Craig Wayne Boyd, Adam Wakefield & El Gran Combo at Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival this weekend!
The Voice veterans, Craig Wayne Boyd & Adam Wakefield, and Latin sensations El Gran Combo, take the stage this weekend at Busch Gardens® Tampa Bay’s third annual Food & Wine Festival.
The festival takes place on Saturdays and Sundays now through April 30. Concerts start at 7p.m. and are included with any Pass, Fun Card or daily admission.
Adam Wakefield– Saturday, March 25, Gwazi Park – 7 p.m.
After finishing second overall in NBC’s The Voice, Adam Wakefield has skyrocketed to the top of the iTunes charts with his hit single, “Lonesome Broken and Blue” and boasted the season’s top debut on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, entering at No. 73. The single, which Adam wrote, also arrived as his highest-charting (No. 14) of nine entries on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs. Aside from The Voice, Wakefield has shared the stage as a musician with artists such as Chris Cagle, Lee Brice, Keith Anderson, Michelle Wright, and more. During CMA Fest this year, he performed alongside the Oak Ridge Boys, Maren Morris, Steven Tyler and more as part of Marty Stuart’s Annual Late Night Jam.
Craig Wayne Boyd – Saturday, March 25, Gwazi Park – 8:30 p.m.
Since winning The Voice, Craig has been busy touring and recording a new album which features “Wild Ways.” Rooted in the southern tradition of country music and topped with a rebellious flair, Craig is an extreme talent who excelled at singing and playing the guitar at age of four. He received long-due critical and mainstream recognition as the Season 7 winner of The Voice. Taking the title as a member of Team Blake (Shelton), Craig dazzled the audience with the premiere performance of “My Baby’s Got A Smile on Her Face,” which debuted #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, becoming the second song (following Garth Brooks’ “More Than A Memory”) to ever do so. Growing up in the Dallas, Texas suburb of Mesquite, Craig’s childhood was highly influenced by gospel and country music and he later became the choir director at his hometown church. After a trip to Nashville, life-changing events came his way. Craig signed a publishing deal with EMI and after several years of prolific songwriting, he began touring heavily, logging more than 1,000 shows in four years, and opening for acts like Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser and Brantley Gilbert. In 2015, Craig opened up for Rascal Flatts during their Vegas Riot! Nineshow residency at the Hard Rock Casino in Las Vegas before continuing on his headlining West Bound and Down Tour.
El Gran Combo – Sunday, March 26 at Gwazi Park – 7 p.m.
In 2002, El Gran Combo celebrated their 40th anniversary with two sold-out concerts at the Ruben Rodríguez Coliseum in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. This celebration spawned a renowned album that was recognized as one of the best of the year. A year later, they received a Grammy for Best Tropical Album. Among other musicians, they are one of the “enduring superstars of the island”
As of 2011, the orchestra has released over 60 albums or CD’s, and it has received many awards, including golden albums, a “Calendario de Plata” in Mexico, a “Golden Combo” in Colombia, a “Paoli Award” in their native Puerto Rico, an honorable distinction in Spain and countless others. In 2006, they released their album titled Arroz con Habichuela (“Rice and Beans”). It spawned three hit singles. The first one titled “No Hay Manera” (“There’s No Way”), the title song, and “Si La Vez Por Ahí”. In 2007, El Gran Combo performed two massive concerts at the José Miguel Agrelot Coliseum to celebrate their 45th anniversary. In 2010, two tribute albums were released, one by former member Andy Montañez and another by the bank Banco Popular, as part of their annual music series.
In addition to chart topping concerts, this year Busch Gardens Tampa Bay has added more ways to savor the festival including:
SPECIAL PACKAGES:
- Food & Wine Festival VIP Priority Seating – VIP Priority Seating is available for each concert date. Reservations start at $24.99.
- Food & Wine Sampler – Guests with exclusive interests in culinary offerings can purchase a Food & Wine sampler that includes any samples of choice throughout the Festival. Samplers are available in quantities of five, eight or twelve and start at $29.99.
- Wine by the Bottle – Guests can take home a part of the Food & Wine Festival with wine available for purchase by the bottle in select gift shops, including Xcursions, Nature’s Kingdom and Tiger Trail.
The Festival features 13 different culinary cabins that guests can experience throughout the park, each with its own special menu including three new cabins, Tasty Taquiera, Cooking with Coke® Pavilion and Fry Fusion Presented by Coca-Cola®. With a menu of more than 35 delectable dishes designed specifically for the event, including signature dishes and exciting new cuisine like duck tacos, lobster ravioli, bacon mac & cheese, brown sugar rubbed pork belly, banana foster panna cotta and cabernet-filled chocolates, as well as an expanded selection of wines, craft brews and cocktails.
The Busch Gardens Food & Wine Festival takes place on Saturdays and Sundays from March 4 through April 30 and is included with any Pass, Fun Card or daily admission. Food and beverage is not included with park admission and is available for an extra fee. Guests must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages
