My father was in the Navy and stationed in Norfolk. From our first visit in 1977 until he was transferred in 1988, we never missed visiting Busch Gardens at least once each year. A lot of great memories were made at the park. I don't remember his name but the man that use to lead the drinking cheer at the Festhaus was a family friend. His family owned a paint store that was next door to my Grandmother's house in Pennsylvania. He always took the time to come over and talk to us when we were there, especially when she was with us. The last time that I got to visit was in 1990 while I was going to school in the Army, although I do have plans for a visit in 2025 during the 50th anniversary.
Dan Tove, unfortunately I agree with you. When I worked in the shows there, every section of the park had a live show, and it had 5 - 7 performances a day... and that was in the spring and fall. In peak summer season, every show had two casts performing, so there would be between 10 - 14 performances of each show per day! It was easy to enjoy the park and see all of the live entertainment. Now you have to stand in a long line in the hot sun to get into the few live shows that are left...and they maybe have 2 or 3 performances of them per day. OR, you pay extra for "premium seats". Just parking your car in the parking lot is $30!!! I just hosted a big reunion of former BGW Live Entertainment performers in Williamsburg, and less than half of the attendees went to the park the day after our reunion.
The sentiments expressed in this video i agree with, that the park was like an old friend or a family. it certainly was that way back when we were all there. the entertainment department was top notch with top-notch managers who cared about quality. we all worked hard to put on the best show possible and people loved it, this included all the street performers whci sadly are a lost part of the past. i had some of the best times of my life in the 7 years I was there. unfourtantley, things change and the corporate machine takes over and realize that to keep up, we need to focus on thrill rides to attract customers, which comes at the cost of other features in the park, one of which is entertainment. i am glad we all got to be there at the right moment in time and have the experiences we did.
Much preferred Hastings over Ireland and all the great Broadway style shows over the "river dance" nonsense at the Magic Lantern Theater. Even the Old Globe rock show is nothing compared to American Sings. No more Canadian Palladium or American Jukebox stage. No more Festhaus show with the huge round elevator stage with orchestra on top. No more Italian show, street performers, Threadneedle or Enchanted Laboratory (my favorite). The landscaping has also slipped. They ripped out the beautiful flower beds in front of Festhaus and other places. I think they took out the gorgeous Busch Eagle stained glass window as well. Horrid!!! There isn't even a dark ride anymore now that Dark Castle is gone. Even food quality has going down hill fast with the addition of cheap chain eateries. Busch Gardens is much more like Six Flags now. Their Hallow Scream is trashy and embarrassing for a park of that quality. Clueless management that has destroyed the culture and essence of what Busch Gardens was. Such a shame, because at one point it was the best theme park in the country. I have stopped going.
I grew up with all the changes of Busch Gardens !
My father was in the Navy and stationed in Norfolk. From our first visit in 1977 until he was transferred in 1988, we never missed visiting Busch Gardens at least once each year. A lot of great memories were made at the park. I don't remember his name but the man that use to lead the drinking cheer at the Festhaus was a family friend. His family owned a paint store that was next door to my Grandmother's house in Pennsylvania. He always took the time to come over and talk to us when we were there, especially when she was with us. The last time that I got to visit was in 1990 while I was going to school in the Army, although I do have plans for a visit in 2025 during the 50th anniversary.
Thank you for posting this. I saw the video that they put out as a trailer for it but then I couldn’t seem to find the actual documentary.
Thanks for posting this video I really enjoyed watching it. I also really like the timeline at the beginning of the video.
Dan Tove, unfortunately I agree with you. When I worked in the shows there, every section of the park had a live show, and it had 5 - 7 performances a day... and that was in the spring and fall. In peak summer season, every show had two casts performing, so there would be between 10 - 14 performances of each show per day! It was easy to enjoy the park and see all of the live entertainment. Now you have to stand in a long line in the hot sun to get into the few live shows that are left...and they maybe have 2 or 3 performances of them per day. OR, you pay extra for "premium seats". Just parking your car in the parking lot is $30!!! I just hosted a big reunion of former BGW Live Entertainment performers in Williamsburg, and less than half of the attendees went to the park the day after our reunion.
The sentiments expressed in this video i agree with, that the park was like an old friend or a family. it certainly was that way back when we were all there. the entertainment department was top notch with top-notch managers who cared about quality. we all worked hard to put on the best show possible and people loved it, this included all the street performers whci sadly are a lost part of the past. i had some of the best times of my life in the 7 years I was there. unfourtantley, things change and the corporate machine takes over and realize that to keep up, we need to focus on thrill rides to attract customers, which comes at the cost of other features in the park, one of which is entertainment. i am glad we all got to be there at the right moment in time and have the experiences we did.
Excellent video!!
My family used to be able to go to Busch gardens 25 times a year once
Yes. The food.
Edit....
Totally serious
Much preferred Hastings over Ireland and all the great Broadway style shows over the "river dance" nonsense at the Magic Lantern Theater. Even the Old Globe rock show is nothing compared to American Sings. No more Canadian Palladium or American Jukebox stage. No more Festhaus show with the huge round elevator stage with orchestra on top. No more Italian show, street performers, Threadneedle or Enchanted Laboratory (my favorite). The landscaping has also slipped. They ripped out the beautiful flower beds in front of Festhaus and other places. I think they took out the gorgeous Busch Eagle stained glass window as well. Horrid!!! There isn't even a dark ride anymore now that Dark Castle is gone. Even food quality has going down hill fast with the addition of cheap chain eateries. Busch Gardens is much more like Six Flags now. Their Hallow Scream is trashy and embarrassing for a park of that quality. Clueless management that has destroyed the culture and essence of what Busch Gardens was. Such a shame, because at one point it was the best theme park in the country. I have stopped going.