Blackfish fallout hits Busch Gardens

Musical acts cancelling appearances at Tampa theme park

TAMPA, Fla. – Fallout over the controversial documentary Blackfish has now spread from SeaWorld in Orlando to Busch Gardens in Tampa.

Busch Gardens announced on its Facebook page Wednesday night The Beach Boys and Pat Benatar will not perform scheduled concerts at the park coming up later this year. They join nearly a dozen musical acts that cancelled similar performances at SeaWorld in Orlando over the past few months.

Recommended Videos



Busch Gardens is owned by SeaWorld. The company has come under increasing pressure because of a documentary highlighting the death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau in 2010.

SeaWorld has fought back against the protests saying the people behind them are "misinformed." Officials at Busch Gardens and SeaWorld say they're working to find replacement acts for the upcoming concerts.

Meanwhile, Blackfish was not nominated in the Best Documentary category for the Oscars.

Stay with Local 6 for developments on this story.


About the Author:

John Ambrogne is an executive producer for News 6 and has been with WKMG-TV since 2012. John graduated with a degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University and has covered breaking news and major events in Central Florida since 2002.