Orange County’s Knott’s Berry Farm started out as a boysenberry stand in the 1920s—and then added a restaurant, and eventually became a theme park complete with rides, live shows, and a full calendar of annual events and festivals.
When planning your trip to anywhere in or around Buena Park, check for any upcoming events at Knott’s Berry Farm:
Winter and Spring Events at Knott’s Berry Farm
“Peanuts” Celebration: The calendar year kicks off with the Knott’s Peanuts Celebration, typically held on select weekends in late January and February. It features live shows with Peanuts characters, meet-and-greets, and added activities like character-drawing classes.
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival: Starting in March, the Ghost Town section of the park is consumed with the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival. During this event (which typically runs well into April) your separate ticket gets you tastings of creative, berry-fueled dishes—say, chicken wings with a boysenberry glaze, or quesadillas made with purple boysenberry tortillas and accented with a spicy berry dipping sauce. Adults can even pair their food with boysenberry wine, along with other local wines and beers.
Summer Events at Knott’s Berry Farm
Knott’s Soak City: The theme park’s neighboring water park, Knott’s Soak City, is open during the warmer months, typically from mid-May through early September. The 15-acre water park (which requires a separate admission) has 23 water slides, a lazy river, a family raft ride, a water play zone, and a 750,000-gallon wave pool.
Summer Nights: Starting in mid-June, the park’s midway of rides buzzes with its Summer Nights celebrations: Evenings are turned up a notch with added live music, food, and games. Runs through early September.
Ghost Town Alive!: From mid-June through early September, the Wild West section of the park is the focal point of Ghost Town Alive!, an interactive experience featuring appearances by bandits and cowboys. The evening parties feel like Western-style hoedowns.
August–October: Halloween Events at Knott’s Scary Farm
Knott’s Scary Farm: Buena Park has serious bragging rights when it comes to its annual Knott’s Scary Farm (starting as early as mid-August and running through Halloween). The Halloween event at Knott’s Berry Farm was the first of its kind when it started in 1973, and has inspired legions of other events at theme parks across the nation.
These days, the park gets a ghoulish makeover with thrill rides that operate in the dark and haunted houses and scare zones that feel like live horror films. 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 the 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.
Knott’s Spooky Farm: Younger kids (or grownups who aren’t fond of zombies) will prefer Knott’s Spooky Farm, which runs on select days between late September and Halloween. It features trick-or-treating in Ghost Town and seasonal fun like a Halloween Hootenanny on the Timber Mountain Log Ride or a special show at the Camp Snoopy Theatre.
More: Halloween Events at California Theme Parks
November–early January: Holiday Season and Christmas Events at Knott’s Berry Farm
Knott’s Merry Farm: Around mid-November, the park shifts into Knott’s Merry Farm (running through early January), when holiday trimmings cover the park, carolers stroll, and live shows take center stage. Meanwhile, the Bird Cage Theatre presents its own shows, like a reimagined version of the Charles Dickens classic, "A Calico Christmas Carol," or O. Henry’s "The Gift of the Magi." Stay for the evening when man-made snow falls over Ghost Town.
Plan Your Trip to Knott’s Berry Farm
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 Hotel, which offers bundled lodging-plus-admission packages, or at other hotels along Beach Boulevard, some of which are within walking distance of the park.
For more ideas, check out how to skip the lines at California theme parks, and how to save money on your theme park trip.
