Bands, Brews & BBQ

What a great idea Seaworld has put together! We went to BBB when Hall and Oates was playing and we had a great time even though it was freezing out. They had plenty of different beer to choose from and the $ 21 for 10 tastings imo is a pretty decent deal. I was a bit disappointed as they ran out of one of the beers I wanted to try, but that’s not necessarily their fault. The only other issue I found was that the food was somewhat cold, but that was primarily because it was a very cold day. We are going back to see Sheryl Crow on St. Patty’s Day!

SeaWorld Orlando’s Bands, Brew & BBQ is the park’s yearly spring-​time event featuring – you guessed it – Bands, Brew, and BBQ! Occurring on four select Saturdays in February and March, the event takes place along the walkway stretching from the WaterFront area to Bayside Stadium. Guests get to enjoy a sampling of food and drinks from local restaurants in a beer garden atmosphere. In the afternoon there is a free concert at Bayside Stadium. Here is 2011 lineup:
Feb. 12: Huey Lewis & the News
Feb. 19: Willie Nelson
Feb. 26: REO Speedwagon
Mar. 5: Josh Turner
To be perfectly honest, Bands, Brew & BBQ might be the most underrated theme park event in Orlando. Last year my wife and I went twice, and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves both times. The walkway area, where the booths are set up, is very conducive to taking a stroll, trying a bite of food here, a brew there, and repeat. Dare I say, it feels a little bit like Epcot’s F&W Festival (
).
What really helps the event is that it takes place during the day. Unlike Universal Studios Mardi Gras (
), which doesn’t really kick off until dusk, this event let’s you have some fun in the sun! And after a long winter, that’s exactly what you want to do. Also, that part of SeaWorld is quite beautiful.
The other really fun aspect of this event is the stadium itself, where the free concerts are held. It has an outdoor amphitheater style to it, so it’s tough to get a bad seat. Also, the band performs on what appears to be floating stage, which looks cool.
Did I mention that all of this is included with park admission? It is.
So, yeah, I am definitely a big fan of this event, and we will definitely be going this year.
Insider tip: If you like this event, they do the same thing over at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay on Sundays (
).