What To Avoid, What To Not Miss and What Has Changed at Busch Gardens Williamsburg Christmas Town 2021

December 13th my schedule finally allowed for us to head to Busch Gardens Williamsburg Christmas Town and check it out.  As many of you know last year’s event (Christmas Celebration) was a big disappointment and I know some of you are not planning to attend this year due to that.  And I don’t blame you.

There are some things you need to know before you go:

• If you don’t have a membership parking is $30.  It doesn’t appear they are doing any discounted nights.  This in itself may be enough for me to not go in future years as it’s a complete rip off.  But if you can find someone to go with you who has a membership parking is free.
• Once the temperature really drops certain rides will close.  We were able to get there right after the park opened while the sun was still up and everything was running.  You need to prioritize Verbolten, Invadr and any other rides that may shut down once the temps drop below freezing.  I don’t want you to miss them- Invadr and Verbolten are my favorite rides!!
• Marco Polo Marketplace and O’Tators are both still closed which means the only allergen-friendly locations at the park are not open.  As a vegetarian food was incredibly challenging to find (see “what to avoid” below).  You may need to try to bring some things with you if you have food specifications.

Current Busch Gardens Christmas Town prices for Christmas 2021:

Christmas Town Fun Card: This allows you to go as many times as you would like on any date.  The fun cards are currently $69.99.  They will NOT cover parking which is $30.

Christmas Town Single Day Ticket:  The best price we will see on the Busch Gardens Christmas Town Tickets for 2021 should be live now!  All single day tickets are between $34.99 and $54.99.  They will be $59.99 once the sale is over!  As in previous years you must choose your date ahead of time to see the pricing for tickets.  The more expensive the tickets the busier to expect the park to be.  They were as low as $24.99 at the beginning of November.

There is a $9.99 fee per transaction so buy as many as you can at once.  The limit is 10 tickets per transaction so make sure to plan ahead.

Membership Members: Remember Christmas Town is now included in your pass so you don’t need to buy tickets!

What is at New at Busch Gardens Christmas Town in 2021?

• Celtic Fyre®: A Christmas Celebration – Celtic Fyre returns for the first-time ever during Christmas Town™. Voted USA Today’s #1 Theme Park Entertainment, this iconic fan favorite show celebrates Irish culture with step dancing at Abbey Stone Theatre. The encore performance adds Christmas flair with a new twist on a Killarney classic.
   Up on the Haus Top – It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Warm up with modern-day Christmas classics in a festive performance in Das Festhaus.
   Unto Us – A choral celebration of the greatest story ever told. The first Christmas comes alive in this inspiring new show takes place in the open-air Il Teatro di San Marco Theatre.
   Holiday Scavenger Hunt presented by Coca-Cola© – Spot the special holiday ornaments around the park and you could receive a Coca-Cola prize while supplies last!
   North Pole Nightcap Bar – Grab your swizzle stick and make a toboggin run to the all-new bar featuring specialty holiday cocktails!
• Elmo’s Christmas Wish – Join Cookie Monster, Rosita, Grover, and Zoe as they help Elmo find his Christmas wish! Families are sure to be singing and dancing along while watching this fun holiday show. Visit the Sesame Street Forest of Fun outdoor stage to enjoy this show!
   O’Tannenbaum – Gather in front of Festhaus for a Christmas light show unlike any you’ve ever experienced
   Scrooge No More – The ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future will be swept away at the Globe Theatre this season
   Holiday Flavors to Savor – Find the tastes of the season throughout the park with the return of fan favorite beverages, including the decadent Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate and the extra-jolly After Dinner Mint Hot Chocolate, perfect for after the kids nestle snug in their beds.

What To Not Miss!

Despite the marketing department telling me all shows would be running on all dates I was sad to see that Celtic Fyre®: A Christmas Celebration had no show times the day we went.  I was there on a Monday and it’s not unusual for a show to be dark on Monday with specialized performers so I can’t give you any feedback on that.   The regular show during the season is very good and I see no reason to expect the holiday version to be any less enjoyable.

The absolute highlight of my visit to Busch Gardens Williamsburg Christmas Town in 2021 is the new Up On The Haus Top show in the Festhaus.  It is quite possibly the most technically difficult show I have ever watched performers do at Busch Gardens and this cast was up to it.

The energy could be felt all the way through the huge room and the smiles, bright costumes, professional choreography and diverse cast made the show completely enjoyable.

Plus it’s always nice to hear LIVE music and see instrumentalists who seem to enjoy their jobs.   Make this a priority.

My top priority when I go is ALWAYS ‘Twas The Night.  I think this is the 4th season this show has been running and I get to the theater at least 30 minutes early to grab good seats.

Yes that is ice skating show and yes that is a two time Olympic medalist running around with Santa Claus and the Nutcracker!

The show has only made small changes over the years and it’s always enjoyable for my whole family.  It’s the one show we all agree on.  There is also a hot chocolate stand right outside this area so we grab drinks and settle in to watch.

Don’t miss The Christmas Town Express.  If the line looks long be sure to read the wait time on the sign- it was only a 15 minute wait for us in spite of what looked like it should take hours.  This ride opens at 5 and there was already a small line forming at that time.  Once it’s dark outside any time is a good time for this sing-a-long train.  It takes you to see lights in the park you cannot see otherwise.

Give yourself atleast 45 minutes to walk the park and just look at The Lights.  The park itself is beautiful just to see.

They did pull back on some of the decorations this year (New France is no longer the 12 days of Christmas) but it’s peaceful just to walk through, see the lights and listen to the beautiful music they always have playing.

Rudolph and his friends have a new home over by the Carousel and it looks nice!  It should allow lines to go much faster.  Sadly it’s in the spot that used to be our favorite stop for hot chocolate and cookies.  You can meet Gingy and Frosty there as well and take pics with them for FREE!

What To Avoid

We started the day by seeing Unto Us in the open-air Il Teatro di San Marco Theatre.  I would recommend skipping this one unless you just really happen to love vocal music.  The singing is excellent (stellar ensemble with good blend and nice solos).  Shows often have a hard time mixing vocals in this space- the sound was really good so kudos to the technicians who work so hard.  But the script itself is disjointed- they replaced the Gloria! show with this one as their representation of the story of Jesus and it just doesn’t work.  It’s basically full of songs chosen for their ability to avoid paying copyright by randomly doing carols- with the exception of adding “Miracles” from the Prince of Egypt cartoon in the middle.  The lead actress is dressed in an outfit that looks like it was left over from Howl-O-Scream and the choreography is what we tend to do in community theater when we have a cast of people who aren’t strong dancers (box sets, jazz hands and patty-cake were all seen).  Overall if you are already going to have a difficult time getting everything done you want to accomplish you can skip this one.

As the park has had a harder time finding staff the food seems to keep going downhill and getting more expensive.  You are looking at $35 worth of food in the Festhaus- none of which was good.  I didn’t mind paying for food in the park when it was good- expensive food is part of the experience- but the lukewarm pizza and flat soda wasn’t worth the investment.

Maybe try the Smokehouse and see if the quality has continued to stand up since Marco Polo and O’Taters still have not reopened.  Regardless on my next visit I will bring in some things to eat myself and have a big meal before I get to the park.  As an upside the hot chocolate was better this year than usual- much hotter!  Be sure to bring your reusable cups from years before to get $2.49 refills!

I hope this helps you to make good decisions for your visit- knowing what to avoid and what to focus on can help you get everything done you need to have a magical day!