Spring Bloom Festival 2016

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mwhinva

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Added 2016 Thread for this years Spring Bloom Festival.

Kings Dominion has a Facebook Poll you can take. They have 3 countries you can choose from to be the 4th food location during the event. You can choose from Ireland, Jamaica, or France. Whichever country gets the most votes, KD will have a tasting menu created for it by Chef Paul and be available for purchase during the event.

So it looks like we are down by one country for this year. I will throw in my two cents and say the budget for KD is still tight as Cedar Fair is still pouring money into Carowinds for this season. Based on staffing, it might be that Chef Paul wants to focus on 4 countries and change or expand the menus for those countries. Based on the posting, the Swiss, German, and Italian booths are back for 2016.

Right now, Ireland is leading and France is 2nd. Jamaica is in 3rd place.

Kings Dominion's Facebook Spring Bloom Food Poll
 
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jornor

jornor

Feb 6, 2016
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Any idea what type of "CRAFT BEERS" have been available in the past or will be available here at Spring Bloom? It was heavily advertised with the Spring Bloom advertising
 
jornor

jornor

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Were all beers bottled when you guys went or do they offer draft beer/taps at Spring Bloom as well?
 
Nicole

Nicole

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We just received the Spring Bloom press release.

Media Contact: For Immediate Release:
Katelyn Sherwood April 8, 2016
Communications Manager
(804) 876-5153
katelyn.sherwood@kingsdominion.com

Spring is in the Air at Kings Dominion Get your taste buds ready as Kings Dominion celebrates food, family and fun during Spring Bloom
​

DOSEWLL, VA. (April 8, 2016) – Spring has sprung at Kings Dominion! Join us to celebrate the return of warmer weather at our third annual Spring Bloom Festival held Saturdays and Sundays, April 16 – May 15. Underneath the Eiffel Tower, four countries will meet for a culinary showcase featuring internationally inspired cuisine using fresh, locally sourced ingredients.

Spring Bloom not only features delicious dishes, but also live entertainment, a free family-friendly concert and hands-on children’s activities. Spring Bloom is a month long celebration that spells fun for the whole family with these special events:

Internationally Inspired Cuisine – Join us under the Eiffel tower to sample flavors from Ireland, Switzerland, Germany and Italy. Chef Paul Maloney will be using only the freshest local ingredients to put his own personal spin on these delicious international foods.

Local Drink Pairings – While enjoying tasty food, sip on a cold beer or a glass of wine! Chef Paul has teamed up with local breweries and wineries to offer the perfect pairings for his dishes. Enjoy a beer or wine from local favorites like Legend, Hardywood, James River Cellars and more!

Beautiful Atmosphere – Thousands of spring flowers are planted by our very own landscaping department, transforming International Street into a kaleidoscope of colors.

Sabrina Carpenter – Los Angeles-based multitalented singer/songwriter Sabrina Carpenter will perform hits from her debut album “Eyes Wide Open.” The concert is free with park admission. Seating is limited and available on a first come, first served basis. Sabrina Carpenter will perform at the Kingswood Amphitheater on Saturday, May 14 at 6 p.m.

Kid’s Activities – Bring the family to Planet Snoopy for fun arts and crafts! Try your hand at woodworking at the Lowes Build & Grow Workshop, or get creative with some flower pot decorating.

Live Entertainment – The Bandstand on International Street will become the Spring Bloom Stage, where we will feature live local entertainment throughout Spring Bloom!

There is something for everyone at Kings Dominion’s Annual Spring Bloom Festival! 2016 Season Passes are on sale now.

Kings Dominion is owned and operated by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, a publicly traded partnership that is listed for trading on The New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “FUN.” In addition to Kings Dominion, Cedar Fair also owns and operates ten other amusement parks, four water parks, one indoor water park, and five hotels. Cedar Fair also operates the Gilroy Gardens Theme Park in California under a management contract. # # #
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Original PDF:
 

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Mushroom

Mushroom

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Here's a neat interview on Chef Paul's thought for the 2016 Spring Bloom Festival:
Kings Dominion said:
What are your thoughts on this year?

While almost every park has an international food festival, I wanted this to be different. One big thing I liked when I moved to Richmond was how many local beer and farms there are. Some food and wine festivals feature replicated foods, but I wanted to take these international cuisines and give my spin on the flavors as well as provide a more local feel. Someone can try the dish here and buy all of the same ingredients and beverages when they leave. It not only brings a sense of community but also supports these local businesses.

What are you most excited about?

I’m most excited about how all of the food stations will be in one central location instead of spread around International Street. With everything being right around the Tower, it gives it more of a festival feel. We’re also offering even more locally sourced products this year, especially having the local breweries involved.

What inspired you for each dish?

Each dish is a dish or flavor profile I’ve had overseas while serving in the Navy that I thought others would enjoy as well. I’m lucky to have chosen a career as a chef while in the military because it gave me the ability to explore different countries and cuisines. Being a chef and studying other flavors, I got to put those experiences to use and get to use them in this food and wine festival.

What is your favorite dish at Spring Bloom and why?

The Italian Pesto Orzo Salad. Being Italian I grew up with those flavors. The food is way different over there, but I was able to use the flavors of fresh garlic, mozzarella, and pesto and channel the European/Mediterranean cuisine. There’s a special place in my heart for that style.
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Link

I'm hoping to try the "International Food Faire," the park's new moniker for Spring Bloom Festival, next weekend. To those who have experienced the event this year, how is it?

In the meantime, here's a video by the park of the Festival. I see a familiar face in there!
 
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Nicole

Nicole

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So, we probably won't get our full Spring Bloom review published before this weekend, so Zachary and I agreed to post some pictures and highlights here first. Thanks to Luke for taking the photos!

Zachary, Luke, Tony, and I went to KD last Saturday to check out the Festival. Naturally, we tasted everything. There will be a full review of all of the dishes in our article, but for now, I wanted to list our favorites:

Zachary: German Potato Salad (Germany)
Luke: Irish Banger (Ireland)
Tony: Swiss Mac and Cheese (Switzerland)
Nicole: Black Forest Ham and Havarti Cheese (Germany)
Overall Dessert: Tiramisu Parfait (Italy)
Overall Beverage: Honeydew Hard Cider (Italy)

KD made some great changes to the event. They reduced the number of booths and consolidated them under Eiffel Tower. More importantly, they set up a ticket-based system, which reduces lines at the kiosks and allows guests to use credit cards.

Zachary will post pictures of the menus and the ticket prices later today. Although I don't recall the costs off the top of my head, I can tell you that you can either purchase tickets for single entrees or beverages, or select a combination package that comes with a "Passport" booklet.

Keeping in mind that food can vary from day to day for a variety of reasons, based on our experience, the only dishes I would recommend against trying are the Loaded Irish Nachos and the Swiss Waffle.
 
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Luke

Luke

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Email from today
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Luke

Luke

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Nicole said:
KDFans just posted our full review of the Spring Bloom Festival's International Food Faire.

As usual, we tasted everything, and have provided our thoughts on it all.

Hope it is useful.

For the full menus and pricing structures, check out our posts from last week here and here.
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Looks great! Great job!
 
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Mushroom

Mushroom

Getting aHEAD of myself
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Excellent review, KDFans!

We at Busch Dominion have also posted our review and photo update of the 2016 Spring Bloom Festival. For those who want a different take, in the review of Chef Paul's Food Faire, you will find a few opinions that differ from those of KDFans' review.

Our article is focused less on the food review and also provides a full photo update of the entire experience. You'll get a complete look at all of the floral arrangements on International Street, as well as live entertainment and the petting zoo.

It's definitely worth a read, in addition to KDFans' article.

Spring Bloom Festival 2016 Photo Update and Review
 
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