Busch Gardens Williamsburg Returns with a Hard-Ticket Event

July 30, 2020, 12:46 PM · As tipped yesterday, Busch Gardens Williamsburg will begin its phased reopening on August 5. But instead of simply reopening at limited capacity to ticket and pass holders, as other parks have done, the Virginia theme park is returning with a hard-ticket event.

"Coasters & Craft Brews" will feature barbecue from Trapper's Smokehouse along with a selection of more than 20 local and craft beers at Grogan's Pub. InvadR, Griffon, Loch Ness Monster will be open for visitors, as will Finnegan's Flyer and select animal exhibits. Tickets will be $44.99, though the event is included with memberships, annual passes and Fun Cards. Reservations are required and available starting today on the park's website.

"We want to thank our guests for their patience and are so excited to be able to give them a taste of Busch Gardens Williamsburg when we safely welcome them back to enjoy Coasters and Craft Brews," Busch Gardens Williamsburg President Kevin Lembke said. "The health and safety of our guests and employees is our foremost priority and we are working hard to prepare the park for this special event so guests can join us for a fun and safe experience."

The park will enforce industry-standard health and safety rules, including temperature checks and mandatory mask use. Capacity will be "extremely limited" to promote safe physical distancing, as well.

Coasters and Craft Brews will as a four-hour event on select days from August 6 through the 16th, with a members-only sneak peek on Wednesday, August 5 from 5-9pm. Other hours will be Thursdays from 5-9pm and Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 11am-3pm and 5-9pm.

No word yet on when the park will resume regular operations.

Replies (2)

July 31, 2020 at 8:36 AM

FYI - All pass holder and member reservations are sold out for this. That's every single session for every single day currently available. It's unclear how many slots BGW is holding back for single day ticket holders (I would guess probably 600-800 of the 1,000-person max would be available to pass holders and members, leaving 200 for single-day tickets), but despite the park having barely a quarter of its attraction lineup available, there appears to be a lot of pent up demand to visit BGW.

July 31, 2020 at 10:39 AM

Yeah, that went quickly. But with a 1,000-person attendance limit due to state restrictions, I guess it was going to go that way.

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