What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Needs improvement

  H5152PVrobertd,,Jan 22, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  I spent the afternoon and evening at Busch Gardens Christmas Town, a modern holiday celebration with millions of lights. I have been coming here for many years and I was disappointed this year. Several of the shows I wanted to see were not performing on the day I visited. It would be helpful if the show schedule was available on the website when you purchase tickets in advance. And if you purchase your ticket from their website, you are now on their email list to receive multiple emails every single day! The Roman Rapids ride transforms into a "Polar Pathway" for Christmas Town. Every half hour there is a light show called "Spectacle of Lights". I had dinner at their Festhaus. Their "Christmas dinner" used to be turkey, but now it is chicken. They have a new show there this year, but unfortunately it was not performing on the day I visited. Outside the Festhaus is the large Tannenbaum. Every half hour, they have "Celebration of Lights at O'Tannenbaum". The last show I saw was "Gloria!", a more religious show. Busch Gardens is three miles from Colonial Williamsburg. I took a shuttle to and from the park.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Unclear cold weather policy

  Wanderer08185485526,,Jan 3, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  1.00

  AFTER paying $40 for parking, we were told that some of the rides might be closed due to the weather (under 42 degrees, it was 39) - we then made it all the way into the park were an attendant rather rudely told us that none of the attractions were open and there was no chance of them opening later I have seen other reviews with similar complaints, and we heard lots of guests around us with similar frustrations over not knowing how much the weather would impact the experience We have been to other theme parks in the cold weather, where it’s usually just snow or ice that effects the rides, not it just being kind of cold (which of course it is in January)

• Christmas Eve visit

  LSNS2652,,Jan 3, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  My wife, daughter and I went to Christmas Towne on Christmas Eve. We arrived about 2:00, earlier than we had arrived for previous Christmas Eve visits. Attendance was very light. We went to 4 shows, finishing the night with the 8 PM ice show. All were very well done with excellent lighting, music and with very talented entertainers. The lights everywhere were beautiful. We went on several rides and the only lengthy wait was at the sky tram.

• Not what it used to be to be, sneaky sales tactics.

  ZL4,,Jan 2, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  I had been here years ago. It was an amazing time. I went this time with my bf. We bought tickets way in advance when they had a big sale. Advertising “any day” in the summer. We bought skip the line tickets and an activity. When we got there wecwaited in line to be told our afmiasion ticket had expired. Went to Customer Service and literally hundreds of people were being yold the sane thing. The “any day in the sunmer” expired on July 1St. The manager who was overwhelmed and was telling people to buy new tickets then after getting off of a call said to refund everyone and put it towards today’s tickets. About 85 a person more. However, she then tried to recharge me for fast pass and the activity. When i asked why those were expired as they were day specific she apologized and said i was right. I don’t blame her. This wasn’t her fault. She was trying to handle the companies sneakiness that they through at her as best she could. I imagine this happened constantly but maybe it was her first tine having to deal with it. Once we got in the fast pass worked well except for one ride where they were letting fast pass people go then one ride only regular riders. It was fine as only once that happened. We only found one place open for food. But all the gift stores were open. Had to walk and look around for places to get a drink. Didn’t see any shows advertised. And a lot of the medium thrill rides were closed. We still had a good time because we chose too but it definitely was not worth the exuberant cost. The horse activity we did was great and the trainers are professional and fun. This was worth the cost and time. Unfortunately, this park has see much better days and is not up to par for what they offer and charge. The expiration days should be listed on advertisement instead of “any day”. Even if it is listed on small print elsewhere, which we couldn’t find or be shown when we asked to see it.

• Christmas day visit

  emilyrB4397PB,,Dec 31, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  I visited on Christmas day, from 3:00 to about 8:00. The atmosphere was very festive, and there were decorations everywhere. It looked really nice. I got a peanut butter hot chocolate in England, which was heavenly. Unfortunately I didn't have time to do a lot though - there was quite a lot of waiting even though the park was surprisingly less crowded than I expected it would be. I saw Gloria, which was a lovely production. It acts out the birth of Christ through the performance of Christmas carols. The actors and singers were good, as was the staging and effects. I also saw Scrooge No More, which is a short musical version of A Christmas Carol. It was also well-done. Both shows were about 25 minutes. One thing I found frustrating was that those 2 shows are the best rated, but Scrooge was always scheduled to start just 5 minutes after Gloria, and it's absolutely impossible to do them back to back. I tried, and I missed it, so then I was left with awkward downtime waiting for the next showing. One of the staff working there was also not very helpful. I asked if I missed entry for the show, and she replied shortly, "Yes you did" without offering any information on the next one or anything else. Then I said, "Okay. Is there a bathroom nearby?" and she said, "No there isn't" and turned away. As it turned out, there was one right around the corner. The interaction was off-putting. I also rode the train around the park after dark to see the lights. The ride was very nice, but there was a 45 minute wait. I got something to eat from Squire's, and that was also a 45 minute wait, mainly because, despite there being 4 registers, only 1 was open. Once I placed my order, it came out in 5 minutes, though. Unfortunately after dinner and the train, it was already after 8:00 and I needed to head out, so there wasn't time to even go on a ride, which was disappointing. Another thing is that the park was extremely dark once the sun started to set. I had a hard time seeing where I was and where I was going. I also felt mildly creeped out even though there were lots of people around. Overall, my visit was okay. There were some things that were really good and some that weren't. I think it's worth a Christmas visit though, if you don't set your expectations high.

• Wonderful experience

  26noahf,,Dec 27, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Went back for Christmas town and it was just as magical as the last time the decorations were absolutely beautiful and the rides were amazing.Big bad wolf the wolfs revenge did not disappoint.

• overhyped and overpriced

  StevenR 11,,Dec 25, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  2.00

  Busch Gardens, like many tourist traps, is greatly overhyped. In winter, it is essentially a waterpark without the waterpark rides. If you love rollercoasters, and don't mind a 40 minute wait, it may be right for you, but otherwise, you are left with a couple miles of pathways, bombarded with canned Christmas music, endless strings of lights, and a never ending array of gift shops with overpriced items, or snack bars that sell $9 bottles of water and $14 cans of beer. That is AFTER you pay $40-$70 per car for parking, and then the $30-$50 per person charge for entrance. If it's worth that price to look at lights while sipping on your $14 beer, go for it. Otherwise, sit in your rocker recliner and look at your Christmas tree lights for free.

• They need to do better for kids with food allergies

  X5050UBjenj,,Dec 23, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  2.00

  We go here often as locals. If you have food allergies, good luck. Their site claims they will be able to help you at food facilities. What this really means is you end up holding up a line while the poor employee looks like a deer in the headlights and disappears for 15+ min to find a binder and someone higher up. The higher up person flips to a page that he says doesn’t really apply because they used a substitute that day anyway, so just don’t get food there. (Does that mean even if the hot chocolate was safe, that it’s stored in the same canister as today’s not safe drinks?). Sometimes we gamble and get something we are pretty sure is safe. But for all the kids with food allergies out there, we feel you, and it’s sad to walk around watching everyone enjoy their drinks and pretzels, but not your kid, because the information really isn’t there, and you’re just advised to not order anything, everywhere you go.

• Christmas Town at Busch Gardens — Not Worth the Money

  Galamom,,Dec 8, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  2.00

  Our family visited Christmas Town at Busch Gardens on a Sunday, fully expecting crowds and holiday bustle. We purchased six tickets in advance, added Quick Queue for the train and sky tram, bought three all-day meal passes, two priority parking passes, and even spent extra inside the park—about $20 on games and roughly $140 on coffee, cocoa, and one candy apple. All told, we spent close to $1,000 for just 5.5 hours, and unfortunately, the experience didn’t come close to justifying the cost. Despite arriving at 2:30pm, we managed to get on only one ride—the swings—after waiting for an hour. The ride itself lasted maybe 60 seconds. Most rides either had extreme wait times or didn’t seem operational at all, and the Quick Queue add-on only seemed worth it for the train ride. While the teen staff members we encountered were friendly, they seemed completely undersupported. A simple attempt to buy hot cocoa turned into a 30-minute ordeal. After waiting in line for 10 minutes, the stand ran out, and it took another 20 minutes for them to restock. Nearby locations were out as well, which seemed surprising for such a popular seasonal item during peak hours. The whole experience felt less like a festive holiday event and more like walking around a shopping mall with pretty décor. Everything seemed to cost extra, the park maps were confusing, and the overall value just wasn’t there. For reference, our family usually prefers ski trips over theme parks, but even compared to other holiday attractions, this fell short. Kings Dominion offered a far better Christmas experience for the money. Next year, we’ll skip Christmas Town and instead enjoy the lights at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden and spend our money at local restaurants that go all-out with Christmas décor. For us, the charm and the value are simply better elsewhere.

• Christmas town bust

  rosejU7856RF,,Dec 1, 2025

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  Went late afternoon into evening for Christmas town. I was disappointed with food choices and quality. The shops were mediocre at best. Decorations were very lackluster. Very disappointing

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