Knott’s Berry Farm may be best-known for its roller coasters and amusement park attractions for kids. But now you can celebrate the berry that started it all! The Knott’s Boysenberry Festival runs March 28 – April 12. This spring tradition is a mix of tasty treats, fun activities, and all the rides and thrills that makes Knott’s a great amusement park. Start planning your trip because we’ve got your insider’s guide to the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival.

What to Do
Located in Buena Park in northwestern Orange County, this historical amusement park features Snoopy and the Peanuts gang as its mascots. Camp Snoopy is the portion of the amusement park that perfect for young kids and families. The wait time for rides are never too long, and kids will love attractions like the balloon race (that stays low to the ground), train rides, mini mining cars, and “flying” in Snoopy’s flying ace airplane.

One of the special things to do during Boysenberry Festival is participate in interactive pie-making with the Bear-y Family. Kids can join the classic Bear-y Tales characters in their very own pie making kitchen inside of Ghost Town’s Toy Barn. The pint sized chefs can also make their very own delightfully sweet boysenberry tarts complete with a crumble topping. There is an additional cost for pie making. But if you have a young chef at home, it’s worth it for this spring-time treat. The Bear-y Family pie making is located in Ghost Town. So you may forget about this fun event if you don’t veer far from Camp Snoopy.

Don’t Miss: Venture over to Ghost Town for boysenberry themed stand-in cutouts like wanted posters and a boysenberry farming family. Be sure to check out the Old Schoolhouse too! This original building was built in 1879 and educated generations of kids until the 1940s. The inside still has authentic chalkboard writing, old books, and desks that have slate boards still attached. Kids are always fascinated to see that students from long ago wrote their homework on chalkboards rather than paper and computers! A visit inside the Old Schoolhouse is well-worth the visit!

Photo credit: Knott’s Berry Farm Facebook page

What to See
When it comes to entertainment at the Boysenberry Festival, there’s no sweater treat! If you want to stick with the kids’ shows, check out “Lucy’s Really Big Spring Show” at the Camp Snoopy Theatre. We also recommend the Peanuts Party in the Park, an interactive show that celebrates spring with music and gorgeous colorful touches. Plus the Park’s Charleston Circle fountain transforms into a beautiful floral fountain, full of colorful flowers and boysenberries.

Even if you have young kids who don’t want to leave Camp Snoopy, make time to check out the other Festival shows. Little ones (and adults) will love Jammin’ in the Dark, which transforms Charleston Circle into an immersive dance party with — you guessed it — illuminated boysenberries and vines! If country music is more your style, stop by and see bluegrass country music group, Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies. This show offers musical fun and also comedy to get the family laughing too.

Don’t Miss: You can’t leave Knott’s Berry Farm without getting a photo taken with the Easter Beagle himself! Knott’s is great about making it easy to get your kiddo’s photo taken with Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus and the gang. During Boysenberry Festival, the photo backdrops include spring butterflies, and Lucy’s famous “The doctor is In” booth is transformed into an “Egg Decorating” booth. It makes a perfect photo for Easter greetings!

Photo credit: Knott’s Berry Farm Facebook page

What to Eat
The question should really be, “What not to eat?” Back in the 1930s, Walter Knott harvested the boysenberry, which is a cross between a loganberry, red raspberry and blackberry. The Boysenberry Festival features more than 60 ways to enjoy the famous berry. Of course you can always enjoy a burger or wings with boysenberry BBQ sauce. But we suggest checking out some of the lesser-known treats, including the boysenberry Icee float or berry trifle. There’s even a boysenberry latte and blended coffee if parents need a pick-me-up during the day!

Don’t Miss: If you’re not sure what tasty bites to eat, get a Boysenberry Festival Tasting card. For only $25, you can sample six boysenberry treats, including the ear of corn with boysenberry butter; boysenberry BBQ wings; hot dog with boysenberry relish; fried alligator bites with boysenberry aioli; boysenberry trifle with ice cream; and boysenberry dessert flautas. This is a great way to sample several items while feeding a small family for a low price.

Knott’s Berry Farm
8039 Beach Blvd.
Buena Park Ca 90620
(714) 220-5200
Online: knotts.com

Have you been to the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival? Tell us in the Comments your favorite part of the Festival.

— Leah R. Singer

Photos by Leah Singer (unless otherwise noted)

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