The 2020 version of Christmas Town at Busch Gardens once again drenches the Tampa theme park in millions of twinkling lights with wafts of hot chocolate and waffles drifting from its food stalls. But something was missing.The Christmas Town holiday display has been going on at Busch Gardens since 2012 and has been tinkered with over the years to add ice shows, a celebration of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and more seasonal food options.It was quieter than usual and, being the year of the coronavirus, more socially distant.“Is there anything you want for Christmas this year?” asks Santa Claus from his perch on a stage six feet away from the couple posing for a picture. They didn’t hear the question that was offered from behind Santa’s mask.This is the third year that Santa, who goes by the secret identity of Scott Graverson of Valrico, has suited up for Christmas Town, letting his long white beard flow over a red velvet coat. He’s learning to project his voice over the distance.“At least there’s no crying children,” forced to sit on his lap for a photo, he said, looking on the bright side.In years past, there have been local choirs performing, and the huge Christmas tree near the Cheetah Hunt ride had lights timed to the music of Carol of the Bell s. Over in the Jungala section of the park, there was a 50-foot tree where the lights danced to songs every 10 minutes or so.Not this year. It’s not wise to invite crowds to gather, a spokeswoman said. So the park is a wee bit quieter, if you don’t count the roar of roller coasters. But the lights are still plentiful and they make a card-worthy backdrop for a family picture.There is a new “Spark the Night” fireworks show. It’s on Saturdays only for now and will be nightly from Dec. 25-Jan. 2. Take note that the Carol of the Bells will be part of the fireworks show soundtrack.The “Christmas on Ice” show is back, but instead of being performed inside the Moroccan Palace, an outdoor ice rink has been created in the Gwazi Field outdoor festival space ”to perform awe-inspiring delights on real ice for physically distant audiences every Friday through Sunday.”For the little ones, Elmo’s Christmas Wish , a holiday show for families to sing and dance along to, has been moved outdoors to the Sunny Day Theater with distanced seating and photo opps. The Three Kings Journey , a musical tale of the road to Bethlehem, is staged nightly in the cavernous Dragon Fire Grill, where many of the tables have been removed so that the ones remaining can be spaced apart. The Holly Jolly Express locomotive is back in action with guests singing along to Christmas carols while spaced out.The Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer meet and greet is back in Pantopia, but its only Rudolph and Clarice this year, a reduced cast of characters.They don’t have Disney princesses here, but they do have a lineup of original Christmas Town characters that are sparkly and photogenic. Find the Poinsettia Princess, Sugar Plum Princess, Ice Princess and jolly snowmen scattered at photo stations throughout the park.The food and drink options include specialty cocktails like the “Winter Wonderland Hot Toddy” made with winter cider, honey whiskey and a chai infusion and the festive “Spiked Hot Cocoa” with gingerbread crumbles, caramel and whipped cream. Even the food offerings seemed to lean on the sweet side, like the chicken and waffles with apple butter and maple syrup and the very tasty hot chicken slider with an apricot and serrano glaze and habanero jam.They sell sampler packages that start at $34.99 for a 5-punch lanyard. Better to use your punches on food, since the drinks are sample-sized.The real stars here are the millions of lights and the trees decorated with tiger and leopard print ornaments. There are dazzling pink lights where the flamingoes gather and the trees by the Tigress coaster are as orange as a Bengal tiger. Don’t miss Luminosity Lane – where you are immersed in a light tunnel that dances and flickers to holiday tunes.Crowd capacity is reduced to allow social distancing, with reservations and face masks required.Christmas Town is included with admission and runs daily through Jan. 3. A ticket deal right now allows you to buy next year’s Fun Card and use it immediately. buschgardens.com .
![Sharon Kennedy Wynne - Families, Entertainment and Events Editor](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 50 50"/%3E "Sharon Kennedy Wynne - Families, Entertainment and Events Editor")