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Mardi Gras at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay runs until March 2, 2025. We tried the Shrimp Creole with rice. What did we think?

Read more: Taste Test: Shrimp Creole at Mardi Gras Busch Gardens

The first Florida theme park food festival of 2025 is the Mardi Gras celebration at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay. This event features parades, beads, a brass band, and food and beverages. It occurs primarily on Fridays through Sundays through March 2.

We visited on the opening weekend of the event. During that time, we enjoyed the Mardi Gras festivities. We tried several of the Mardi Gras food options. In preparation for our visit, we checked out the online menus. While doing that, we noticed a high percentage of menu items with rice. While we wondered how that would work for most, we enjoy rice dishes.

Shrimp Creole at Mardi Gras Busch Gardens

The menu description for the Shrimp Creole reads, “Shrimp simmered in butter with garlic, holy trinity (onions, red bell peppers, celery), Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, tabasco.” This did not look like the photo shown on the Busch Gardens website. After we purchased this item, we were initially concerned about the Shrimp Creole with rice. It looked more like rice with a few shrimp.

Despite that, we found this rice dish among the best dishes at the Mardi Gras event. We suggest mixing the rice and components up before eating. As our photos show, the Shrimp Creole looks far more appealing after mixing everything up. The shrimp used this year exceeded the quality of the shrimp from last year’s event. The dish presented some depth of flavor., which we enjoyed. Also, we were impressed with how this dish held the heat as we ate it.

On the negative side, we felt this dish lacked a robust Cajun spicy flavor. We understand that spicy food does not sell as well with standard theme park guests. Nevertheless, this is a Mardi Gras event. Guests should expect a powerful flavor with the Cajun dishes.

Sampler Lanyards: Potential Savings

This Mardi Gras food option costs $10.99, which feels a bit too high, even at a theme park. However, guests can purchase a Mardi Gras sampler lanyard to acquire menu items at a lower price. Guests can buy sampler lanyards. These lanyards entitle them to five Mardi Gras food and beverage samples. This option is priced lower than buying items individually from each cabin. Guests can purchase a five-item sampler lanyard for the Mardi Gras event for $40. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay pass members can buy a six-item sampler lanyard for the same price.

Guests should visit Busch Gardens Tampa Bay’s website for more information about the Mardi Gras event. For more coverage of theme park-related subjects, visit our website at Vacationeers Podcast. As always, eat like you mean it!