A Night on the Christmas Town at Busch Gardens!

You might have noticed we’re a bit gung-ho for Christmas here at Debbie’s Villas this month. That’s because Orlando simply has some of the best festive theming you’ll find anywhere, and it’s pretty much all-encompassing.

We’ve already given you the lowdown on the overall appeal of ‘The Most Wonderful Time of the Year’ in Orlando as a whole, and taken you on a trip to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party at the Magic Kingdom.

So now we’re going to highlight a trip down I-4 to Tampa and Busch Gardens for their seasonal Christmas Town programme, which is running now through to January 9th.

It’s another extravaganza of lights and decorations, and it has the benefit of being included with theme park entry. There’s also the bonus of the Holiday In The Sky fireworks show to sign off the evening in style on Saturdays and select nights (Nov 19-23, 25 and 26, Dec 2, 3, 9, 10, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24 25-31, and Jan 1).

What is Christmas Town at Busch Gardens?

In simple terms, Christmas Town is the seasonal festive overlay for the park, a celebration of the Yuletide period in lights, extra festivities and shows. Every part of the park is decorated in suitable style, and there are millions of lights strung throughout to create a dazzling night-time effect.

The line-up of shows and entertainment include the signature Christmas On Ice skating production in the Moroccan Palace Theater, which includes some eye-popping stunts; the classic Three Kings Journey nativity performance in the Dragon Fire Grill; and Elmo’s Christmas Wish for the young ’uns in the Sunny Day Theater in the Sesame Street Safari of Fun area.

There are character experiences aplenty, with the likes of the Sugar Plum Princess, the Ice Princess, Storytime with Mrs Claus and the beautifully created set-piece meet-and-greet of Santa’s North Pole Experience, with Father Christmas himself.

There is also the Christmas Town Village, offering a selection of food and drink kiosks, as well as souvenir stalls and gift selections (for when you really need that Teddy Bear onesie!). For those colder evenings, there are plenty of hot cocoa and cookie kiosks, too.

The whole presentation runs from 10am to either 8, 9 or 10pm each day.

What Should we see First at Busch Gardens?

There are plenty of must-see moments around the park, but you might want to start by heading to the first available Christmas On Ice show. This runs up to four times a day, but the later shows usually draw quite a crowd, hence it pays dividends to catch this early on.

Santa’s North Pole Experience is another attraction that builds some substantial queues in the evening, so it’s another good one to see when you first arrive, and you can then follow that with the other big character experience, Rudolph’s Winter Wonderland, which also runs continuously through the day at the Pantopia Theater.

The children’s fun of Storytime with Mrs Claus and Elmo’s Christmas Wish are on stage four or five times a day, so you can catch one of these when you happen to be in the area.

Perhaps the best way to see everything at your leisure, though, is to take the Holly Jolly Express, the park’s regular Serengeti Express train, which is given a Christmas makeover with lots of tinsel, garlands and sing-along songs. It runs from Nairobi to Stanleyville and back, and is a lovely way to see the park at night.

What About the Rides at Busch Gardens?

Good question! Busch Gardens is certainly renowned for its rollercoasters and other rides, and these are especially thrilling at night.

With the added element of all the festive decorations, the super-exciting attractions like Tigris, SheiKra and the new Iron Gwazi are even more intense and fun to ride, so you definitely want to factor a few of these into your Christmas Town visit.

At the same time, there’s plenty of spectator appeal in just watching the rides in action – and listening to the screams of those on board!

All the animals are safely ticked up in bed as the sun goes down, though, so make sure you see them during the day if you want to experience the park’s various animal habitats.

Wait, there’s more!

While you will definitely want to make time for each of the big set-piece events and shows, it also pays just to take a slow wander around areas like Nairobi and the Christmas Town Village to soak up the seasonal vibe.

There’s a cute light show that plays on the front of the Crown Colony House in the Edge of Africa section, while the Tunnel of Lights is a really cool effect to walk through in the Jungala area.

You might also like to try the Cookie Decorating stall (for an additional $6.99) or add Baileys Irish Cream, Kahlua or Peppermint Schnapps (for an extra $6) to your hot cocoa ($9.49 in a souvenir cup) for a suitably grown-up treat.

It’s just a wonderful day out at this splendid theme park, and the fact it is at absolutely no extra cost (apart from your food and drink) definitely gets our seal of approval. Miss it at your peril!

For more details, visit BuschGardens.com.

PS: Check out our friends Veness Travel Media – authors of the essential Brit Guide to Orlando – who have a Christmas Town highlights video on this link.

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