When Does Busch Gardens Open 2018

Busch Gardens Williamsburg 2018 season

Busch Gardens Williamsburg will celebrate the Loch Ness Monster's 40th anniversary during the park's 2018 season, which starts on March 24.

On Mach 24, Busch Gardens Williamsburg will kick off its 2018 operating season, which will feature the debut of a new virtual reality ride, a new summer laser show.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg in Virginia begins its 2018 season on March 24, and will be open every day through April 8 for spring break. In early spring, the park will unveil its new virtual reality ride, Battle For Eire. This VR attraction is a marriage of a motion-based theater simulator with 360-degree virtual reality headsets. Riders will be completely immersed in the story of Addie, the last fairy guardian of Ireland, as she tries to recover the sacred Heart of Eire from the evil villain, Balor.

"We can't wait to share this ride with our guests. It's truly a one-of-a-kind attraction with so many features and surprises, you'll want to experience it again and again," said Kevin Lembke, park president at Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. "And Battle For Eire is just the start of all the fun."

This summer, an all-new laser light pyrotechnic show debuts at the open-air Royal Palace Theatre. The show takes places every evening starting July 6 through Aug. 12.

Other 2018 highlights will include:

Let's Play Together (March 24 – April 29): Join Sesame Street's Elmo, Cookie Monster, Grover, Rosita, Bert,Ernie, and Abby Cadabby, as they play, sing and dance in an audience-participation show about friendship. Daily performances in the park's Globe Theatre.

Shopkins Live BFF Day (May 5): The No. 1 kids toy in North America is live and on stage in Shopkins Live BFF Day starring Jessicake, Rainbow Kate, Kooky Cookie, and Apple Blossom. Audiences are immersed in the world of Shopville through creative onstage characters, custom designed theatrical costumes and interactive performances with choreography and original pop songs. Admission is included with park admission.

Food & Wine Festival (May 25 – July 1): The multi-cultural culinary experience grows to give guests a wider selection of worldly cuisines. New savory tastes will include Brazil, Cuba, South Korea and Japan. Big name concert acts also will take the stage on select weekends during Food & Wine Festival. Country music sensation Scotty McCreery performs June 9 and pop music star, Andy Grammer, appears on June 30. Concerts will be held in the park's Royal Palace Theatre and are included with park admission.

Bier Fest (Aug. 17 – Sept. 3): Guests will be able to sample more than 100 craft beers from around the world, and listen to the tunes of local bands.

Howl-O-Scream (Sept. 15 – Oct. 28): Celebrating 20 years, the haunted Halloween event will add an extra weekend of scares, with new mazes, party zones, Terror-tories and two interactive bars.

The Count's Spooktacular (Oct. 6 – Oct. 28): On select weekends, The Count's Spooktacular returns with more meet and greets and trick or treat stations, and a new Sesame Street show for the kids.

Christmas Town (Nov. 17 – Jan. 1): Busch Gardens Christmas Town, now in its 10th season, will add an additional weekend to celebrate the season and increase its Christmas light count to 10 million, making this the largest light display of any holiday event in North America, and add a themed train experience for families to enjoy.

In addition, this year Busch Gardens will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Loch Ness Monster roller coaster, which has given more than 58 million rides over the years.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg is also introducing an all-new Membership program that lets guests choose from three plans, each offering admission to Busch Gardens, Water Country USA and Christmas Town, plus benefits for parking, guest tickets and in-park discounts. Membership allows park guests to take full advantage of the parks' amenities including all seasonal events.

For more information visit buschgardens.com/bgwmembership, and watch these videos of the park:

Escape from Pompeii Full POV at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Verbolten Front Row POV at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

InvadR wooden coaster POV at Busch Gardens Williamsburg

Apollo's Chariot Roller Coaster POV Busch Gardens Williamsburg