Knott's News is closing its doors

I'd like to take the time to thank the few readers I've had over the years but as of today, Knott's News is no more. I may leave the blog up a little longer before taking it all down but this will be the last post. There are other sources to get information on Knott's and honestly, I just have no interest in being another coaster site (covering coasters bores me to tears). Knott's is something special and I wish them the best. Hopefully they don't stray too far off course towards being a generic steel park. Thanks again everyone!

Join us tonight at 8PM (PST) on the Knotts Berry Farm Facebook page for a very special announcement.

Happy #NationalRollerCoasterDay! Join us tonight at 8PM (PST) on the #KnottsBerryFarm Facebook page for a very special announcement. 🤔 pic.twitter.com/M0lxU2wfBu

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) August 16, 2017

Will theme parks announce new rides on Aug. 16, National Roller Coaster Day?

Did you know that Aug. 16 is National Roller Coaster Day?

I know, every single day of the year is the national day for one thing or another. They don’t require an act of Congress – just someone with something to promote or to sell. Earlier this year, the City of Buena Park declared a National Boysenberry Day to help promote Knott’s Berry Farm’s annual Boysenberry Festival, for example.

No one seems to have a definite answer why Aug. 16, of all days, should be the one for roller coasters. (The leading answer seems to be something about the first patent for a coaster.) But many of the nation’s amusement parks, including Knott’s, have jumped on this opportunity to make National Roller Coaster Day the day that they will announce their new rides for the upcoming season.

Knott’s has planned a media event for that evening, wrapping up what should be a full day of announcements from coast to coast.

Other parks scheduling announcements include Kings Dominion in Virginia, Cedar Point in Ohio, and California’s Great America in Santa Clara – which all are part of the Cedar Fair chain that also owns Knott’s Berry Farm. In addition, Silver Dollar City in Missouri has a reveal planned.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Cedar Fair Results Fail To Thrill Investors

Summary

• Management backing away from guidance.
• Weather blamed for the second time this year.
• Shares drop 5%.

Read the rest at SeekingAlpha

2018 teaser

Another beautiful day on the #KnottsBerryFarm Boardwalk... pic.twitter.com/VzjZ4CHqGr

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) August 4, 2017

State allows Knott's Berry Farm to reopen ride similar to the one involved in Ohio accident

California officials have approved the reopening of rides at Knott's Berry Farm and two other amusement parks similar to the one that malfunctioned in Ohio, killing an 18-year-old and injuring seven others.

Three other rides, including one at the Orange County Fair, remain closed pending further review.

Read the rest at ABC7

Photo Update: Our first visit to Knott’s Berry Farm

Although we’ve been reporting on Knott’s Berry Farm theme park for years, I recently had my first visit, along with my son Quinn. Here’s a bit of our fun day.

If you don’t know, Knott’s Berry Farm is less than 30 minutes from the Disneyland Resort in Buena Park, Calif. It’s actually older than Disneyland. Without going into the whole long history, Walter Knott was a berry farmer whose wife ran a fried chicken restaurant that got so popular, people were waiting in every long lines to enter. So Walter built some attractions around it to give the families of those waiting in line something to do. It grew from there into the large theme park it is today.

Read the rest at AttractionsMagazine

Knott's Scary Farm: September 21 - October 31, 2017

Trick or Treats: Light Out Interactive Maze At Knott's Scary Farm

ScaryFarm returns for another season of scares on select nights from Sept. 21 - Oct. 31 Tickets are now on sale!

#ScaryFarm returns for another season of scares on select nights from Sept. 21 - Oct. 31 🎃 Tickets are now on sale! https://t.co/glgjgLZe2T pic.twitter.com/LZbjeyB1qc

— Knott's Scary Farm (@knottsscaryfarm) July 29, 2017

Knott’s Scary Farm Announces New Attractions for 2017 Season

Knott’s Scary Farm announced its new attractions on Saturday during the Midsummer Scream Halloween festival in Long Beach.

Jeff Tucker, the theme park’s show writer, announced the arrival of 13 haunted attractions and mazes along with 1000 monsters that will be lurking in the fog. Additionally, Tucker announced the new ‘Fright Fast Lane,’ where visitors can go to the front of the line for all the major rides and mazes for the price of one.

Read the rest at SoCalMuse

Knott’s Berry Farm Update: Boardwalk Starts A New Beat

Welcome back to America’s First Theme Park, where the townsfolk are just waiting to take you on an adventure. Knott’s has cooked up some great entertainment this year that can compete with any of the bigger parks but with a down home quaint charm. And stick around till the end to hear about our huge MiceChat Halloween Spooktacular event!

Read the rest at MiceChat

The Boardwalk BBQ

OC Fair, Knott’s Berry Farm Shut Down ‘Fire Ball’ After Deadly Accident In Ohio

The Orange County Fair and Knott’s Berry Farm have voluntarily shut down a ride similar to one that malfunctioned at the Ohio State Fair with deadly results.

A man was killed and seven other people were injured at the Ohio State Fair in Columbus when they were thrown Wednesday night from “The Fire Ball,” a ride that swings back and forth like a pendulum and spins in the air.

Bystanders captured video of the ride just as it broke apart and passengers were heard screaming as they were thrown to the ground.

Ohio officials say they did not know what caused the ride to break apart and that the investigation was ongoing.

Read the rest at CBSLosAngeles

Are smartphones becoming a problem at theme parks like Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm?

California has banned texting while driving on the state’s roads. Is it time for Disneyland and local theme parks to ban texting while walking, too?

As much as fans like to complain about strollers, people whose gaze is focused on the screen in their hands instead of the pathway ahead of them are responsible for clogging a lot of the foot traffic around the parks, too. And with Disney introducing its new MaxPass system, allowing people to manage Fastpass ride reservations with their cell phones, I suspect the problem is only going to get worse.

Walking behind someone texting reminds me a lot of driving behind people on their phones. They slow down. They don’t react to others around them. They become a slowly tumbling rock in the stream, rather than flowing like water with the rest of the people on the street.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

How to beat the heat at Knott’s with ‘Snoopy’s Magnificent Magical Revue’

“When you’re here at the park and it’s hot outside, come enjoy a nice half-hour of cool air conditioning with us and a great magic show,” magician Greg Wilson said.

Most Knott Berry Farm fans know that the Charles M. Schultz Theater is home to the Peanuts gang and a wealth of ice skating performances, but through Aug. 20 it will be offering “Snoopy’s Magnificent Magical Revue.” The show features magician Wilson, the son of Mark Wilson and Nani Parnell.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Garner Holt Productions: 40 Years of Incredible Imagination

Today, July 25, 2017, is the 40th anniversary of the world’s largest, most productive, and, with not a little pride, most ambitiously creative animatronics producer: Garner Holt Productions, Inc. (GHP). Four decades ago today, paperwork filed by a sixteen year-old high school student named Garner Holt was approved for the formation of a California corporation, one that would provide certain protections for Garner’s parents from their precocious son’s (mostly) safe and well-intentioned creative business endeavors, from haunted houses in local malls to mail-order products, animatronic American folk heroes, and more. From its humble beginnings in a suburban garage, that company—at once a hobby, proving grounds, and highly-unusual entrepreneurial endeavor—is now a dream factory with a worldwide of joy, wonder, and incredible imagination.

Read the rest at MiceChat

VR Showdown In Ghost Town (Virtual Reality Experience At Knott's Berry F...

Knott's Berry Farm 2018 announcement coming August 16th

Knott's Berry Farm will be announcing their plans for 2018 on August 16th. Some notes:

• This just happens to be on National Rollercoaster Day
• Kings Dominion and CGA are also announcing their plans on the 16th
• Those two parks have also been rumored to get new coasters in 2018

Make of that what you will. I myself will be disappointed if its just another coaster, which would seem like a step back for the park. Stay tuned for more information as it comes.

Disney, Knott’s animatronic mastermind Garner Holt honored by San Bernardino

San Bernardino declared Tuesday, July 25 will be Garner Holt Day at its bi-monthly City Council meeting Wednesday night.

Read the rest at ThePressEnterprise

The newly remodeled Boardwalk BBQ Restaurant is now open

The newly remodeled Boardwalk BBQ Restaurant is now open! Various savory options are included with your #KnottsBerryFarm Dining Plan. pic.twitter.com/oTPxvAiJ8z

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) July 20, 2017

Step-by-Step of the Knott’s Berry Farm Technical Rescue

Technical Rescue Team members of the Orange County Fire Authority (OCFA) in Southern California train consistently and often. These firefighters are constantly striving to master their craft in order to overcome any and every possible scenario that may surface. And on Dec. 30, 2016, the OCFA team was toned out to a technical rescue that would test their skills and become an internationally covered incident.

Read the rest at Firehouse

Knott's Berry Tales episode # 13 calico

Review: Six Flags Magic Mountain finally has a dark ride worthy of the competition

After 46 years, Six Flags Magic Mountain finally has a dark ride worthy of standing up to the Disneys and Universals that have long ruled the Southern California theme park scene.

The new Justice League: Battle for Metropolis 3-D shoot-em-up dark ride is equal to Universal’s Transformers 3-D and Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man dark rides and better than Disney’s Toy Story Midway Mania and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters dark rides.

That’s high praise for the Valencia amusement park, which has never had a themed indoor dark ride and is better known for its towering roller coasters.

I had high expectations for the highly touted ride, and Justice League didn’t let me down.

Read the rest at the LATimes

Knott's News: I disagree with the part at the end about Potter being better than Spider-Man. That said, its sad when Six Flags shows more ambition and better execution than Knott's did with Iron Reef. Lets hope Cedar Fair takes this as a challenge.

Knott’s Berry Farm offers two takes on its historic Ghost Town for the Summer of 2017

How do you like your Ghost Town? Virtual or extra-lively?

Because – this summer — Knott’s Berry Farm actually gives you options. You can either experience a VR version of this theme park’s historic Old West section (where you’ll then get to battle robots in an immersive 360 shooter). Or you can explore Ghost Town Alive!where the streets of Calico are filled with dozens of performers dressed in authentic western garb. Who then – with the help of Guests who are visiting the farm for the day – then play out an 8-hour-long piece of interactive, immersive, theater.

Why did “America’s First Theme Park” opt to take on such an ambitious two-pronged project? To hear Ken Parks – the Vice President of Entertainment for Knott’s Berry Farm – talk, this all dates back to when Cedar Fair Entertainment was looking for a unique way to commemorate Ghost Town’s 75th anniversary.

Read the rest at the HuffingtonPost

A new friend has been spotted in Calico. What do you call a baby Catawampus? Kittywampus

A new friend has been spotted in Calico. What do you call a baby Catawampus? #Kittywampus pic.twitter.com/UAXrFt2KNr

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) July 7, 2017

This Animatronic Life – GHP’s Been Working on the Railroad

Howdy everyone, and welcome aboard the GHP Scenic Railway, a short-runs-on-time-(almost)-all-the-time-fair-weather-route-railroad of a column. I’ve been thinking a lot about railroads and trains lately, and how my company (Garner Holt Productions, Inc.) has been part of a number of them in some very unusual locations, from theme parks to private estates, and more. ALL ABOARD!

Read the rest at MiceChat

8 Things You Might Not Know About Knott's Berry

Knott's Berry Farm is one of those quintessentially Californian, weird-ass entertainment destinations. In addition to its eponymous berries, the park, which opened in 1920, probably is most famous for being one of the first theme parks of its kind (at least on the West Coast) and serving as inspiration for Disneyland (and all subsequent Disney parks).

Like the nearby Disney parks, Knott's is full of arcane lore, gobbled up by thousands of Southern California theme park aficionados. The park celebrated the 75th anniversary of the famous Ghost Town area in 2016, and this summer it holds Ghost Town Alive, which is kind of like Westworld except that you can't shoot the actors.

The Knott's mythos is rife with charming, quaint and actually relevant pieces of local history (for example, Mr. Knott's contributions to the conservative movement in California and Orange County). Here are some of the more interesting bits.

Read the rest at the LAWeekly

Knott’s to pay for two full-time Buena Park police officers

Knott’s Berry Farm will pay $260,000 to have two Buena Park police officers at the park on a full-time basis.

The Police Department, which in the past has paid officers overtime to patrol the park during peak times, will assign those officers to the beat once it has enough staff in place, Chief Corey Sianez said.

Park guests can expect to see officers onsite sometime in the fall.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Off Topic: Disney further sanitizing Pirates of the Caribbean

Disney has announced that they are further sanitizing their Pirates of the Caribbean attractions as to not offend anyone by having their pirates act like despicable pirates.

Sorry, I know this isn't Knott's related but I'm NOT happy about this. Why empower people who are offended by something? Anyone can be offended by anything, its the easiest thing in the world to be. You don't even have to have a reason at all for being offended, just claiming you are is enough to get attention.

Being offended is a state of mind one puts themselves in. Instead of seeking self improvement and not allowing themselves to be offended, they shit on everyone else's parade. They'll rewrite history, censor humor, and neuter great storytelling in a selfish effort to avoid dealing with THEIR problem of being offended. Won't be long before Splash Mountain is removed to avoid offending someone.

This is just my opinion, feel free to disagree.

EDIT: Gotta say, upon revisiting this I was tempted to delete it. The childish rant just seems soo cringy in hindsight but then Disney decided to replace Splash Mountain...IDK, just something about spending millions of dollars to update one of your most popular attractions in your parks to just be an equally popular attraction - when they have plenty of other unpopular attractions that need replaced or updated to ease the burden of crowding - that screams corporate virtue signaling. Thank god for Tokyo Disneyland!

Knott’s Berry Farm: Ghost Town Alive and Circus of Wonders

Howdy Partner, welcome to Calico. Ghost Town has come alive again this summer, as cowboys and townsfolk add a rich tapestry of story development to the heart of Knott’s Berry Farm. We also stop by the new Circus of Wonders, which lives up to its name . . .

Read the rest at MiceChat

Is the Church of Reflections on its way out?

"21. DISCUSSION AND DIRECTION REGARDING THE CHURCH OF THE REFLECTIONS LOCATED AT KNOTT'S BERRY FARM

Present for the discussion was Jim Vanderpool, City Manager

City Manager Vanderpool reported that Knott's Berry Farm is desiring to relocate its Church of Reflections in anticipation of future park expansion. Knott's is proposing to donate the church to

the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church of Buena Park on Crescent Avenue. The Good Shepherd

Lutheran Church is desirous of taking ownership of the Church of Reflections and keeping it availableforpublicenjoymentaswellasprivateevents. Aneffortisunderwaytoraisefundsto relocate the Church of Reflections using the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast Committee (a 501( c)3 non -profit) as the entity to accept the donated funds.

Michael Schneider, pastor of the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church spoke about the history of the Church of the Reflections and Good Shepherd' s commitment to create a suitable, natural

environment for the building, including a reflection pond.

Baron Night, Treasurer of the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast Committee, spoke in opposition to the manner in which the fundraising efforts are structured.

Following discussion, the City Council directed there be no official City involvement in relocating

Knott' s Berry Farm' s Church of Reflections to a private location; however, in sentiment, the City Council supported the efforts of private entities to do so. Mayor Pro Tem Vaughn and Mayor

Swift dissented, favoring non -monetary support by the City to preserve the historical building for the benefit of the public."

05/09/2017 5PM City Council meeting minutes can be found at CityofBuenaPark

Experience Ghost Town Alive! In 360°

What’s new at Knott’s Berry Farm this summer

Last year, Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park launched “Ghost Town Alive!” — an immersive and interactive experience that visitors raved about. So much so, it’s back with new characters, stories and adventures through Sept. 4.

You can become part of the action or simply observe the fun as you walk the streets in the 1800s town of Calico, where Sheriff Wheeler is dealing with the Mayfield Gang.
You can become an official citizen of Calico and participate in an election or become a deputy, drawing wanted posters and locking bandits in prison. Plus, if you want to become more engaged, make up your own character and name and help out the various townspeople with their daily routines, delivering messages and packages and making decisions that will affect the town.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

REVIEW: Knott’s Soak City is a refreshing water park alternative to Orange County’s other themed attractions

Not everyone is into water parks. Even in the fervent theme park fan community, water parks tend to take a back seat to the more heavily-themed, attraction-centric mothership parks at their respective resorts. A recent exception has been Universal’s high-profile Volcano Bay, which opened to rave reviews in Orlando despite some growing pains and first-week technical hiccups.

In Southern California, water park fans looking to alleviate the heat have a few options. Among others, there’s Raging Waters in San Dimas (made famous as “Waterloo” in the movie “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”), Six Flags Hurricane Harbor in Valencia, SeaWorld’s Aquatica down in San Diego, the new all-indoor Great Wolf Lodge in Garden Grove, and Knott’s Soak City, located just across the street from “America’s First Theme Park” Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, just a short hop up the 5 freeway from Disneyland.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to spend a day at Soak City, after having visited last month for a guided construction tour of its new attractions, and I took note of the park’s positives and negatives while enjoying my time there.

Read the rest at InsideTheMagic

The Catawampus has gone missing!

The #Catawampus has gone missing! If you know anything, please report it Calico Town Hall #MissingTheMoo https://t.co/ybUmhQkSwF pic.twitter.com/BhbmH8yunv

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) June 17, 2017

New magic show with Snoopy and return of ‘Ghost Town Alive’ highlight Knott’s Berry Farm’s summer 2017 season

The Peanuts comic strip character Snoopy is appearing in a new magic show at Knott’s Berry Farm for the summer 2017 season.

The show, called “Snoopy’s Magnificent Magical Revue,” was conceived by the Farm’s entertainment division with the help of magician Greg Wilson, who developed the illusions.

Wilson, who also appears in the show on stage in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre, said the illusions he performs with the characters were picked fit their size.

“It’s an entirely different size magic illusion. We had to design everything so that Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Linus, Sally and Lucy could fit and be a part of,” he said.

The magic show runs six days a week, with no show on Wednesdays.

Read the rest on the OCRegister

Ghost Town Alive! – How Knott’s Berry Farm beat Disney to the immersive punch

At Star Wars Celebration 2017 in Orlando this past April, Disney revealed that the upcoming Star Wars expansions currently being added to its resorts on both coasts would be deeply immersive experiences, meaning that guests won’t just be riding Star Wars rides and buying Star Wars merchandise– they’ll be living Star Wars.

The immersive theater form, as we’ve explored in great detail here at Inside the Magic, offers participants the opportunity to interact with characters and stories in a way that far exceeds what fans are used to. Instead of watching a show unfold in front of you, the audience has the opportunity to become a part of the show. Of course there have been plenty of small-scale examples of this technique through the years in theme parks around the world (yes, including Disneyland’s 2014 game Legends of Frontierland), but none even approaching as in-depth as what Disney has planned for Star Wars– or what Knott’s Berry Farm is already doing with Ghost Town Alive!

Read the rest at InsideTheMagic

More walls have gone up at Boardwalk

Nice new sign for Calico Mine Stage

Knott's Soak City Waterpark Expansion With 7 New Water Slides

Can a Six Flags dark ride measure up to Disney and Universal?

For 46 years, Six Flags Magic Mountain has been afraid to build an immersive dark ride attraction for fear of inviting unflattering comparisons to Southern California theme park rivals Disney and Universal — until now.

The Justice League: Battle for Metropolis 3-D dark ride set to debut this spring at the Valencia amusement park will combine motion-platform ride vehicles with a shoot-’em-up video game.

I visited Magic Mountain this week to tour the 24,000-square-foot building with officials from Florida-based ride-maker Sally Corp. Forklifts and cranes were busy as crews on cherry-pickers worked in the rafters of the warehouse-like building in advance of the arrival of scenic show materials and ride vehicles.

Read the rest at the LATimes

Knott's News: Better than Spider-Man? NOT EVEN CLOSE!!! Still, it's nice when someone sets that bar. Hopefully it does well and convinces Cedar Fair to make this kind of investment. Can't wait to see what the new scenes are.

Boardwalk BBQ opens this summer and will add delicious new smokehouse BBQ options

The All Season Dining Plan is about to get even better when Boardwalk BBQ opens this summer and adds delicious new smokehouse BBQ options. pic.twitter.com/IWcJbIJxrJ

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) June 4, 2017

Video-game-loving millennials, theme parks are making these attractions just for you

Such attractions aim to entice the burgeoning population of young gamers, and designers say the challenge is to create a superior experience to what the players might get on their home gaming setup.

Fullerton student Emiliano Perez played VR Showdown at Knott’s Berry Farm recently and said it outmatches the virtual soccer games he plays on his home Xbox system. “It’s like you are part of the game,” the 13-year-old said.

The virtual reality attraction at Knott’s even includes little-known strategies — or “cheats” — to boost a player’s score, said Christian Diekmann, corporate vice president for strategic growth at Cedar Fair Entertainment Co., which owns 13 theme parks and water parks, including Knott’s Berry Farm.

“We can deliver now the kind of attraction we couldn’t do 10 years ago,” he said.

Diekmann declined to disclose the price of the new Ghost Town addition but industry experts say such gaming attractions can be built for less than $15 million.

Read the rest at LATimes

Knott's News: I'm sure this kind of stuff appeals to non-gamers more then it does actual gamers, which is fine. If they're actually trying to compete with the multi-billion dollar video game industry - where AAA games can cost upwards of $200 million to make - they're out of their minds. 

When Knott’s Berry Farm Was an Actual Farm

Orange County was more farmland than suburb – a landscape of orange groves and cow pastures rather than tract houses and fairy-tale castles – when Walter Knott opened his first roadside produce stand in 1923. The dusty highway passing through Knott’s berry farm was fast becoming the principal route between Los Angeles and the beach cities of the Orange Coast, and shore-bound motorists discovered the farmer’s humble wooden shack – located near the midpoint of their drive – as a place to momentarily escape the automobile and sample Knott’s farm-fresh berries and preserves.

Read the rest at WKYC

Knott's Military Days May 27-29

Active, Veteran and Retired US Military receive free admission this #MemorialDayWeekend (May 27-29) https://t.co/QudWjRlGB6 #KnottsBerryFarm pic.twitter.com/Wk57yTIns4

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) May 26, 2017

Boardwalk BBQ concept art

Adventures await as Ghost Town Alive! returns to Knott’s Berry Farm

Starting May 27 through September 4, 2017 Ghost Town Alive! returns to Knott’s Berry Farm for another action-packed summer complete with bandits, cowboys, robberies, judges, a good ol’ western hoedown, and much more! Guests can visit the beloved town of Calico and experience an authentic western adventure by becoming a star in this summer’s story of the Wild West, where the power to unlock adventures is in the hands of every guest.

This summer, the story continues a year after the notorious Mayfield Gang escaped the custody of Sheriff Wheeler. Word around town is the Mayfield’s have been spotted back in Calico and the townsfolk are in need of some help in capturing the bandits and keeping the town safe. Ghost Town Alive! will offer guests a firsthand experience to play an important part in this unfolding story of the wild west, with specific tasks and activities and an essential role as an honorary citizen of Calico.

“Ghost Town Alive! has taken Knott’s summer entertainment and the idea of ‘playing in a theme park’ to a whole new level. Guests of all ages will have the opportunity to not just interact with the citizens of Calico, but will have the ability to influence how the story takes shape,” said Jon Storbeck, General Manager of Knott’s Berry Farm. “Our Entertainment team has been working all year in developing new storylines, adding new characters and activities that make up the lively town of Calico”.

Along with the return of Ghost Town Alive! The park will also debut Snoopy’s Magnificent Magical Revue, a jaw-dropping magic show starring the World’s Most Famous Beagle, Snoopy and showcasing the mystifying and amazing magic of Magician Extraordinaire Greg Wilson! The whole PEANUTS GANG will amaze and confound with their magical exploits and lavish musical production numbers in this family friendly show! And who knows, guests might find themselves part of the act! Snoopy’s Magnificent Magical Revue will mesmerize on select dates, staring June 10 – August 20 in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre. (Dark Wednesdays)

The circus returns to town! The renowned “Traveling Circus” returns for another season of exhilarating performances. Set on the Calico Mine stage in Ghost Town, come witness a spectacle; see awe-inspiring stunts, and death defying acrobatics in “Circus of Wonders.” The astonishing 30 minute spectacular will be action packed with all-time favorite circus attractions such as the Trapeze, Tightrope, Aerial Acrobatics, Trampoline, and of course, clowns, incorporating lighting and pyrotechnics, making this nighttime show a totally unique event! Select dates, June 10 – August 20.

The live entertainment continues with the explosive Wild West Stunt Show and the high kickin’ Calico Saloon Show, all in Ghost Town. At the Wagon Camp Stage, get krazy when Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies mount their toe tappin’, knee-slappin’, gut-bustin’ country comedy show that will have audiences clamoring for more! In the evening a group of krazy talented performers will have guests kicking up their heels with vine dancing, a down home jug band and dueling fiddlers and banjos!

Knott’s also invites guests to celebrate Memorial Day weekend, Fourth of July weekend and Labor Day weekend at the park for a special nighttime firework display. The Buena Park skyline will glow with a brilliant fireworks show on May 28, July 1-2 & 4, and September 3, exclusively at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Guests can experience Ghost Town Alive! and much more with a 2017 season pass. A Knott’s Regular Season Pass includes unlimited 2017 admission to Knott’s Berry Farm and a Gold Season Pass includes unlimited 2017 admission to both Knott’s Berry Farm and the newly expanded Soak City Waterpark with six thrilling new slides and an all new family raft ride.

For more information about Knott’s Berry Farm and Knott’s Season Passes, please visit knotts.com. Join the conversation about the return on the popular Ghost Town Alive! and Knott’s summer entertainment using #GhostTownAlive and #KnottBerryFarm.

Ghost Town Alive! returns with brand new adventures May 27 - Sep. 4

Riders zip down a new water slide as Knott’s Soak City water park opens for summer 2017

Screams of joy and shouts of “I’m all wet” were heard as Knott’s Soak City Water Park opened for the summer 2017 season Saturday.

Before the park opened to the public, park officials held a short ribbon cutting ceremony to open up its nearly two-acre expansion.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Boomerang is completely gone now

VIDEO: Take a guided tour of Knott’s Soak City summer 2017 expansion and refurbishment at Knott’s Berry Farm

For the past eighteen years, Knott’s Soak City has delighted Southern California families with summertime fun just across the street from Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park. This year Soak City has undergone its first major expansion, adding a full two acres to the park’s footprint and installing seven cutting-edge slides on two new ride towers.

Shore Break will launch individual riders out of one of four Aqua Launch chambers, or down two dueling tube slides around twisting turns over daring drops. The Wedge is an open-raft family ride that can accommodate up to six riders at a time.

Read the rest at InsidetheMagic

Knott’s Berry Farm’s Soak City opening this weekend for summer with new waterslides

Seven waterslides debut when Knott’s Berry Farm’s Soak City water park opens for the summer 2017 season Saturday, May 20.

The new slides sit on a nearly two-acre expansion taken from a chunk of the nearby parking lot.

“The park has been growing in attendance over the last several years,” said Roland Reyes, manager of the water park for Knott’s.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

DHX Media Acquires ‘Peanuts’ in $345 Million Purchase of Iconix

DHX Media has acquired classic children’s brands “Peanuts” and “Strawberry Shortcake” as part of a $345-million acquisition of the entertainment division of Iconix Brand Group.

The acquisition gives the Canadian media production, distribution and broadcasting company an 80% stake in Charles M. Schulz’s iconic “Peanuts” gang, including Snoopy and Charlie Brown, and full control of the “Strawberry Shortcake” IP. The remaining 20% interest in “Peanuts” remains with the Schulz family.

“DHX Media feels like a perfect fit for ‘Peanuts,’” Jean Schulz, widow of the “Peanuts” creator, said in a statement released Wednesday. “We respect their innovative and rich history with developing children’s shows and brands, and we look forward to working with Dana and his team to steward ‘Peanuts’ in the future.”

Read the rest at Variety

Knott’s Berry Farm readies Soak City water park, theme park for summer

The water slides are nearly ready to take on water at Soak City, as Knott’s Berry Farm gets ready for summer.

The heavy rains in January and February meant construction crews had to work six and sometimes even seven days a week to have the new water slides ready for the park’s opening Memorial Day weekend.

Knott’s officials said it will be ready to open on time.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Boomerang removed from the skyline of an old Calico Mine Ride publicity shot

Have you seen Calico glow at night? #KnottsBerryFarm is open until 10pm on Fridays though the end of May. pic.twitter.com/aBD0CD66dB

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) May 4, 2017

Knott's News: For those spreading rumors of Sky Cabin's demise, look closely. You'll notice they didn't remove Sky Cabin from the skyline, which I think is telling.

Cedar Fair's (FUN) CEO Matt Ouimet on Q1 2017 Results - Earnings Call Transcript

Preliminary net revenues through the end of April achieved a new record high of $124 million up 2% when compared with the first four months of last year. During this time, guest spending is up 2%, well attendance was comparable with last year's record number of visits.

As I expect you anticipated, Knott's Berry Farm's first quarter performance was below expectations due to the drought-correcting rains in California. However the continued growth and the popularity of Knott's Boysenberry Festival and return to more normal Southern California weather resulted in record attendance revenues and per caps in April for Knott's.[...]

I'm proud of decisions we've made to drive our business in 2017 and we're confident this will be another record year for Cedar Fair. Well we are laser focused on 2017, construction has already begun on multiple high impact tractions that will come online in 2018. As we look to build on Cedar Fair's history we'll adding to our collection of world class coasters including a completely new type of coaster, a dramatic transformation of two of our historical wooden coasters and a renewed relationship with a manufacturer who we have worked with recent history that will add another coaster and deepen our pool of ride manufacturers. It is this type of innovation that will allow us to continue to grow beyond our near term goals.

Read the rest at SeekingAlpha

Knott's News: Knott's was definitely negatively impacted by the rains. They were closed many of those days. That said, Matt mentions they bounced back with a record setting April with both attendance and guest spending up.

The second part I included may or may not contain clues as to what next year's new attraction may be. Are we getting the "completely new type of coaster" or maybe the coaster that is part of the "renewed relationship". Maybe its not a coaster at all.

Whatever it is, I think we'll have a good idea of whats coming by July when the foundations are being worked on, if not earlier.

KBF Update 5-1-2017

Knott's Berry Farm - Sol Spin Review and Boomerang De-Construction

Today we've got an all new update from Knott's Berry Farm.

In the last couple of weeks they've closed Boomerang and removed quite a bit of track as well as opening up their all new flat ride Sol Spin.

Read the rest at ParkJourney

Review: Knott’s new Sol Spin thrill ride has a lot of promise, but does it deliver?

The new Sol Spin thrill ride at Knott’s Berry Farm looks much scarier and more exciting from the ground than it really is when you get up in the air.

I took a spin over the weekend on the new 65-foot-tall ride at the Buena Park theme park and found the experience to be fun but surprisingly tame and far too short.

Read the rest at LATimes

KBF Update 4:26:17

Knott's berry Farm Update: Sol Spin, around the park, and R.I.P. Boomerang

We've got a busy week ahead of us, with plenty of local parks content. Today, we're going to actually start things with a trek over to Knott's Berry Farm, which, this past weekend, saw the quiet debut of their 2017 capital improvement, Sol Spin, plus the last weekend of the tasty Boysenberry Festival, and the final operating day ever for the legendary and notorious Boomerang roller coaster. Plus, since I was around the parks, I decided to take some nice golden hour photos to showcase more of the beauty of America's first theme park!

Read the rest at WestCoaster

California Sports was cleared out and walled off last night

As expected, the California Sports gift shop now joins Boomerang behind the construction walls. It was cleared out last night and taken off the website.

Knott’s Berry Farm Photo Update- Spring Turns To Summer

Welcome back to the Farm! We are taking a look at this happy little park just as spring break ends and they prepare for Summer. One thing is for sure, the Boysenberry Festival was a huge hit this year and the park was packed every weekend throughout April. And just to keep things interesting, a new flat ride has opened in Fiesta Village and an old favorite has closed on the Boardwalk.

Read there rest at MiceChat

Boomerang removed from park map

Well Knott's latest park map is online and it shows Boomerang removed. It also has a new design for Boardwalk BBQ but I'm not sure how accurate their horribly stylized map is.

You can check it out at KnottsBerryFarm

Boomerang already being disassembled

Self ordering now available in Coasters Diner

Glass Blower shop at Knott’s Berry Farm closing after 45 years

A longtime fixture at Knott’s Berry Farm is closing its doors. Linda Cole, proprietor of the Glass Blower shop at the theme park, decided it was time to step back from working there every day and close its doors.

“The folks at Knott’s have been absolutely wonderful to us,” she said.

Cole, who spent many years creating miniature figures and more, such as a glass purple boysenberry, has been creating objects like that, along with glass bees, horses and more, since learning the trade from her father.

The shop got started in 1972, when more senior members of her family, including her father, shook hands with Walter Knott to place the shop in the farm. It has been at several locations around the park, before settling into the building that housed the Mill in Ghost Town years ago.

“I was there in Walter Knott’s office when they shook hands,” she said.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Walls up around Boomerang and Riptide area

Seriously, yesterday was Boomerang's last night and Knott's didn't waste any time. Construction walls have gone up all around the area. Whatever they're building for 2018, they must anticipate needing a little extra time (maybe they've been holding back with going vertical on Boardwalk BBQ until Boomerang is entirely removed). It looks like they're put some kind of signage on the walls. Hopefully its a hint at whats to come and that whatever it is warrants the hype they're creating.

Live webcams of the construction can be seen at KnottsBerryFarm

Long-time Disney talent joins Knott's entertainment team

Eric Nix joins as Producer in Entertainment and Mitch Atkins joins as Director of Productions, all under the leadership of Ken Parks. I honestly can't wait to see what they bring to the table along with all the other talented folks at Knott's.

Knott's Berry Farm pays tribute to flavors from its past in fun new ways with its annual Boysenberry Festival

Visit any retailer this week and you'll discover the remnants of Easter. Half-priced Peeps and the like.

But holidays that are already in the rear mirror don't interest Russ Knibbs. As the Vice President of Food & Beverage at Knott's Berry Farm, he's always more concerned with occasions that are still months away. Take - for example - how America's first theme park plans on celebrating Christmas in 2017.

"We're already talking about Knott's Merry Farm, which runs at our park in November, December and part of January," Knibbs admitted during a recent phone interview. "My culinary team and I are already discussing some fun new seasonal food items that we may offer at this year's event. Likewise Haunt. We always like to be able to spring a new Treat on all those guests who come out for our annual Halloween event."

Read the rest at JimHillMedia

California’s Great America, a Cedar Fair Park, to be Powered by 100% Green Energy

Silicon Valley Power (SVP) is pleased to announce that California’s Great America, Santa Clara’s 100-acre Cedar Fair-owned and operated theme park, will cover 100% of its electricity use with renewable energy through SVP’s Santa Clara Green Power program. Santa Clara Green Power is a renewable energy program that allows Santa Clara residents and businesses to purchase 100% solar and wind energy.

Great America’s commitment to 100% wind energy – 12,810 megawatt-hours (MWhs) annually – makes it one of the largest renewable energy purchasers in the Santa Clara Green Power program and a member of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership’s Leadership Club. This annual clean energy purchase is similar to the output of four large-scale wind turbines – reducing Great America’s carbon footprint from electricity use by over 7 million pounds of carbon dioxide each year.

“We are thrilled about Great America’s participation in Santa Clara Green Power,” said Larry Owens, SVP Senior Division Manager of Customer Services. “Their renewable energy commitment will place them among the top echelon of Silicon Valley’s environmental leaders and make it the first Northern California amusement park of its kind Ato choose 100% renewable energy.”

Read the rest at InParkMagazine

The new thrill ride in Fiesta Village, Sol Spin is NOW OPEN!

The new thrill ride in Fiesta Village, #SolSpin is NOW OPEN! Spin 6 stories high in all directions at #KnottsBerryFarm pic.twitter.com/QMJJxXQuf7

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) April 21, 2017

Fun stuff for Cedar Fair as new all-time high struck

Shares of Cedar Fair crossed $70 for the first time ever today, topping out at $70.41 within the last hour. Even with the extended rally for FUN, the dividend yield is at 4.86% for new investors.

Read the rest at SeekingAlpha

Knott’s Berry Farm gives $108,000 to help Susan G. Komen provide mammograms, raise cancer awareness

It was a big check with a big dollar figure that Jessica Rhee was handed by a couple of Knott’s Berry Farm’s characters for Susan G. Komen Orange County.

Rhee, a member of the nonprofit’s board, was at the theme park to receive the check for $108,867 from Knott’s officials, bringing the total donated to Komen to more than $468,000.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Knott's Boysenberry Festival 2017: April 1 - April 23

Knott's adds more missions

A Look at the 2017 Boysenberry Festival at Knott's Berry Farm

Running now through April 23, the Boysenberry Festival is a seasonal food and entertainment festival at Knott’s Berry Farm that centers around the park’s long lineage with the boysenberry plant. While the event primarily focuses on a variety of boysenberry treats (such as boysenberry buffalo wings, boysenberry meatballs, and boysenberry fry bread among many others), the seasonal event also offers a hearty selection of entertainment across the park.

Knott’s was kind enough to invite Inside Universal for a special look at their annual festival, and today, we’re going to take a look at this unique seasonal event.

Read the rest at InsideUniversal

How successful was Voyage to the Iron Reef and just how happy is Cedar Fair with TrioTech?

These are questions I've been asking lately as Cedar Fair has gone dark on their Amusement Dark initiative and partnership with TrioTech. Back in 2015 before Voyage to the Iron Reef opened, Matt Ouimet outlined his Amusement Dark initiative, which included plans for adding media-based dark rides to all 11 Cedar Fair parks. Flash forward to 2017 and we haven't seen nor heard anything about Amusement Dark since then (unless they count the Plants vs Zombies and Mass Effect theater-based experiences). We haven't even gotten a Halloween overlay for Iron Reef, which suggests an unwillingness to invest further or an end in partnership with TrioTech.

So I have to ask:

What has guest reception been like overall for Voyage to the Iron Reef and is Cedar Fair happy with Triotech’s interactive gaming system now that they've had time to sit with it? 

I know there has been some concerns about the low capacity ride systems (something Matt himself claimed was holding back it's implementation at Cedar Point) and technical issues found at both Canada's Wonderland and Knott's TrioTech dark rides but that can be overlooked if guest satisfaction is high enough. So is it? If it isn't, things are only going to get worse when Magic Mountain opens their Justice League dark ride and direct comparisons are made, as it's sure to blow Iron Reef out of the water. It seems to me Knott's has tried to position itself as being above Six Flags but below Disney in caliber, so to have their dark ride look cheap by comparison has got to sting.

The Bear-y Tales gang will not be returning for this years Boysenberry Festival

To the delight of Knott's fans everywhere, 2015 saw the re-introduction of the beloved Knott's Bear-y Tales cast of characters into Knott's Berry Farm. As part of the annual Boysenberry Festival, Knott's Berry Farm debuted the Bear-y Tales Pie Kitchen in the old Ghost Town Toy Barn (where several of the classic ride’s figures still performed), a place where kids could join the Bear-y Tales gang to learn about the process of how boysenberries become award-winning pies and bake their very own delightfully sweet boysenberry tarts complete with a crumble topping (appropriately tying to the theme of the original attraction). The interactive-storybook pie kitchen took inspiration from the old Knott's Bear-y Tales: Journey to the Fair storybook and truly brought the pages to life. Knott's also had 2 limited-edition Knott's Bear-y Tales t-shirts on sale as part of this celebration. It must've been popular enough, as Knott's brought back the Bear-y Tales Pie Kitchen for the 2016 Boysenberry Festival and sold a limited edition re-print of the Knott's Bear-y Tales: Journey to the Fair book that inspired it.

So flash forward to 2017 and the Bear-y Tales gang is nowhere to be seen. Of course, a few things have changed since last year. During the 75th anniversary of Ghost Town, The Barn was renovated to house livestock and more recently, the remaining Bear-y Tales animatronics were sold off during last week's Heritage Auction. With that said, the interactive pie-making did return but without the Bear-y Tales gang. It is now Cordelia’s Pie Kitchen (NOT the Bear-y Tales Pie Kitchen) and while its equally as appropriate, it does feel like a missed opportunity to utilize the Bear-y Tales IP (after all, Mrs. Knott's has her own restaurant we can visit anytime).

So why didn't they return? The honest (and probably obvious) answer is that I simply don't know. Besides the aforementioned changes since last year, there just isn't really any reason they shouldn't have. One would think the Bear-y Tales theme (or even Peanuts) would be more appealing to children than Mrs. Knott's but who am I to say. I may be delusional, but I choose to believe that Crafty Coyote is pulling one over us and that the Bear-y Tales re-introduction during past Boysenberry Festivals was soo successful that there is now something BIG (and more permanent) in the works for the Bear-y Tales gang outside of simply events. Only time will tell...

Have a Berry Good Time at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival

Knott’s Berry Farm has launched its popular Boysenberry Festival and it’s berry good this year. The flowers are in bloom, the food is a dark purple color, and there’s a renewed nostalgia down on the farm. Let’s take a look at the flavor of this year’s event.

The Festival had a huge kick off on April 1st and a massive crowd showed up to partake in the festivities. The growing popularity of this event is evident.

Read the rest at MiceChat

Knott's Berry Tales episode 12 boysenberry festival April 1st-23rd 2017

Knott's Berry Farm joins the groundswell of theme parks adding metal detectors

Knott's Berry Farm has begun using metal detectors to screen park guests, becoming the latest Southern California theme park to upgrade it's security measures.

Knott's officials describe the metal detectors, which began getting installed a couple of weeks ago at the entrance to the park, as part of a larger security program.

Similar measures are also deployed at Disneyland, Disney California Adventure, Universal Studio's and Six Flags Magic Mountain.

"The installation of metal detectors at our park is part of the ongoing evolution of our security practices," said Cherie Whyte, a Knott's spokeswoman, in a statement. "(It) is just one segment of a multi-layer security program, which is developed in coordination with local authorities."

Read the rest at the OCRegister

RUMOR: Screamscape says 2018 will be BIG

Rumor - (4/5/17) With Boomerang ready to go away forever very soon, the coaster fans out there have been wondering about what is next for Knott's. After all, you don't usually remove one of your park's major coasters without having something new to replace it at least in the design phase. From what we are hearing, Knott's does have something in the works, though they still need to dot the I's and cross the T's on it, but whatever it is, I'm hearing is it BIG and likely looking to open sometime in 2018 if possible because Knott's want this thing up, open and to have a serious reputation already in the public knowledgebase in time for Star Wars Land to open at Disneyland in 2019, so they can borrow all those incoming Disney guests for a day at The Farm.

Knotts News: Well friends, what to make of this? No real info here, just hype. Is 2018's new attraction BIG in size, like a rollercoaster or BIG in scope, like a dark ride. Maybe its BIG in it's significance to fans, like the return of a classic attraction. He honestly couldn't be anymore vague. With Matt Ouimet reiterating that they will NOT be competing with Universal or Disney, and that micro-investments has been extremely successful for them at Knott's, one must wonder what BIG can mean for 2018.

Anyone who follows this blog knows what I'm pulling for. The land isn't really big enough for any kind of coaster, especially a BIG one, without it traveling all over the park destroying it's atmosphere. On the other hand, its plenty of space for a dark ride...

VIDEO: Fascinating animatronics panel from at WonderCon 2017 features Disney Legend Bob Gurr

The legacy of animatronics in the entertainment industry stretches back hundreds of years, to when crude automata amused Euopean royalty, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that Walt Disney Enterprises accelerated development of the form in leaps and bounds for Disneyland.

This past weekend at the WonderCon 2017 convention in Anaheim (just across Katella Avenue from the Disneyland Resort), Disney Legend Bob Gurr— designer for many of the original park’s most famous attractions including the Haunted Mansion, the Disneyland Monorail, the Submarine Voyage, and the Matterhorn Bobsleds– appeared on a panel discussing the history of animatronics in Orange County, at Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm, and beyond.

Read the rest at InsideTheMagic

Historic locomotive, other treasures sold at Knott's Berry Farm auction

When the final gavel fell on the auction for a wide variety of Knott’s Berry Farm relics and memorabilia, the total bids came to $788,892.

More than 400 people attended in person to bid on the more than 200 lots at the live auction held in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre on Friday at the farm, with more participants via phone and online.

Read the rest at MiceChat

Alien robots invade Knott’s in shoot-em-up VR game. Your mission: Eliminate 'em all

I crouched behind a wooden barrel and blasted the alien robots emerging from the Knott’s Berry Farm blacksmith shop with my six-shooter laser revolver. Just as I beat back the time-traveling horde, their extraterrestrial mothership landed in the middle of the Ghost Town section of the Buena Park theme park. Time to power up to rapid-fire mode and save the Wild West town from the relentless alien invasion.

When the computer-generated simulated battle concluded, I pulled off my virtual reality headset and once again found myself in a dimly-lit 20-foot-square room, void of any frontier town or marauding robots.

The new VR Showdown in Ghost Town shoot-em-up virtual reality video game debuts Saturday at Knott’s. If the year-long test run proves successful, Knott’s parent company Cedar Fair plans to expand the interactive experience to other locations in its 11-park chain. The price of the $6 upcharge will vary based on demand. I tested out the new game this week during a media preview.

Read the rest at the LATimes

Knott’s Berry Farm Photo Update – Boomerang and Boysenberries

Welcome back to the Farm! Knott’s popular Boysenberry Festival starts this weekend – April 1st through 23rd. There’s a lot going on right now. New attractions are being built, an old one will soon be leaving. A tremendous amount of entertainment is being added for the upcoming festival. And we’ve got the full scoop for you. Let’s head in and take a look at some huge changes on the horizon.

Read the rest at MiceChat

Behind the scenes of VR Show Down in Ghost Town at Knott's Berry Farm

Knott’s Showdown in Ghost Town is VR Fun

Saturday is a big day for Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. April 1st is the start of not only their popular Boysenberry Festival (we’ll have an article all about that tomorrow) but also launches a brand new virtual reality game called “Showdown in Ghost Town,” which pits you against murderous robot cowboys bent on destroying Ghost Town.

I like a fun new adventure as much as the next guy, but I really wanted to bring some experts along with me to give this new Knott’s experience a whirl. I’m pleased to share not only my thoughts on the experience, but those of gamers and virtual reality experts Nick Tierce and Hastin Zylstra as well.

Read the rest at MiceChat

The new virtual reality additional charge experience, VR Showdown In GhostTown, premieres this Sat. in the Knotts Berry Farm Boardwalk Arcade!

The new virtual reality additional charge experience, #VRShowdownInGhostTown, premieres this Sat. in the #KnottsBerryFarm Boardwalk Arcade! pic.twitter.com/9ofmWch17u

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) March 29, 2017

Knott's Berry Farm virtual reality 'Showdown' lets you defend Ghost Town from robotic villains

It’s a chance to defend a western town, Ghost Town that is, at Knott’s Berry Farm in its newest attraction “VR Showdown in Ghost Town.”

The new experience, opening in April, places four “players” in a virtual-reality version of the farm’s Ghost Town to defend it.

It’s the players as the good guys versus the virtual robotic characters as the bad guys – and everyone has a six-gun with plenty of virtual bullets.

“Two players can physically walk around the space, and each other, in Ghost Town,” said Ivan Blaustein, a producer with VR Studios, the company that developed the experience with Knott’s and its parent company, Cedar Fair.

This is the first free-roaming multiplayer virtual reality game experience in a U.S. theme park.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

VR Showdown in Ghost Town Comes to Knott’s Berry Farm April 1st

VR Showdown in Ghost Town has come to Knott’s Berry Farm, making its debut April 1, during the kick-off of this year’s Boysenberry Festival. Theme Park Adventure was fortunate enough to preview the brand-new family attraction at Knott’s this week, and we came away with some really positive observations to share.

I’ve long said that virtual reality as we know it is best suited for home console gaming. It’s taking off by leaps and bounds in the home market, resulting in some pretty amazing video game experiences. In theme parks, VR is a really hard sell for me, for several reasons. Typically, VR is an operational nightmare – the headsets are bulky and require constant cleaning and maintenance, guests need assistance putting the gear on properly and then removing it, and depending on your luck, it’s very easy to get a piece of hardware that isn’t calibrated properly or out of focus, which ruins the experience. To be completely transparent, the only VR-equipped attractions I have experienced are roller coasters, and I’m not a huge fan to be honest. When I ride a coaster, I want to experience the coaster – I want to see where I am, what the train is doing, and I want to have interaction with other riders, whether it be screaming and laughing, or putting our hands up as a group. When rumors started flying of virtual reality coming to Knott’s, I was less than excited. I guessed that Montezooma’s Revenge was going to get the VR treatment, as many other older coasters across the nation and around the world are getting these days. I’ve never been happier to be wrong!

Read the rest at ThemeParkAdventure

Knott’s VR Showdown In Ghost Town – An Incredible Immersive Game

Knott’s Berry Farm has a great new attraction custom built and placed under Voyage to the Iron Reef in the Boardwalk area of the park. The extra cost game was a collaboration between VRstudios and Cedar Fair, and features iconic characters and settings from the history of Knott’s.

The game makes use of wireless Virtual Reality headsets (VR) that fit over guests’ heads. In addition, wireless headphones keep the immersive-ness with audio streamed to them. Physical guns appear in the game as well. Game guests can move freely around a small room, known as a pod. Though there is almost nothing else in the room, the game will simulate the classic Ghost Town setting with barrels and boxes to hide behind.

The pods can have two players in them, but all pods are connected to allow for teams. Up to 4 can play at once. The pods also provide different perspectives. depending on the sides you are on.

Read the rest at DAPsMagic

Sneak Peek: VR Showdown in Ghost Town

Get ready to enter a time machine and go back in time to defend the town of Calico from an army of robots! This new attraction is not only action packed and so much fun, but it is also brining the innovation of Virtual Reality to a theme park setting. When Tim and I tried this attraction this past Tuesday evening, our minds were blown away!

Read the rest at Knottsnetwork

Sol Spin is coming together FAST!

Metal detectors going up

Here's what's new at Knott's Berry Farm's Boysenberry Festival

Knott’s Berry Farm is rolling out more sweet and savory goodies for the theme park’s fourth annual Boysenberry Festival: The hybrid fruit stars in 75 unconventional creations, from ravioli to pizza.

Yes, the Fun Bun is back — a softball-size, boysenberry frosted cinnamon roll that has become a crowd favorite. The Fun Stick, a triangular slice of boysenberry cheesecake dipped in funnel cake batter on a stick, also returns.

It’s all about celebrating the park’s roots as a fruit farm. Growers Walter Knott and his family first began selling boysenberries — a mix of blackberry, loganberry and raspberry – at a roadside stand in the late 1920s. The land was eventually turned into a theme park.

Due to the festival’s popularity, Knott’s expanded it by a week this year to April 1-23.

At a recent preview, the Register and other media outlets sampled many boysenberry-flavored treats.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Knott’s Berry Farm Installs VR Ghost Town In America’s Oldest Theme Park

Knott’s Berry Farm in Orange County, California is said to be America’s oldest theme park. The Knott family started it as a literal farm but built it up into a restaurant and then opened up a ghost town in the 1940s for entertainment that served as the basis for a decades-long expansion into a 160-acre park in the heart of Southern California. If you’re unfamiliar with it, you’ve undoubtedly heard of its neighbor Disneyland just a short drive away.

On April 1, Knott’s is opening an expansion to its arcade paying homage to that original ghost town while updating it for the 21st century. VR Showdown In Ghost Town is a multiplayer VR experience that costs $6 in addition to the cost of your ticket. We gave it a try at a media preview this week.

Read the rest at UploadVR

PREVIEW: Virtual Reality invades Knott’s Berry Farm with “VR Showdown in Ghost Town”

Two weeks ago Southern California’s Knott’s Berry Farm announced that it would be bringing the first permanent, free-roaming VR experience in an American theme park to its Boardwalk Arcade.

“Permanent” is the key word here for Knott’s “first” designation. Universal Orlando previously showcased free-roaming VR as part of The Repository – but that was a temporary installation for their Halloween Horror Nights event.

Technicalities aside, last night I had the opportunity to truly be among the first to test out the new game at Knott’s Berry Farm, called “VR Showdown in Ghost Town”.

I was definitely excited to give the new attraction a try – but more importantly, I left even more excited for the future of these kind of interactive games at theme parks and elsewhere.

Read the rest at InsidetheMagic

Knott's Berry Farm History!

This year, in honor of the famous berry, Ghost Town’s Town Hall will feature a fascinating film which shares the story of how Walter and Cordelia Knott settled here in Buena Park and helped the world discover the amazing boysenberry. Guests can pull up a seat and catch a 10-minute showing of the historic film offered exclusively during the festival.

Boomerang to close forever on April 23rd at the end of the Boysenberry Festival

Take your last ride on Boomerang during the Knott’s #BoysenberryFestival before the coaster closes forever on April 23. pic.twitter.com/vBFy8oESdl

— Knott's Berry Farm (@knotts) March 17, 2017

Knott's News: With Riptide "ripped" out and now Boomerang at the end April, this will leave a sizable chunk of land for a future attraction. Fingers crossed its not another rollercoaster and that it'll compliment the new Boardwalk Barbecue restaurant.

PREVIEW: Get a taste of Boysenberry Festival 2017 at Knott’s Berry Farm

After last year’s 75th anniversary of Knott’s Ghost Town and relaunch of its incredibly-popular GhostRider roller coaster, it’s going to be hard for Knott’s Berry Farm to have a more fun-filled spring/summer season in 2017, but darn tootin’ they’re gonna try.

The Boysenberry Festival is Knott’s first big event of the year, and it’s shaping up to be chock-full of flavorful festivities, including live performances, a wine and craft brew tasting garden, and of course over 75 unique boysenberry-inspired food choices.

Read the rest at InsideTheMagic

First taste of Knott's Berry Farm's 2017 Boysenberry Festival

Knott's Berry Farm's annual Boysenberry Festival returns April 1 for a 23-day run, and last night, the park invited selected reporters to sample a few items that it will be serving at this year's event.

Read the rest at ThemeParkInsider

Knott's Berry Farm and VRstudios Unveil Details of "VR Showdown In Ghost Town" - The First Permanent Free-Roaming, Virtual Reality Experience at a U.S. Theme Park

Knott's Berry Farm, its parent company Cedar Fair Entertainment and VRstudios announced today the details of the first permanent installation of a free-roaming, multi-player VR experience in a U.S. theme park, which will be located inside the Knott's Berry Farm Boardwalk Arcade. A new custom and industry first virtual reality (VR) experience, "VR Showdown in Ghost Town" will make its debut in April, and is exclusively available at Knott's Berry Farm.

The immersive and interactive VR attraction will invite guests to embark on a time travel adventure, which will transport them to a futuristic version of Knott's western town of Calico. Players will be met by robotic creations and embark on a daring mission with other groups of players to defend the town.

The one-of-a-kind immersive experience perfectly combines virtual reality and a competitive gaming realm that will captivate guests. Armed with state-of-the-art wireless virtual reality headsets and futuristic blasters, multiple players will compete against one another for the highest score and bragging rights, as part of this immersive adventure, while striving toward shared team goals. At the end of the VR competition, guests will be able to view and compare scores with their fellow opponents.

"We are always looking for new and exciting ways to entertain our guests," said Christian Dieckmann, Cedar Fair's Vice President of Strategic Growth. "By using a free-roaming system, we can take full advantage of the capabilities of VR and let our guests be the stars of the show. A majority of people have not yet experienced VR, and we anticipate there will be a lot of interest from guests to have their first taste at our park."

"VR Showdown in Ghost Town" is one of the many exciting new experiences coming to Knott's in 2017 and will be available to guests at an introductory price of $6.00, in addition to park admission.

For further updates and park information please visit knotts.com or download the Knott's Berry Farm app for your smartphone. Join the conversation about the new virtual reality experience using the hashtag #VRShowdownInGhostTown on the Knott's Facebook or Twitter page.

Knott's Berry Farm sets date for memorabilia auction

The date is set for people interested in buying a part of Knott’s Berry Farm’s history.

The farm is auctioning off many items it no longer needs, including Walter Knott’s Model T. Other items include a hearse used to promote Knott’s Scary Farm, figures used in the long-gone “Knott’s Beary Tales” ride, and several famous western paintings.

Heritage Auctions is handling the sale for the farm with live bidding starting at 1 p.m. Friday, March 31, in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre at the farm.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Knott's Berry Farm plugs into virtual reality, the new park thrill on the cheap

Knott’s Berry Farm is getting in on the latest theme park craze: putting visitors in a virtual world created primarily by software engineers instead of carpenters and welders.

The new VR Showdown in Ghost Town, which opens next month at the Buena Park theme park, will put virtual reality headsets on up to 16 visitors at a time, letting them shoot futuristic blasters at robot creatures in a battle to save the historic ghost town.

Read the rest at the LATimes

Are Disneyland and Knott's making food and wine festivals permanent additions to the theme parks?

As you probably could tell if you've visited a theme park recently, parks in Southern California and Central Florida no longer believe in anything called "the off season" anymore. Parks that stay open year round are looking to keep their parks as filled on a random day in March as they are in the heat of summer.

Unfortunately for what's traditionally been a family-driven business, pesky schools continue to insist that children attend classes for most of the year. Sure, some parents will take their kids out for a trip now and then, but parks need to go after a more grown-up audience to keep their queues - and bank accounts - filled during the weeks when schools keep their students in class.

And that's why theme parks love food festivals.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Knott's Boysenberry Festival: Food Fest + Live Shows (April 1 - 23, 2017)

Knott's Berry Farm construction update 3/2/17

Knott’s Berry Farm Photo Update – Shop, Drop and Roll

Time for us to return to the SoCal park built by another famous Walt. Knott’s is preparing for their annual Boysenberry Festival which will run for most of April. Meanwhile, the Marketplace shops need some help, but the park is looking good, even as recent rains have caused some closures.

See it all at MiceChat

Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival returns April 1-23

Berry Farm is bringing back their popular Boysenberry Festival for more days than ever, starting April 1 through 23, 2017.

For the first time ever, the Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival is expanding to three weeks, with food and drinks, and festive live entertainment. The 23-day food festival features over 70 one-of-a-kind boysenberry inspired dishes, drinks and more, plus entertainment, Wine and Craft Brew Tasting Garden (featuring boysenberry and wine), and family fun.

Read the rest on AttractionsMagazine

Knott's, Susan G. Komen offering free mammograms today

Knott’s Berry Farm, partnering with Susan G. Komen Orange County, is sponsoring free mammograms at the theme park’s south parking lot from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

The event is open to Knott’s employees and those in the public who are more than 40 years old, a California resident, low income, with no or limited insurance, and not receiving the service through Medi-Cal or other government-sponsored programs.

Eligible women will receive free exams and mammograms in the Mobile Mammograms coach that will be parked in the lot.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

What's new at Knott's: Construction, renovations and more Soak City slides

The drumbeats echoed through Ghost Town on President's Day at Knott's Berry Farm.

Beating the drums was the Mountain Fifes and Drums from Lake Arrowhead, making one of their twice-a-year appearances at the farm. They also march into Knott's for the Fourth of July.

But elsewhere at America's oldest theme park, it was construction time.

Read the rest at the OCRegister

Knott’s Glows Pink Through March 5th

You may have noticed Knott’s Supreme Scream and some other famous park attractions glowing a different hue this week. In support of the Susan G. Komen foundation’s efforts to find a cure for breast cancer, some of Knott’s iconic attractions have been lit in bright pink lights. In addition, Knott’s is providing free clinical mammography screenings for women in the community.

Now through March 5, guests can support the Knott’s for the Cure campaign by purchasing 2017 Knott’s Season Passes or day use “Pink Tickets” at www.knotts.com. A portion of the sale of the tickets and special “For the Cure” merchandise goes to Komen Orange County.

Read the rest at MiceChat

Cedar Fair shoots to record profits

Amusement park chain Cedar Fair LP said today that its 2016 profits rose 58 percent to a record $178 million, or $3.14 a share, on revenues of $1.29 billion.

A year earlier, the Sandusky company, which owns Cedar Point and 10 other amusement parks and three water parks, had a profit of $112 million, or $1.99 a share, on revenues of $1.24 billion.

The company attributed the performance to a 3 percent increase in attendance to a record 25.1 million customers, plus a 2 percent increase in average in-park per patron spending to $46.90, which also was a record.

Read the rest at TheToledoBlade

Knott's News: For people who don't want to read the transcript, this will summarize the important stuff.