You might not know it from looking outside lately, but springtime has officially arrived in Southern California, and that means the always highly anticipated seasonal event Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is underway at Knott’s Berry Farm.
This year’s event sees many returning favorites from food to characters to the wide array of Knott’s attractions, but the main event when it comes to new entertainment is the “Knott’s Preserved: A Musical Celebration” show on the Calico Mine Stage. You can watch a full video of that performance below.
Watch "Knott's Preserved: A Musical Celebration" FULL SHOW – Boysenberry Festival 2023, Knott's Berry Farm:
But rewinding time a bit, we arrived at Knott’s Berry Farm to check out Boysenberry Festival 2023 this past Friday, which was about a week after it opened for the season. As soon as we parked our car and began walking to the park, we could see some of the many wonderful and eye-catching decorations Knott’s had put up in celebration of the Boysenberry Festival event.
Inside Knott’s Berry Farm, we walked through the classic Ghost Town area and took in the sights, which included more Boysenberry Festival decor such as purple ribbons and lovely floral arrangements.
But one of the biggest draws of Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is inarguably the food, and as part of our media access to the event we were provided with a Food Tasting Card, which includes six specialty items from the delectable assortment of menus around the park. The cost of the card is $55 for regular guests.
Our boysenberry-inspired culinary adventure began with Caprese Garlic Bread with Boysenberry Balsamic Glaze, and we moved through Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese with Boysenberry Ranch Drizzle, Boysenberry Lemonade Seltzer, the Sushi Burrito with Boysenberry Sweet Chili, a Boysenberry Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich, and to top it off a refreshing Boysenberry Margarita. Below you can see some of the food signage posted around the park along with the a-la-carte prices for each item without the Tasting Card.
In addition to food, Knott’s Boysenberry Festival has also become known for its wonderful merchandise offerings, which this year include apparel, Snoopy plushes, boysenberry-shaped purses, water bottles, and even an umbrella. As always, the t-shirt and pin combo, available near the entrance to Ghost Town, is an especially good value.
Speaking of Ghost Town, the Livery in that area has been transformed once again in the Old MacDonald’s Barn, where interested guests can interact with a number of different barnyard animals like horses, donkeys, goats, and sheep.
Returning entertainment offerings for this year’s Knott’s Boysenberry Festival include “The Music Goes ‘Round and Around” at the Camp Snoopy Theater and the “Riverboat Revenge” comedy melodrama at the famous Bird Cage Theatre in Ghost Town.
In the Calico Town Hall, guests can enjoy a video presentation about the history of the boysenberry as it relates to Knott’s Berry Farm and its founders, Walter and Cordelia Knott.
The Boysenberry Lane area, located near the Ghost Rider roller coaster, offers picnic-table seating, themed carnival-style games, boysenberry plants for guests to take home for their own gardens, craft shops, and a meet-and-greet spot with the character known as Whittles the Prospector.
Venturing further into Ghost Town and its Town Square section, guests will find more decorations and craft stalls, while the Calico Mine Stage hosts a variety of Fun & Games for kids throughout the day.
Inside the Factory Store gift shop next to the Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair attraction, the theme park hosts the annual “Tied Up In Knott’s” art show, which highlights an assortment of very cool-looking artwork inspired by Knott’s Berry Farm’s history, characters, and attractions.
Over in Camp Snoopy, the area is decorated for Easter with bunnies, sheep, eggs, and carrots.
And one cool new additional piece of merchandise available for purchase is the Rubber Woodstock Float Toy, which costs $19.99 at the Woodstock’s Birdbath game in Camp Snoopy.
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival 2023 runs daily from now through Sunday, April 16th at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. For additional information and to purchase advance tickets, be sure to visit Knott’s official website.
