Busch Gardens offers 2012 Grad Nite

Posted Oct 18, 2011 by Sherri Ackerman

Updated Oct 18, 2011 at 10:19 AM

A year after Disney said goodbye to its Grad Nite, Busch Gardens has taken on the event.

Graduating high school seniors are invited to the park on Friday, April 27, from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m.

The evening is not just a “walk in the park,’’ organizers say.

There’s live entertainment by rock band, Cobra Starship (you know, the folks who sing “Good Girls Gone Bad’’ – someone had to tell me that,) and the fluffiest stand-up comic around, Gabriel Iglesias.

The special after-hours celebration also will feature dance parties with “high energy’’ DJs and plenty of opportunities to ride some of area’s top coasters in the dark, including SheiKra, Kumba and the new, high-speed Cheetah.

Tickets are available at the students’ schools. Cost is $54.99 plus tax. Chaperons may receive a complimentary ticket with each 10 paid tickets for students.

Reservations are necessary as this is expected to be a very popular event.

Disney still offers Florida school groups a special, one day, one park ticket for $55 valid any time of the year.

The theme park said last year that an increase in spring attendance made it difficult to schedule an after-hours, separate-ticket event for seniors.