The boysenberry may be a summer fruit, but Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park finds plenty of ways to celebrate its origins and various holidays year-round.
January–April: Knott’s Peanuts Celebration and Knott’s Boysenberry Festival
The calendar year kicks off with the Knott’s Peanuts Celebration, held on select weekends in late January and February, featuring live shows with Peanuts characters, meet-and-greets, and added attractions like character-drawing classes.
Starting in March, the Ghost Town section of the park is consumed with the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival, when your pass gets you tastings of creative berry-fueled dishes (like chicken wings with a boysenberry glaze, or quesadillas made with purple boysenberry tortillas and accented with a spicy berry dipping sauce). You can even pair your food with boysenberry wine, along with other local wines and beers.
Throughout the summer, the park’s midway buzzes with its Summer Nights celebrations, when things are turned up a notch with live music, food and games. Meanwhile, the Wild West section of the park is the focal point of Ghost Town Alive!, an interactive experience with appearances by bandits and cowboys, and evening parties that feel like western-style hoedowns.
September–October: Knott’s Scary Farm and Knott’s Spooky Farm
The holiday season kicks off with Knott’s Scary Farm (typically from mid-September through Halloween), when the park gets a spooky makeover, with haunted houses and mazes that feel like live horror films and thrill rides that go dark. The park walkways are even in play, with creepy clowns and zombies popping in and out of the fog. The theme park sometimes offers mature-audiences-only shows at its Walter Knott Theatre during the event, or even behind-the-scenes tours of the creepy attractions during the day.
The scarefest only runs on select nights during the season, and is not recommended for kids under 13. Littler kids (or grownups who aren’t fond of ghouls) will like Knott’s Spooky Farm, which runs on select days, when there is trick-or-treating in Ghost Town, a Halloween Hootenanny on the Timber Mountain Log Ride, and a special show at the Camp Snoopy Theatre.
November–December: Knott’s Merry Farm
By mid-November, the park shifts into Knott’s Merry Farm (running through early January), when holiday trimmings cover the park, carolers stroll, and shows abound, like the extravaganza-on-ice Snoopy’s Night Before Christmas, the dancing-and-holiday-tunes showcase Home for the Holidays at the Calico Mine Stage, and performances of the Krazy Kirk and the Hillbilles show, a tour de force of foot-stomping music and comedy. Meanwhile, the Bird Cage Theatre presents a reimagined version of the Charles Dickens classic, A Calico Christmas Carol, and O. Henry’s The Gift of the Magi. Stay for the evening when man-made snow falls over Ghost Town.
Late September–Halloween: Knott’s Scary Farm, Buena Park
During the Halloween season Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park transforms into one of the largest haunts on the West Coast. More than 1,000 live-action ghosts and ghouls are waiting behind every corner at the dozen-plus mazes, thrill rides, and fright zones, with names like Bloodline 1842, CarnEvil, Ghost Town Streets, and The Gore-ing 20’s.
This year’s event includes the return of one show that’s been on hiatus for a few years, The Hanging: Uncanceled, a parody pop-culture stunt show taking place at Wagon Camp. New shows in 2023 include the latest edition of Dr. Cleaver Returns (at the Bird Cage), and Music, Monsters, and Mayhem, a musical journey celebrating 50 years of terror and frights.
Buy discounted tickets through Visit Buena Park’s site to save up to $50 compared to main gate pricing, or book a Stay and Scare package at the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel to bundle in lodging, admission, and parking. Knotts Scary Farm is intended for ages 13 and up. Also, the park’s current policy states that visitors ages 17 years or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who’s at least 21.
Before You Go
To make the most of these seasonal events, book discounted tickets online, through the sites for Knott’s Berry Farm or Visit Buena Park. Also, consider staying at either the Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel, which offers bundled lodging-plus-admission packages, or at other hotels along Beach Boulevard, many of which are within walking distance of the park.