The Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival is back, but this year it has a new ring to its name. Now called the Busch Gardens Food, Wine & Garden Festival, this upgraded version of a Tampa Bay favorite will take place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from noon until the park closes from March 6 to May 10, 2026.
The garden experiences pair the concerts with bold culinary creations and refreshing beverages, creating a festival that delights all the senses! We also can't forget about the concerts, with 20 national headliners in rock, pop music, and more taking the stage for 11 consecutive weekends.
<div id="c3be0912bb716eee4ca644c1dfc4ecde4"></div>We sat down with Emma Loney, Consumer Events Supervisor at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, for new details about this year's festival food, and it's getting a lot of upgrades!
What's New at this year's Food, Wine & Garden Festival?
This year, Busch Gardens Tampa is debuting several themed sections with garden landscapes to “wow” guests of all ages! They will be bringing back some of their iconic topiaries, with brand new themed garden sections of the park.
“This year we are focusing a lot on the gardens throughout the park,” says Loney. “We’re embracing the landscaping and have divided the festival up into five different themed areas, all focused around landscaping. Going back to our roots is something the team is really excited for.”
The Food, Wine & Garden festival walkway also has a new look with the country cabins turning into greenhouses to lean heavier into the garden addition.
There will be plenty of new food items at these greenhouse booths, from food to dessert and drinks, this year's upgraded festival is not one you'll want to miss!
Festival food items for 2026
This year’s Food, Wine & Garden Festival Walkway will be called Conservatory Lane, with each of the food booths themed after greenhouses. “It’ll be like you're walking through a garden,” Loney says.
There are a bunch of new menu items this year, ranging from food to desserts. “Something I’m personally excited for is the Wild Mushroom Arancini, which is risotto balls with mushrooms in it.” Loney also mentions that there are plenty of great new desserts for every palate.
Here are some dishes and wines you can expect this year's Food, WIne & Garden Festival:
The menu items range from $7.99 to $10.99, so you can easily get a great meal for two by purchasing one of the Festival Sampler lanyards.
You can buy a 10-item sampler for $70 or a 15-item sampler for $85. Pass members can buy an 18-item sampler for the price of the 15-item. If you want to include one to two drinks per person, the 15-item sampler is your best bet.
Cabin 1:
- Smoked Pork Belly Bites
- Smoked Chicken & White Cheddar Mac N Cheese
- Decoy Red Blend
- Scarpetta Brute Rosé
- Duckhorn Chardonnay
Cabin 2:
- Herb-Crusted Lamb Steak
- Grilled Baby Artichokes (vegetarian)
- Bernger Knights Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
- Scarpetta Pinot Grigio
- Decor Sparkling Brut
- Scarpetta Cab Franc
Cabin 3:
Crab Corn Cakes
Wild Mushroom Arancini
Hess Maverick Cabernet Sauvignon
Mohua Sauvignon Blanc
Dau Chardonnay
Piper Sonoma Brut
Cabin 4:
- Sage-Honey Glaze Pork Tenderloin
- Tampa Cuban Spring Rolls
- Decoy Cabernet Sauvignon
- Scarpetta Chardonnay
- Decoy Merlot
- AIX Rosé
How good do those options sound?! And guess what… that's not even HALF of the menu for this year. Talk about eatin' good!
Check out some of our top 5 bites from this year in our blog! You can also explore the full Busch GardensFood and Wine Festival menu here.
What are some of the best Items at the Food, Wine & Garden Festival?
We're so glad you asked! During our preview, we were able to try a LOT of this year's items, and you can find our top 5 favorite items, along with a short interview with the chefs behind this year's menu!
How to get tickets to the 2026 Busch Gardens Food, Wine & Garden Festival
The Food and Wine Festival is included with park admission, so if you have a ticket, an annual pass or a Fun Card, you are good to go!
Single-day tickets are on sale now for $99.99 each, and there is a limited-time offer including a free meal with your single-day ticket purchase.
We honestly think the Busch Gardens Fun Card is your best bet right now at the sale price of $131.99 because it will get you unlimited visits back to the park for the rest of 2026, and you'll get a free Adventure Island Fun Card too (blockout dates apply).
There are pop-up sales too, so be sure to check their website just in case they have a deal for you to snag!
Another great option for locals is an annual pass that starts as low as $192 for a one-time payment or $16 per month with no down payment. Learn more about Busch Gardens annual passes here. We prefer the Silver, Gold, and Platinum passes since they include free parking which can add up over several visits.
Another option is to purchase a CityPass, which includes admission to several local attractions. This may be great for out-of-town guests who only need a one-day visit, but still want to explore all of the other amazing things to do in the Tampa Bay Area.
The Concerts at the Busch Gardens Food, Wine & Garden Festival 2026
Glory in the Gardens returns this year with a one-weekend music event dedicated to Christian acts on May 16 and 17, with award-winning artists like Chris Tomlin, Brandon Heath, and Danny Gokey taking the stage.
For the general festival, there are 20 headlining concerts over the 11 weekend spread with some big names! The concerts are included with admission, but you can upgrade for better seats. Here are the concerts on schedule for 2026:
- Walker Hayes: Saturday, March 7, 7 p.m.
- Puddle of Mudd: Sunday, March 8, 6 p.m.
- P.O.D.: Saturday, March 14, 7 p.m.
- Grupo Mania: Sunday, March 15, 6 p.m.
- Skillet: Saturday, March 21, 7 p.m.
- Robin Thicke: Sunday, March 22, 6 p.m.
- Warren G: Friday, March 27, 8 p.m.
- Dylan Scott: Saturday, March 28, 7 p.m.
- KANSAS: Sunday, March 29, 6 p.m.
- Nick Carter: Saturday, April 4, 7 p.m.
- The Band Perry: Friday, April 10, 8 p.m.
- El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico: Saturday, April 11, 7 p.m.
- Smash Mouth: Sunday, April 12, 6 p.m.
- Flo Rida: Saturday, April 18, 7 p.m.
- Air Supply: Sunday, April 19, 6 p.m.
- Bowling For Soup: Friday, April 24, 8 p.m.
- Bow Wow: Saturday, May 2, 7 p.m.
- Ying Yang Twins: Saturday, May 2, 7 p.m.
- Taking Back Sunday: Sunday, May 3, 6 p.m.
- Pop 2000 with Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC, O-Town, Ryan Cabrera & LFO: Saturday, May 9, 7 p.m.
How to upgrade your concert experience
If you want VIP access to any of the concerts, there is a way to take advantage of this! VIP Reserved Seating includes the best seats in the house, along with one free beverage and a private bar. Pass members get a 10% discount, so it does pay to be a pass holder.
Premium Reserved Seating is $24.99 per person, while Up Close Reserved Seating is $14.99 per person, and regular Reserved Seating is $9.99 per person.
You can also book a VIP Guided Tour for $139.99, which also allows you to skip the lines and get VIP seating for concerts.