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
January 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 be […]
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 […]
State of Zoological Operations
When Zachary and I spoke with Tim Smith, Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Manager of Zoological Operations, he was very excited about the upcoming season. To be completely candid, we have been concerned about the recent, dramatic cuts to the zoology programs across the SeaWorld Parks chain, but he sees the reductions as an opportunity to focus […]
The other day we spoke to Jennifer Thomas, a show production manager and casting director at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, about the Entertainment department’s plans for 2017. In addition to refining two of the park’s popular returning offerings and renovating another, the they are debuting two new shows in the first half of this season: Britmania & OktoberZest. We’ll spend the first sections of […]
On Tuesday Zachary and I had the opportunity to speak with representatives from the Culinary and Entertainment Departments at Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Although there has been a lot of attention focused recently on InvadR, the park’s new wooden roller coaster, BGW has also been working on new restaurants and shows in the off-season. Our first […]
Additional Christmas Town Ticketing Info & Thoughts
As we reported Thursday, Busch Gardens Williamsburg is implementing an innovative, dynamic discount ticket structure for Christmas Town. We have real hopes that this new approach will mitigate the overcrowding we experienced last year. During our interview with Dan Dipiazzo, we asked if BGWFans could get a copy of the cost calendar with us before […]
Christmas Town 2016 Discount Tickets
On Wednesday I spoke with Dan Dipiazzo, Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Vice President of Marketing, about the new dynamic ticket pricing structure for Christmas Town. It was clear that the park is making real changes in an attempt to address the extremely high crowd levels we have all experienced in recent years. Since its inception in […]
It’s the eleventh hour—the park is making their announcement on Saturday—and we know you all are chomping at the bit, anticipating the unveiling of Busch Gardens’s Project 2017. Though we don’t know everything the park is planning to reveal on the 19th, hopefully we can relieve a little bit of that intense suspense tonight. It’s time to leak BGW’s […]