One of the best theme park festivals in Orlando is SeaWorld’s Bands, Brew & BBQ. Three things that go remarkably well together. The event brings big talent to the stage, and accomplished BBQ joints to the food pavilion. Plus you’ll get to sample a wide selection of beers from our nation’s best brewers.
The festival is scheduled weekends throughout March (7-8, 14-15, 21-22 and 28-29), and Bands, Brew & BBQ is included with regular park admission. I look forward to this event every year.
A few years ago, protestors mis-informed by the one-sided documentary Blackfish, caused some of the music acts to cancel their appearances. Since then SeaWorld has only been releasing the names of each act a few weeks ahead of the weekend. So far we know who will be performing the first two weekends. It’s an amazing lineup.
Scheduled performances now include:
Saturday, March 7: Toby Keith
Sunday, March 8: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Saturday, March 14: Rodney Atkins
Sunday, March 15: Kool & the Gang
Event festivities begin at 11:30 a.m. each weekend, with concerts at 4 p.m.
New this year, the celebration also salutes America’s Heroes with military discounts for both active military and veterans, patriotic offerings and a partnership with the USO Central Florida, an organization that has been lifting the spirits of America’s troops and their families for more than 70 years.
“We’re thrilled to partner with SeaWorld, and we appreciate their longstanding dedication to honoring the troops and retirees,” said Roland Emerson, executive director of USO Central Florida. “Working together during Bands, Brew & BBQ, we can make a difference in the spirits of many service members and their families.”
The patriotic-themed USO Garden will offer a relaxing place away from the crowds that reflects the spirit of the renowned organization, viewing of the concerts on large flat screens and refreshments. Guests can get up close with animals and kids can work on masterpieces at coloring stations, take photos with SeaWorld costume characters, learn from educators and play interactive games. In addition, this area offers messaging about the USO while music that speaks to the history of the USO provides a nostalgic atmosphere to the area.
And, the first weekend will feature a special performance by the USO Show Troupe, a military quartet who performs a diverse repertoire of morale-boosting musical entertainment for active duty military, their families, veterans and patriotic Americans everywhere.
SeaWorld Orlando offers a special discount for all enlisted men and women AND veterans during Bands, Brew & BBQ — 50% off a 2015 Fun Card which allows unlimited admission to SeaWorld all year for the price of a single-day ticket. For more details, visit wavesofhonor.com.
The “one-sided documentary Blackfish”?!?!
Actually, coming from you, I’m not at all surprised at the…to put this as mildly as possible…willingness to look the other way to justify the blog.
There is no willingness to look the other way, there is only the truth of the good work SeaWorld does with the Orca population and the lies of omission Blackfish made.
I think you are being very naive John to be honest. I would try and avoid being in favour of anything Seaworld do if I were in your position. If “Blackfish” was so inaccurate it wouldn’t have affected Seaworld’s business as much as it has. Visitor numbers are dropping. Shares are plummeting and business links from other companies such as the airline industry are ending. Seaworld are just burying their head in the sand with all of this saying “la, la, la, we’re not listening”. Maybe the documentary was one sided, a lot of documentaries can be, but it doesn’t detract from the fact that although Seaworld may do a lot for conservation it is unfortunately fair outweighed by the severe cruelty witnessed in “Blackfish”. I for one will never visit Seaworld again……… and I am not alone !
I watched Blackfish. In the past there were some bad actors when it came to Orca capture and display. No one disputes that, even SeaWorld. But SeaWorld today is not the SeaWorld of the early 70s. There is no other organization as dedicated to the conservation and care of these animals as SeaWorld. There is also no doubt in my mind that the exposure SeaWorld gives to Orca’s via its parks educates millions of people a year and gives them a passion to conserve and save those animals. Without SeaWorld there is none of that and there’s a good chance Orca’s would just be seen as another natural resource in the ocean to be exploited by nations that don’t share our values. It takes more than a village to save the planet. You need people fighting for change on the extremes (PETA, Greenpeace, etc) and people fighting in the middle as well. You can’t say one is better than the other, they’re just working toward the same goal in different ways.
I know you feel passion after watching Blackfish. I feel passion everytime I see those gorgeous Orca’s at SeaWorld. I think you’re over-estimating the damage that one-sided documentary did to the park. They took a hit, for sure, but the park is still profitable and the forecast is for growth.
Actually John they made a loss in the last quarter !
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