Event Christmas Town 2014

[Bill]

On Thursday, Busch Gardens Tampa announced Christmas Town would return in 2014 for 23 select evenings between November 28th and December 31st.

The bigger part of the announcement is that Christmas Town will not be a separate ticket event like the last two seasons, but will instead be included in any regular admission. The park will only be open until between 8 and 9 p.m. on event nights, however.

 

[Nicole]

Bill,

I think the obvious question is whether CT in Tampa with still be a full event, or just holiday decorations with some themed food and a few Christmas activities (like LEGOLAND).

Also, will Coke bring back Snow World, or whatever they called it?

 

[Bill]

It's definitely an interesting decision. It remains to be seen how much of the upcharge event will make it into this included version.

 

[Bill]

There is an open call audition for Christmas Town roles this Sunday, August 24th. Details at the park's talent search site.

 

[Party Rocker]

I just though how funny it is that the park's events have kinda flipped benefits.

BGWs HOS is included but not CT
BGTs CT is included but not HOS

 

[Bill]

We received some more details on what this year's Christmas Town will bring. Most notably, we're getting two "new" areas (Egypt as Bethlehem will actually be new for the event). Sadly, one of the most popular attractions, Snow World, doesn't look to be returning. We're also losing the special night time only ice show, Angels of Peace.

All in all, given that the event will be included in admission and not a separate ticket like the last two seasons, the lineup does look pretty good. While we're losing a big attraction and one show, we are getting one fully new area (plus one re-done in Pantopia), and by the looks of the lights that have been going up in the last few weeks, they aren't scrimping on those either.

Full Press Release from the park is copied below.

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Tampa, Fla. (Oct. 30, 2014) – Christmas Town™ transforms Busch Gardens® Tampa into a holiday wonderland of wintery surprises and all things Christmas, filling guests’ senses with seasonal sights, sounds and flavors, and continuing a beautiful family tradition.

Christmas Town is now included with any annual pass, Fun Card or daily admission to the park. This year’s event has added even more dates to experience Christmas Town attractions, shows and shopping. Christmas Town is open 23 select dates and park closing times will range from 8pm to 9pm throughout the event, Nov. 28 through Dec. 31.

From the nostalgic Holiday Hills to the nature-inspired Jungle Jubilee, more than a million lights will blanket Busch Gardens during Christmas Town. Plus, fan-favorite shows including Christmas on Ice and the Carol of the Bells light show return to ring in the season. Check out this video for more returning Christmastime experiences.

In addition, brand new beautifully-lit areas will debut at Christmas Town:

v Dazzling lantern stars transform Pantopia™ into the jewel-toned Celestial Crossing, complete with a gigantic LED star that beautifully lights the way to Mrs. Claus’ Family Feast and the Christmas Celebration show. The new area is also home to the Bottle Christmas Tree, a conservation collaboration project that transformed 5,000 recycled plastic bottles into a Christmastime masterpiece with the help of nearly 50 Hillsborough county schools.



v The Egypt area of the park transforms into the humble town of Bethlehem, where guests discover the famed journey to the Three Kings. The magical story unfolds as the North Star guides the way to a land filled with desert-themed rustic décor, larger-than-life camels and the Three Kings Caravan.

Christmas Town provides unforgettable Yuletide experiences for the entire family around every corner, creating a Christmas celebration like no other:

v The Claus family invites you into their North Pole home at Welcome to Santa’s House. While the elves are busy preparing for Christmas, Santa is taking a break from his busy holiday schedule to meet and take photos with families in his private study.



v All aboard the Christmas Town Express for the biggest Christmas carol sing-a-long on wheels. Friends and family are invited join in singing traditional songs of the season like “Jingle Bells,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” while circling the Serengeti on a beautifully lit vintage-style steam locomotive.



v Busch Gardens is excited to welcome African penguins to the family! Come chill with these dapper little creatures and marvel at their underwater antics at the brand new Penguin Point, complete with a giant penguin photo opportunity in the Nairobi area.



v For those who can’t wait to get their night at Christmas Town started, guests are invited to pull up a seat at Mrs. Claus’ Family Feast for a special evening filled with stories, songs, a delicious holiday fare, plenty of opportunities for holiday hugs and photos with Mrs. Claus and her favorite elves. Space is limited for this exclusive dining experience and reservations must be made in advance at ChristmasTown.com.



Guests will also have the opportunity to ride some of Busch Gardens’ most popular thrill rides, including Cheetah Hunt, SheiKra, and America’s tallest freestanding drop tower, Falcon’s Fury™.

 

[Bill]

Based on published park hours, these are the likely dates for Christmas Town:

November 28 - 30
December 5 - 7, 12 - 14, and 18 - 31

That's a total of 23 days, as announced in the press release. The park will only be open until 8 or 9 p.m. on those dates (except Dec 31, when the park stays open until 1 a.m.).

 

[Bill]

Just as I posted last night, the dates are now official for this season's event.

 

[Bill]

The big Christmas Town 2014 Preview article is now live on the main site! http://bgtfans.com/2014/christmas-town-2014-preview/

 

[Nicole]

I cannot wait to see the African penguins in December!

 

[Tony]

For New Years eve, we went to Christmas Town at BGT. It was not a separate ticket event so our Platinum pass got us the park plus all the Christmas Town extras. I have not done Christmas town every year but have gone 1-2 times before including the first year. BGT did a pretty good job at decorating the park tho. They had some area that they covered more than other. Area near where the cheetahs do thier run, the area along the kids play area and the area near the train station. These area the wrapped and hung decoration from the trees. Thy did very good job with the trees. Nothing like that awesome tree at BGW, but pretty close. And they did it in a lot of colors.

The stuff they hung from the trees were pretty cool. The pictures I took could not capture how cool they looked at night. I did get a couple shots. They also had some really cool animals that were all lit up. They were unique and quite a cool idea.

Below are some pics. I will add some more and a few videos soon.

 

[Tony]

For New Years eve we went to Christmas Town at BGT. It was not a separately ticketed event this year, so our Platinum passes got us into the park plus all the Christmas Town extras. The last time I went to CT at BGT was their first year.  They seem to have decorated more of the park this time. They did have some sections that they covered more than others: specifically the areas near cheetahs run area, along the kids play area, and near the train station were had lights and baubles. They did a very good job wrapping the trees with lights. Nothing like that awesome tree in San Marco at BGW, but pretty close. And they did many in a lot of different colors.

The stuff they hung from the trees were pretty cool. Although my pictures do not capture how fantastic they looked at night, I did get a couple fairly good shots you can see below. They also had some animals that were all lit up; I thought was unique and quite a cool idea.

Below are some pics and a few videos including a super long one of the light show at the Crown Colony House.

​

 

[Viktor]

Great Photos, Tony!

I have to say, compared to the past two years, this has been the most "all out" decoration wise they've ever gone in the history of this event, regardless of it being included with park admission.

The lighting display they put on the entrance gate of Pantopia was totally amazing! They also did a great job decorating the Pantopia Theater with those colorful stars hanging from the wires.

 

[Jonathan S]

For New Years eve we went to Christmas Town at BGT. It was not a separately ticketed event this year, so our Platinum passes got us into the park plus all the Christmas Town extras. The last time I went to CT at BGT was their first year.  They seem to have decorated more of the park this time. They did have some sections that they covered more than others: specifically the areas near cheetahs run area, along the kids play area, and near the train station were had lights and baubles. They did a very good job wrapping the trees with lights. Nothing like that awesome tree in San Marco at BGW, but pretty close. And they did many in a lot of different colors.

The stuff they hung from the trees were pretty cool. Although my pictures do not capture how fantastic they looked at night, I did get a couple fairly good shots you can see below. They also had some animals that were all lit up; I thought was unique and quite a cool idea.

Below are some pics and a few videos including a super long one of the light show at the Crown Colony House.

​

Great photos! I would have to agree that this year was the one of the best for CT.