SeaWorld San Antonio is now heading into our third year of Bands, Brew & BBQ! We have moved locations, added festivals, street entertainment and made lots of adjustments over the last couple of years. This year’s festival should be a great one!
This year we decided to change it up a bit when the event was held over three weekends on Saturdays. We wanted to park to have that festival feeling all weekend long so we added a fourth concert and decided to have shows on Saturdays and Sundays for two weekends. We took a look around San Antonio and South Texas to see what was happening in the music scene. We reviewed guest surveys from the last two BBQ events and decided to make a change in music styles. This year we went with Classic Rock!
We fittingly kick off the event with The Commodores on Saturday, April 10. After all Motown is legendary for being the roots of what we now call Rock and Roll! The following day we have Bret Michaels. Bret was the lead singer from the hugely popular ’80s band “Poison,” has had his own TV reality show on VH1 and is now on Celebrity Apprentice. His solo work has proven to be very popular and we think this show will be a great one!
The next weekend we chose some ’70s Rock and Roll on Saturday with Grand Funk Railroad! These guys have been rockin’ for a long time with lots of classic hits like “We’re an American Band.” This show is going to be a blast.
Our grand finale for this year’s event is Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo. Pat has made a ton of hits and we are all looking forward to her performance. She recently played Bands Brews & BBQ at Busch Gardens Tampa and we hear it was amazing!
The concerts will be held in Nautilus Amphitheater which is nice because it has a roof, seating and standing areas for our guests to see the show. The sound and lights in this building are great so it is always an outstanding show. On the street in front of Nautilus there will be a festival featuring some very cool vendors, band merchandise, radio station remotes, ice cold beer, BBQ and of course, more BBQ!
You will need to get to SeaWorld early for these concerts for sure! As our events grow, so does their popularity. While the concerts are included in admission, we issue wristbands to each guest on a first come first serve basis. Once they are gone that means the show is full. We also have a VIP Package available that includes early entry into the venue and a meal! If you don’t get a wristband you can always sit in the grassy area around Nautilus to catch the show as well.
Check out our events page for all of our upcoming concerts, festivals and holidays! 2010 is going to be amazing!
We are very excited about this new area, because not only are we able to introduce guests to animals from around the world, but we are also able to share stories about projects that are helping animals globally assisted by the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund.
The area has information about how SeaWorld San Antonio team members are helping locally by recycling, volunteering, and saving energy, and we also share with our guests ideas for helping animals in their own backyard.
Animal Ambassador and Cockatoo, Susie
Our animal ambassadors help us tell these stories, and this week, I would like to introduce you to Susie, the umbrella cockatoo. Susie usually resides in her aviary, right at the entrance into the Conservation Center, and greets many guests as they make their way into the building.
Umbrella cockatoos are naturally found up in the forest canopies in Indonesia. The first thing most guests notice about Susie is her bright white color, which helps her hide from predators by allowing her to blend in with the white flowers found in the tree-tops. Their umbrella-shaped crest is normally flat on their head, but it is raised in times of excitement or curiosity.
The beak is grayish-black, curved, and very powerful. Cockatoos use their large beak to hollow out trees to build a nest. Their diet consists of fruit, seeds, nuts, vegetables, and berries. Cockatoos use their feet extensively when feeding, holding their food in one foot while breaking off bite-sized pieces with the other foot.
Cockatoos like Susie do make good pets, and are actually referred to as “Velcro birds” because they are so affectionate and bond closely with their owners. But before you make the decision to add an umbrella cockatoo to your family, there are a few things to keep in mind. As with any pet, make sure you know what type of commitment you are making. Susie actually came to live with us at SeaWorld because her former owners were not prepared for the amount of care a cockatoo requires. Besides feeding and cleaning up after your animal, you also have to ensure that its social needs are being met. It’s important to have a clear understanding of the length of your commitment as well. Umbrella cockatoos live into their 70s, so you have to plan for very long term care.
Umbrella cockatoos are listed as a vulnerable species because their numbers in the wild have declined due to habitat loss and illegal trapping for the pet trade. If you decide to bring a tropical bird into your home, make sure that it either comes from a reputable breeder, or if the bird has been imported, check for the circular stainless-steel, USDA-approved leg band, always engraved with three letters and three numbers. Every year, around 25,000 birds are illegally smuggled into the United States. Smuggled birds that don’t die from illness or stress are often disease carriers, so it is very important to know the origin of the bird you are interested in for your home.
We hope that during your next visit to the park you find your way over to say hello to Susie and the rest of our ambassador animals. There are plenty of opportunities throughout the day to meet, touch, and perhaps even have a photo taken with them. Keep watching the blog as well; I’ll be introducing you to other members of the animal team as the weeks go on.
Ask anyone in the Zoological Operations Department at SeaWorld about how their career working with animals began, and I’m positive that most of the answers you hear will be very similar to my own.
When SeaWorld San Antonio opened in 1988, my family got season passes right away. I remember my first Shamu show so clearly, I can tell you what seat I was sitting in. As I saw the killer whales up close for the first time, I knew, right at that very moment, what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to learn as much as I possibly could about the ocean, and when I grew up, I wanted to work with ocean animals.
Today, over twenty two years later, I have one of the best jobs in the world. I don’t work with animals every day, I don’t get to play with Shamu, and most of my work is behind the scenes, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. What I love about my work here is that I understand that things that start right here in the Education and Conservation Department have the power to reach thousands of families, campers, scouts, and students through our programs and presence at the animal habitats.
When I first started as a tour guide over eleven years ago, I was very excited about being around the animals. Over time, I started to realize that what made me look forward to being here was the chance to get others as excited about the animals as I was. It was always so rewarding to change people’s perspectives about the animals from simply cute, or funny, or maybe even a little scary to helping them realize the bigger picture of how the animals fit into the ecosystems of the ocean.
Sharks were no longer fearsome and mysterious, but beautiful animals with an important role in making ocean populations healthier. The strength, intelligence, and agility of killer whales were not only for showcasing behaviors at a Shamu show, but vital adaptations that allow this species to be the top predators that they are.
Today, as a Manager in the Education and Conservation Department, a good portion of what I do involves animal information training with the staff. They come in; excited to be here and work around animals, just like I was all those years ago. They spend their first few days with me, and I feel that my job is not only to teach them about the animals, but how to engage guests and instill the same passion about wildlife that we share.
I really do believe that the core of SeaWorld’s gift is that animal knowledge, and being able to confidently and effectively bridge the natural world to the minds and hearts of the guests we come into contact with every day, whether they are campers, school children, a family on a tour, or a group of guests having a conversation with an instructor in front of an exhibit. Many people come into the park already liking animals, but I hope that after spending time with one of us, they leave liking them a little bit more, perhaps caring enough to want to make the small changes that make a larger impact in conservation. Maybe they will be inspired to start recycling at home, or contribute to our conservation fund, plant a garden, or think twice before they throw trash on the ground.
We truly are ambassadors for these animals, and you never know when that “spark” might be lit in one of our guests that will lead to greater efforts for conservation in the future.
For SeaWorld San Antonio spring break is our first really busy time of the year. We plan for this week for months and love the excitement of a busy park. This year’s spring break will be full of great things to do for our guests and we are excited for great weather and lots of smiling visitors!
Sesame Street is back at Nautilus Amphitheater with Big Bird’s Beach Party. This show is always a big hit and the kids go crazy. There is tons of singing and dancing and the team members here at the park as well as the Sesame Characters love when the kids come down to the stage to dance and sing along. Big Bird is even celebrating a birthday on March 20th and we are all going sing him Happy Birthday at each of his shows! If you want to get up close to the Sesame Characters we have a breakfast available too!
A section of Lost Lagoon will be open this year for spring break as a sort of sneak peek from March 13 – March 21. We will be opening Castaway Cruisin’ River, Castaway Café and Lil’ Gators. This will be a nice additional treat for our guests if they want to take a dip!
We have opened two new Animal Connection Centers in the park. One is in the former Clydesdale Barn and houses Texas Native animals. At this location we have a 2 Longhorns, an American Bald Eagle, 2 Nine Banded Armadillos and a Pinto Mustang! Be sure to stop by and take a look at this new area. We have also created an Animal Connections Conservation Center at the Boardwalk Games area. This area features all sorts of interesting animals including 2 Sail Fin Dragons, 1 Speckeled Mouse Bird, a Boa Constrictor, a Burmese Python, a Giant Tego named Ginobili (yes, after Manu), an Alligator, an Alligator Snapping Turtle, Tarantulas, some Emperor Scorpions, Madagascar Hissing Cock Roaches much more. At this location there are often photo opportunities available with these animal ambassadors.
Our team members have been training, the park has been cleaned, the plants are planted, the trainers are ready for amazing shows, shops and restaraunts are primed and we are awaiting our wonderful fans and guests to come enjoy our park with us!
This past weekend audiences got a sneak peek of “Azul.” Here are some photos from the first performances. This Friday, March 12, Azul officially opens.
Come join me and experience the lure of the sea…….
We’ve received many questions about the work we do for the animals in our care and in the wild. We’ve dedicated a section of our sister SeaWorld Parks and Entertainment blog called Our Commitment to share this information.
In the Our Commitment section you’ll learn about the care – including our work with endangered and threatened species – that’s been going on for more than 50 years. You’ll find we’re leaders in zoological care and operations, and animal conservation, rescue and rehabilitation efforts.
SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue team released a female manatee and her calf – cold stress survivors of Florida’s unseasonably frigid winter – into the waters of Palm Beach, Fla. They are the first two manatees the park is returning to the wild after theanimal care specialists performed seven cold-weather related rescues during a two-week span in January (read more here)
It’s a boy! This little guy – a lesser anteater or tamandua – was born just days ago to mom, Cypress, at Discovery Cove, in Orlando, Florida. (read more here)
SeaWorld San Diego’s Animal Rescue Team is busy these days taking care of a number of rescued animals, including a harbor seal pup born last week at a local beach and found separated from its mother; two stranded sea turtles transferred by the U.S. Coast Guard from the Oregon Coast Aquarium on Jan. 28; and a number of pelicans affected by the recent storms. (read more here)
Wave TV is SeaWorld’s bi-weekly video feature program created for team members. Wave TV debuted in 2005 and was originally conceived to showcase park events for team members as they rode the shuttle bus to their workstation. Last year, this award-winning communications program moved to the SeaWorld YouTube channel; now everyone can share the program. Check out what’s new behind the scenes at SeaWorld San Antonio.
The next weekend we chose some ’70s Rock and Roll on Saturday with Grand Funk Railroad! These guys have been rockin’ for a long time with lots of classic hits like “We’re an American Band.” This show is going to be a blast.
Ask anyone in the Zoological Operations Department at SeaWorld about how their career working with animals began, and I’m positive that most of the answers you hear will be very similar to my own.
populations healthier. The strength, intelligence, and agility of killer whales were not only for showcasing behaviors at a Shamu show, but vital adaptations that allow this species to be the top predators that they are.
