that will jump […]
In an effort to avoid burying the lead, let’s jump right into the news. One of our forum members, kingadam, tipped us off to a new filing with James City County regarding Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Festa Field plans (codenamed Project Madrid). The site plan included in this new round of documents depicts impervious areas of […]
A Little Context In late April we shared that Project Madrid—long thought to be the next major attraction addition for Busch Gardens Williamsburg—was currently forecast for a 2020 opening date. Around that same time, we started talking about a possible Water Country USA project for 2019. In mid-May we elaborated on those rumors—specifically stating that, […]
So, Zachary and I had been considering when and if we were going to write a front page article on Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s newest ride, Battle for Eire. It seems like a reasonable topic, and we have been asked for a formal review. Unfortunately, that discussion has, again, been completely derailed—this time by the park’s […]
Permit Filed for Dedicated Entertainment Facility
According to a new special use permit filed with James City County late last month, Busch Gardens Williamsburg appears to be giving their entertainment department something they have needed for decades now: dedicated, non-theater space inside the park. The Plans So, what is the permit for exactly? A 15,500 square foot rectangular building located behind […]
Sesame Place Williamsburg: Pros & Cons
Yesterday, Zachary reported on a recent survey soliciting feedback on a new, proposed SEAS theme park in Virginia, which we are calling “Sesame Place Williamsburg.” While his extensive analysis of the included site plan and concept art focused on the How, When, Where, and What in depth, we decided to address the Why separately, because it is such a complex […]
This morning we rode Battle for Eire, Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s brand new, first-of-its-kind VR attraction. If you are looking for Battle for Eire content, for now, check out the most recent posts in this thread on ParkFans.net or our social media channels (particularly Instagram). Anyway, you’d think that something that noteworthy would be monopolizing the BGW news […]
Busch Gardens Williamsburg Unveils Membership Program
February 9th Update: Because we have been adding information to this post regularly over the past two days, we decided our article needed to be completely restructured to better present everything we know about the recently announced Membership program. Hopefully this version is more user-friendly. BGWFans learned yesterday (February 7) that the long-rumored, new Membership Plan will […]
Flames Erupt at Busch Gardens on New Year's Eve
A large brush fire was triggered by Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s New Year’s Eve firework show on Sunday evening around 9:20pm. According to park communications manager Ron Vample, the fire was extinguished within 15 minutes of its ignition. The extent of the damage to the Rhine River Trestle and surrounding areas is still being assessed by the park […]
New Year Brings New Busch Gardens Williamsburg Passes
As some of you may have noticed, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is not currently selling season passes. No, this is not a computer error; the park is planning to institute a new membership program in 2018. While we have no hard data about the new structure, we do have some tantalizing clues. Specifically, we have information […]
Battle For Eire Plans Reveal Secrets from The Otherworld
Spoiler Alert This article contains drawings and concept art that reveal thematic details of Battle For Eire that have not yet been made public by Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Anyone wishing to avoid Project 2018 spoilers should turn back now. You have been warned. Disclaimer The documents and information presented below reflect the park’s plans for Battle […]
On September 4th, 2017, Busch Gardens Williamsburg closed Curse of DarKastle to facilitate the installation of their new haunted house, Frostbite. Soon after, we learned that DarKastle’s building would be utilized for a new Santa meet-and-greet space this winter. Transforming what should be one of Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s flagship attractions into special event space for both Howl-O-Scream and Christmas […]
Christmas Town 2017 Admission Information
With Howl-O-Scream 2017 behind us it is time to start thinking about the next big seasonal event at Busch Gardens Williamsburg: Christmas Town. I had the opportunity on Monday to speak with VP of Marketing Dan Dipiazzo and Senior Communications Manager Ron Vample about the upcoming ticket sale. Dated Tickets The bottom line is that […]
As initially reported via Twitter this morning, BGWFans can now confirm that a red line of sight balloon was flown over the park this morning. According to eyewitnesses, the balloon appeared to be located behind Apollo’s Chariot—likely in the area currently occupied by the stables behind Festa Italia. The area in question can be seen […]