Busch Gardens Tampa announces dates for first ever Christmas Town events in 2012

Busch Gardens Tampa will attempt to emulate its sister park's success with its own Christmas Town events.

Busch Gardens Tampa has revealed that its first ever Christmas Town celebrations will be held every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from November 30 to December 23, 2012.

The events will require guests to purchase a separate ticket, and will be modelled on the Christmas Town events at sister park Busch Gardens Williamsburg. However, whereas the Virginia park dresses up its European-themed lands for the festive period, Busch Gardens Tampa will need to find a way to blend its African theme with holiday decorations.

The park will be the first in Florida to attempt a whole-park Christmas overlay. It will face heavy competition from other theme parks in the region, including the Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party celebrations at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom.

Busch Gardens Tampa will be aiming to emulate the success of its Howl-O-Scream Halloween events, which also carry a separate charge. Previous reports have claimed that pricing for the Christmas Town events will be around the $78 mark, which is similar to the park's standard admission price of $79.99.

Full details of the events will be released via the official Busch Gardens Tampa Christmas Town website.