Though the official opening date for Busch Gardens ® Williamsburg for 2017 is March 25, 2017, but annual pass holders were given a “preview” day on March 18, which included a number of big announcements for both 2017 and 2018 for the park!

First up, this year’s new wooden roller coaster, InvadR was revealed to be opening on April 7th, and the unveiling of the arch to enter the ride (shown here by BGWFans). Count on us here at IoM to attend the opening for that!

In addition, enhancements to the Food and Wine Festival, including new food tents, were announced, as well as a kid-centric Halloween event to take place during the day before the annual Howl-O-Scream event.

Also announced by Busch Gardens ® is that their Europe in the Air ride is permanently closed, to be replaced by an as-of-yet unnamed new ride that will incorporate virtual reality with the existing simulation technology in the building.

An all-new attraction unlike any other is coming to Busch Gardens ® Williamsburg in spring 2018. Utilizing virtual reality headsets and the state-of-the-art motion simulator located on the former site of Europe in the Air, this attraction will be the first of its kind in North America. With this marriage of technology, Busch Gardens will be able to take riders through a portal into a hidden world of mythical characters, set against an Irish theme.

For more information, or to buy tickets, visit buschgardens.com!