WILLIAMSBURG — Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s new Summer of Wonder kicked off on Friday and will run daily through Aug. 11.
The new event was described as a blend of art, music, and food alongside the park’s many attractions. Busch Gardens Williamsburg has partnered with local Virginia artisan groups to have present art installations throughout the park, including custom murals designed and created specifically for the park.
“I’m very excited. Summer is such a unique time in the way that our big events that people think about: Food and Wine, Howl-O-Scream, Christmas Town, everyone knows about those, but the opportunity to create something unique during the summer time, we’ve done Summer Nights for so many years and this is a new twist,” said Busch Gardens Williamsburg’s Park President Kevin Lembke.
The Williamsburg Arts Group (WAG) is one of the organizations taking part. Founded in 2018, the group has grown to 65 area artists with a mission to create new opportunities for the community to view, appreciate, and purchase artwork and for artists to exhibit their work locally.
WAG artists will be creating a community mural for visitors to paint, painting a LOVE installation, and selling artwork in the exhibit space, all taking place at the WAG pavilion. Individual artists will also be painting plein air, where artists use an easel and paint what they see around them, at four different locations around the park on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays throughout Summer of Wonder.
The summer concert series will also return with the following lineup:
- 38 Special — June 15
- Flo Rida — June 22
- Bret Michaels — June 29
- Locash — July 6
- Switchfoot — July 13
- Creedence Clearwater Revival Tribute Band — July 20
- Breland — July 27
- We the Kingdom — Aug. 3
- Montell Jordan — Aug. 20
All concerts begin at 7 p.m. and are free with admission to the park.
There will also be special Summer Wonder venues around the park where guests can purchase seasonal treats to enjoy.
“I’m really excited about the local connection to Virginia and I’m anxious for people to come check that out,” Lembke said.
To learn more about the Summer of Wonder, visit the official Busch Gardens Website.
