New coaster, shows, and more coming to Busch Gardens Tampa Bay in 2024
We have more details on the Phoenix Rising roller coaster, new shows and updates at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, plus a new water play area at Adventure Island.
We were recently invited to Busch Gardens for their “What’s New, What’s Next” media event. This event gave us a sneak peek into the park’s newest attractions, shows, and experiences that await guests in 2024.
Before they got to the major announcements they told us about their upcoming Christmas Town event which runs from Nov. 11, 2023 to Jan. 7, 2024, and we got a look at some of the holiday foods they’ll be offering.
Holiday foods coming to @BuschGardens pic.twitter.com/8iSAxFoMP4
— Attractions Magazine (@Attractions) November 3, 2023
They also told us construction is always ongoing at the park, and mentioned how they’ve recently made some improvements at their dining locations, including a new food stand by Sheikra and the reopening of Oasis Pizza.
Phoenix Rising Family Roller Coaster
Although Phoenix Rising was previously announced, Busch gave us a few more details about the statistics, more concept art, and a look at the construction site for this family roller coaster.
What: Phoenix Rising will be Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s first roller coaster to feature on-board audio.
Where: Pantopia land
When: 2024
Maximum Height: 80 Feet
Track Length: 1,831 Feet
Maximum Speed: 44 Mph
Number Of Trains: 1
Number Of Vehicles: 10 Per Train
Number Of Passengers: 2 Per Vehicle, 20 Total Per Train
Minimum Riding Height: 42 Inches
Maximum Riding Height: 77 Inches
Ride Elements: Twists, Turns, On-Board Audio
Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
We asked what the onboard audio would feature and they said they didn’t know just yet. There wasn’t a lot to see on the construction site besides dirt, but you can see some markers for where the supports will go.
Castaway Falls at Adventure Island Water Park
Adventure Island water park, right across the street from Busch Gardens, recently closed for the season. When they reopen in 2024, guests will find a new family water play area called Castaway Falls.
This multi-level attraction will feature 111 play elements, including three giant tipping buckets that dump over 1,300 gallons of water combined, four water slides, soakers, flow pipes, hose jets, spray jets, water shooters, water curtains, tipping troughs, sliding buckets, and more.
Improved Kangaloom Kangaroo Area
The Walk-A-Bout Way Kangaloom interactive kangaroo and wallaby area of the park opened 2010, so Busch Gardens felt it was time for an update.
The area is not only getting a facelift, but the functionality of it will be improving for the team members. No other details were given.
New Ice Skating Show
A new ice skating show will be coming to the Moroccan Palace theater next year. At 1,500 seats, this theater is the largest at the park. The first production in the theater was called a song and dance show called Kaleidoscope in 1986.
They didn’t announce the name of the new ice show, or any details at all except that it will be beautiful and dynamic. The cast is currently rehearsing for the Christmas on Ice show. Turn It Up Remix will return in spring 2024, followed by the new show in the summer.
New Animal Show
As the Rescue Tails show has ended in the Pantopia Theater, it’s time for a new animal show. (Fun Fact: The theater used to host a dolphin show in the early ’90s.) The new show will be called Animal Tales and will focus on the animals you see around the park instead of the dogs and cats featured in the last show.
Busch Gardens Animal Tales will constantly evolve with new animals and behaviors. You may see different animals each time you see it.
They will not only tell tales about the animals themselves, but also Busch Gardens’ tales of how they care for them in the park and around the world with their conservation efforts. They will also demonstrate some animal behaviors, with some dad jokes thrown in. This new show starts earlier than the others. It begins on next week on Nov. 11, 2023.
Which of these new attractions are you most looking forward to? Tell us in the comments below.
