Carowinds Brings The Party With “Viva La Fiesta”
Earlier this year, Carowinds announced that the park’s operating calendar would feature two new summertime festivals – Summerbration and Viva La Fiesta. The latter promised “an exhilarating celebration of cultural richness and spirited traditions, complete with captivating sights, lively sounds and mouthwatering flavors for the whole family.” One of seven Six Flags parks hosting he event, Carowinds joins Six Flags Fiesta Texas, Dorney Park, Six Flags Over Texas, Six Flags America, Six Flags Great America and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom as parks hosting the event in 2025.
At Coaster101, we’re longtime veterans of the Carowinds festival scene – anyone else remember Taste of the Carolinas or Great Carolina Fest? – so we recently headed out to the park on opening day of the new event to see how Viva La Fiesta stacks up to other festivals and events over the years.
The Location of Viva La Fiesta
Many of Carowinds’ “smaller” (read: not SCarowinds or Winterfest) events are spread out around the park’s Celebration Plaza area. Viva La Fiesta is the first event at Carowinds to take place in a new paved “events” space located between the Thunder Striker Gift Shop and Harmony Hall Marketplace. (This area was formerly grassed over, and has played host to the Ice Skating Rink during WinterFest, Easter Decorations, Frisbee Dogs, among other things.) Yes, it is in Celebration Plaza, but is definitely more identified as its “own” area.
There are two main footprints for the event – the new space, and just across the midway in a turfed area – the former location of Carowinds temporary VIP Passholder lounge while the current lounge was under construction. These two spaces are each home to their own stage, which features unique entertainment throughout the event.
While the space is compact, Carowinds has managed to include 3 food stalls, 1 specialty cocktail stall, and 4 beer stands alongside the two stages, multiple photo ops, and a heavy amount of decor. You definitely feel like you’re in a dedicated space with the concentrated level of decoration.
In between the two spaces, you’ll find a sticker mosaic to be completed during the festival. If you stand far enough from the design, you’ll be able to tell what it will look like (hint: it’s the Viva La Fiesta logo!)
The Food & Beverage at Carowinds’ Viva La Fiesta
With any unique theme park festival, a key component is the food – typically comprised of dishes that you wouldn’t typically find in a theme park. Carowinds’ culinary team, led by new Executive Chef Eraj Ralalage has created a menu of 10 signature dishes that originate from a variety of latin countries. Unlike previous food festivals at Carowinds, there is no separate tasting ticket required to sample the cuisine of Viva La Fiesta – all menu items are available for purchase a la carte – and yes, several items are included on Carowinds’ Dining Plan!
Menu Items Include:
- Booth 1 (First Booth on the Left)
- Bistec a la Mexicana – Mexico (Dining Plan)
- Ceviche Peruano – Peru (Snack Credit)
- Tres Leches Trio
- Booth 2 (On Left, Closest to Stage)
- Bolinhos De Chuva – Brazil
- Bondipan – Argentina (Dining Plan)
- Tostones & Salsa Rosada – Dominican Republic (Snack Credit)
- Booth 3 (On The Right Side)
- Brigadieros – Brazil
- Cholados Colombianos – Colombia
- Pastelitos De Guayaba – Cuba
- Pepián De Pollo – Guatemala (Dining Plan)
During our visit, we sampled a few of the menu items, including the Pepián de Pollo, Bistec a la Mexicana, Tostones, and Pastelitos De Guayaba. All of the menu items had a fantastic flavor, and even at a park like Carowinds where the culinary experience has only become more enhanced in recent years, these menu items were definite standouts. If I had to pick a favorite, the Guava Pastellito was the perfect level of sweet for me, who isn’t the world’s biggest dessert person.
There are also four signature cocktails and two mocktails on the menu that can be found in between booth 1 and 2. At least during our experience, these cocktails were not batch poured like you might typically find during theme park special events – they were made fresh as they were ordered and served in a Viva La Fiesta souvenir cup Fresh was a recurring theme in the creation of the drinks, as each cocktail features a “fresh” element, be it lemon, basil, watermelon, or pineapple (with or without chamoy). We tried the Mojito de Limonada – a refreshing beverage on a hot day – and probably like each drink on this list, one that’s sweet enough to go down easy where you might not realize how many you’ve had.
For the adult beverage drinkers who might not be as interested in a fruity cocktail, there are a variety of latin beers available as well as part of Viva La Fiesta. There are beer stands located inside both footprints.
The Entertainment at Viva La Fiesta
Viva La Fiesta features five unique entertainment options across its two stages. On the “La Estrella” (The Star) Stage, located in the “Main” Festival area, the options include Fuego! – which performs four times on Fridays/Sundays and five times on Saturdays, and Fiesta Bands that perform 3-4 times a day. On the “El Ritmo” (The Rhythm) Stage, the Beleza Do Samba dancers perform 4-5x a day, and because you can’t have a theme park festival without a DJ dance party, the stage comes alive with dance music four times a day.
Each night, Viva La Fiesta ends with Wepa! – A show that can best be described as a “Kiss Goodnight” that features the casts of Fuego and Beleza Do Samba.
I want to talk little bit about Fuego, which I experienced twice during my visit and I think it’s easily the best show that takes place during Viva La Fiesta. Combined with the Snoopy’s Legendary Rooftop Concert currently taking place in the Carowinds theater, the park hasn’t had a 1-2 live entertainment punch like this – shows that are energetic and exciting while being extremely fun to experience – in a long time. (Timing did not work out, and I missed the Samba dancers. I’m sure they’re just as good.)
Fuego is made up of a crew of ten entertainers, who dance along to a variety of popular latin songs including Conga by Gloria Estefan and the Miami Sound Machine, Fireball by Pitbull and Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony – among others. Best described as an interactive flash mob, I think what stuck out to me most from this show was the energy that was on display from all of the performers. Summer heat in the Carolinas is no joke, and these performers were pouring sweat while dancing, but managed to keep up the smiles and dance moves at full strength.
There are two main “areas” of activity during fuego – in front of the La Estrella stage, and about midway through the festival area. You’ll be tempted to start watching close to the stage, but there is dancing happening all over the space, so anywhere is great view point. You’ll be immersed in the music and dancing anywhere!
Throughout the show – which clocks at a traditional theme park standard of around 20 minutes, the cast does a great job of getting the crowd involved – whether it be in a conga line, or teaching dance steps throughout.
It’s our recommendation that if you experience just one piece of this event – take a few minutes and dance along with Fuego. The energy is contagious, and it’s one of the better shows we’ve ever seen at the park – and there have been a lot since we’ve been covering Carowinds over the last decade-plus!
For an authentic addition, the park has also brought in local latin bands who perform on the Estrella Stage. They were also incredibly talented!
The Final Viva La Fiesta Verdict
I asked Ryan Allen, Carowinds’s Director of Live Entertainment, for his thoughts on the new event and what made it special.
“Viva La Fiesta a love letter to latinx culture,” he said. “It features delicious dishes, colorful decor & scenic, live music from local bands, feather clad Brazilian samba dancers, and, on top of all of that, a flash mob that makes our guests the star. It was our goal to present these cultures as authentically and energetically as possible, and I’m proud of our team who made it happen.”
To aid in that authenticity, Carowinds worked with cultural producer Luis Salgado, whose previous roles includes International Director, Choreographer, Producer, & Broadway Performer.
After experiencing this event for myself, I 100% agree with everything Ryan said. The festival truly has a little bit of everything for everyone. If you want to eat, drink, dance, or just experience some unique culture – Viva La Fiesta is a perfect addition to the Carowinds calendar. Between the food, the entertainment, and just the overall energy and vibe of this festival, it’s one that I hope returns to Carowinds for years to come!
Viva La Fiesta takes place on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through August 10. For more information, be sure to visit Carowinds’ website, and follow the park on social media: Facebook | Twitter/X | Instagram.
