SeaWorld Food festival

When it comes to Orlando’s fab food festivals, it isn’t just Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando that have cornered the market on great tastes. Oh no. Head to SeaWorld from February to mid-May and you’ll enjoy a sea-sational foodie fiesta – the Seven Seas Food Festival.

This relative newcomer to our seasonal food offerings made its debut as recently as 2017 and has built a steady reputation from there as an annual treat for the tastebuds. And this year’s event is set up to be the biggest and best to date.

For those new to this festival, it is the chance to sample an array of international food and beverage items at a series of 28 kiosks sprinkled throughout the park, boosted by a weekend concert series that is free with park entry.

The culinary marketplaces are open from 11am to park closing every Thursday to Sunday, while the concerts are held every Saturday and Sunday evening at 7pm.

How does it differ from Disney’s big foodie event?

If you’ve already tried Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival, it is similar in creating regional and international cuisine ‘markets,’ albeit SeaWorld’s version is less avant garde and more approachable.

The Seven Seas Festival also offers a good-value Sampler Lanyard that saves money if you plan on trying multiple tastes (which we definitely advise!).

Samples typically cost from $7.99-$11.99, depending on whether it is something simple, like the Mexican Street Corn, or a high-end choice such as the Classic Lobster Roll. There are also some delicious international dishes that allow you to graze your way around the park, chief among them being items like the juicy Brazilian Picanha Steak, Smoked Lamb Ribs (Polynesian Market) and Tempura Battered Sushi (Asian Market).

When you consider the 10-sample Lanyard costs $70, or just $7 per item, and the 15-item one is $85 (less than $6 per item), that means you can make a considerable saving with either lanyard, especially if you pick all the top-end-priced dishes.

What’s New for 2024?

The answer to that is “quite a lot!” With more than 200 individual items to choose from – 65-plus craft beers, 50-plus unique eats and a whopping 80-plus wines and cocktails – this is a real all-out extravaganza in food and beverage.

Here are the bulk of the new items SeaWorld has told us to watch out for (and it’s a pretty big list):

The All-American Market - Fried Pickles served with a Texas petal sauce.

At Café de Mar - Whisky Maple Bacon Cinnamon Roll (a soft, sweet Cinnamon Roll, crispy crumbled bacon, topped with Whiskey Maple Glaze),

The Irish Market - Bangers and Mash (a Guinness Sausage, Boursin mashed potatoes, peas and gravy), and St Patrick’s Day Nachos (Crispy potato chips, corned beef, cheese and red cabbage).

At the Asian Market - Tempura Battered Sushi (a California Roll, deep fried and topped with masago and eel Sauce) and a Deep-Fried Dumpling (with an Asian vegetable medley and Ponzu sauce).

The Gulf Coast Market - Boudin Balls with Remoulade Sauce (Cajun rice balls with ground pork and chicken).

This year the festival also welcomes FOUR all-new markets. Take your pick from:

The Indian Market, located near Infinity Falls. This marketplace will feature: Garlic Na’an with Chickpea Curry (a tomato cream stew with peas, plus chutney); Chicken Tikka Masala (the classic tomato cream sauce, with peppers and jasmine rice); and Jalebi (the crispy, fluffy Indian funnel cake with Wildflower honey).

The French Market, which features classic French flavours, such as: Duck Confit (served with Tabais bean); Escargot in garlic butter with Crostini; and a Mini Crème Brûlée (rich vanilla custard topped with caramelised sugar).

An imaginative Veggie Market, located on the Pipeline Pathway, which features several delicious meatless offerings: a Veg’d Out Sandwich (soybean chicken patty, Brioche bun, green goddess, arugula and tomato); Taco ‘Bout It (plant-based chorizo, pico de gallo, lettuce and crema); and a Fruit Tart (lime, mango, dairy-free custard and lavender).

And then there is the distinctive Half Pipe Pavilion, which is sure to get the party started with an array of new cocktails, including: Non-Alcoholic Peach Lemonade; Vodka Lemonade; Lemon Basil Vodka Lemonade; Cucumber Mint Vodka Lemonade; and Strawberry Vodka Lemonade.

Additionally, there is an array of refreshing new cocktails for visitors to enjoy while sipping their way around the Seven Seas, including the Pipeline (Hendricks Gin, Tito’s Vodka, Bacardi, Peach Schnapps, orange juice, pineapple and grenadine), a Mango Margarita, Mediterranean Sangria and Frozen Pitaya Punch (Bacardi Light Rum, Triple Sec, dragon fruit, cranberry and lime).

Guests can also relax with an ice-cold beer at the Food Festival Beer Garden or at Flamecraft Bar, which will feature a range of local and regional brews.

And then there are the concerts

The big live entertainment highlight – just like the Epcot festival – comes with the weekend concerts, a fully-fledged stage performance from headline stars from across the musical spectrum, from rock and Country to Latin and 90s throwback sounds.

Staged each weekend evening on the Bayside Stadium Stage, the concert series brings down the curtain on the day, featuring big name acts both past and present, from Gloria Gaynor and Kool & The Gang to Corey Kent and Ludacris.

General seating is first come, first served, BUT SeaWorld also offers (a rather expensive) upgrade for Premium Floor Seating (closest to the stage), guaranteed Floor Seats (a few rows back) or reserved Stadium Seats (back in the Stadium itself) for $64.99, $45.99 and $35.99 respectively.

The main performer for some weekends has yet to be announced, but those confirmed to appear are:

Kool & the Gang, Feb. 3

Josh Turner, Feb. 4

Gente De Zona, Feb. 17

Newsboys, Feb. 25

Gloria Gaynor, Mar. 2

Night Ranger, Mar. 3

Corey Kent, Mar. 16

Warrant, Mar. 24

Grupo Niche, Apr. 6

Hoobastank, Apr. 13

Ludacris, Apr. 28

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