It’s a genuine old-time Christmas at Knott’s Merry Farm again this year. This event is one I really look forward to and I’m happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed. So much great food, heartwarming live entertainment, and a special jolly and nostalgic feeling of Christmastime. If you’ll give me a few minutes, I’d like to show you around a very happy, Calico-style holiday.
While their Christmas celebration remains mostly the same this year, there are some new decorations that enhance the look of the park. The biggest changes are on the Boardwalk, which was torn up last year while Hang Time was being constructed.
The Charleston Circle fountain looks fantastic with its new winter chill overlay, but it really shines (quite literally) at night with all the icicles lit up.
Hang Time gets into the spirit with a holiday light pattern. With each new car, it switches to red and green with various different patterns. Every thirty minutes the coaster hosts a mesmerizing special light show set to Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s “Wizards in Winter.”
Brian Pinsky grabbed a full video of that light show here. Now imagine actually riding the coaster while this is going on, the track just disappearing into the dark below you for a few moments…exciting!
And the other restaurants get holiday cheer as well . . .
The rest of the park is gorgeous both during the day and at night.
It looks like Fiesta Village has expanded their decorations a bit this year.
Entertainment
Knott’s has put together a really fantastic live entertainment lineup for Merry Farm. Although there are no new shows this year, every offering is quite enjoyable and well worth admission to the park even if you don’t ride any of the attractions.
Tree Lighting
Every night in the center of Calico, there is a ceremony to light the Christmas tree.
Many of the citizens of Calico come out to celebrate the occasion including the carolers…
…and the mayor of Calico, who brings the ornament that lights the tree.
On the first night of Merry Farm, the Mayor, Santa, and the supervisor of Knott’s show development lit the tree with over 600 kids from the Boys and Girls Club of Orange County.
Here’s the official post about that special tree lighting from Knott’s’ Facebook. They included a link to the full show as well, it’s a little different from the show they do every day.
https://www.facebook.com/KnottsBerryFarm/photos/a.104124665875/10155650737995876/?type=3&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARCGrYs8eLPgOthmU9n07gsOsncFul0iEuHePmDUwB_STKIDd_SQNWvqrnIJcLKwW48J8EoBVyZ3QUoBUvDPJubMaIosXRiKKoCsbD4KPsK0biiapGtvmFjofT9r_q9iOEbWn8f5e0YAdNJK-qRo_sGy17hq3gg57owtd63K9dQkrrGv87_40noXu_KqE7FJFocMz0Dc0K5BogVDb-n6FGv62sPb_-CE5cUp7q9vjjr46nP-JtQzoeYHiyWn2Kv-Sj97LhZez2rRMJ4Wsv6JMPKVfePjd_VZM–7qRQaVtT6HCMuAjsZBd8KAOonArjQp5xDV3CUnPfLFxHKQNVcWdF1FxxupGVMu2km-Ys8TS4OHxkfEmhP9O5NY8R3TCsHATgGAwMNpqvPdcgnRFlzRynr-u5F&__tn__=-R
The Gift of the Magi and A Christmas Carol
In the Bird Cage Theater, two classic melodramas are playing. I saw the Gift of the Magi last year, so I thought I’d pop in and see what ‘ol Scrooge was up to in A Christmas Carol.
Merry Christmas Snoopy Ice Show!
A major highlight of last year’s Merry Farm, Merry Christmas Snoopy! in the Charles M. Shulz Theatre. It’s an incredible show full of amazing skating, impressive acrobatics, and some wonderful heartfelt moments.
I love the switch to a vintage holiday in the middle of the show, it sets the most incredible tone through music, costumes, set . . . and skating of course.
Do not miss this show, it’s worth every penny of your Knott’s admission alone and really sets Knott’s apart from other holiday offerings in Southern California in my opinion.
A Peanuts Guide to Christmas
Another strong returning show is a Peanuts Guide to Christmas. Adorable, charming, and full of humor; it’s a great show and we’re happy to see it back.
I appreciate that they shorten the Twelve Days of Christmas since Sally gets tired of it halfway through. Who gives away a Woodstock in a pear tree as a present anyway?
Brian has the full video of the show for you:
Snow and Glow
The snowfall on the streets of Ghost Town is not new this year, but what is new are these lanterns that sync up to the show “glow with the show” style. It’s a nice touch and the lanterns are actually pretty nice for a prop. I might buy one to use in some photos. They’re $15.
Here’s some video from Brian of one of the show sequences. There are a lot of chances to see this show every night, so don’t miss out!
It’s the Merriest Christmas Show Ever, Charlie Brown!
The final returning show happens every night on the Calico stage, It’s the Merriest Christmas Show Ever, Charlie Brown! The show follows Charlie Brown and other Peanuts characters as they put on a Christmas show full of classic Christmas music, dance, and antics.
Holiday Eats
If you’re like me, one thing you anticipate when you go to Knott’s is eating a lot of boysenberry treats. While most of the treats will be rolling out more towards this coming weekend, Knott’s gave us a sneak peek (and some sneak eats) of some of the holiday food that will be offered this year. We didn’t try everything that was on display, but what we did try was great.
Holiday cupcake? Don’t mind if I do! Always good stuff.
I didn’t expect to enjoy them so much, but the holiday crepes were excellent. There’s more than one flavor of fluffy goodness as well.
I can’t wait to give the holiday churros another go. They are served fresh, with peppermint filling. Wow!
I recommend giving it a try from the Churro window across from the Calico Saloon.
These Snoopy Sugar Cookies are huge!
The Turkey Poutine was surprisingly delicious. I’m not usually much of a poutine guy because I find the fries seem to end up soggy from the gravy, but that wasn’t the case here. Out of everything we tried, Brian felt this was the best dish by far.
There’s even a turkey dinner pizza. If you are going to just choose one or two holiday items, stick with the poutine or holiday tamale. The turkey pizza I tried wasn’t the best. But perhaps you’ll get a better slice. Let us know what your experience is.
In a complete 180° from the pizza, the fried turkey dinner balls were absolutely fantastic. This is the thing I went back to get some more of. It’s like they took a whole turkey dinner, squeezed it into a ball, lightly breaded it, fried it, and then poured turkey gravy all over it. This will be a hot ticket item.
The turkey dinner eggroll is a similar concept and is pretty much what you’d expect after eating the fried turkey dinner balls. The difference here is that the egg roll is a little fluffier and the sauce is on the side. Clever!
A returning favorite is the Holiday Sandwich, which is available at the Boardwalk BBQ. You’ve got to be pretty hungry to tackle this thing, it’s the whole traditional turkey dinner on a bun plus a side dish. If the amount of food wasn’t already a good deal, it’s also included in the annual pass dining plan. If you have the dining plan you’re gonna want to get one.
Merchandise
Other than the aforementioned lamp (which makes a great background prop for these merch photos), here’s a sneak peek at some of the new holiday merch.
There’s a lot of warm clothing, which is a good idea this time of year with the temperatures in the low-60°s throughout the evening.
Knott’s is the place to go if your friends and family like receiving food baskets for Christmas. There are plenty of candy, jam, and other food baskets available, many of which include boysenberry goodies.
Around the Farm
If you’re looking to give Santa your wish list personally, he’s set up in the Wilderness Dance Hall.
Let’s switch gears for just a moment. There’s some big news down on the farm that we want to mention. . .
Bigfoot Rapids Calico River Rapids
If you missed the news last week, Knott’s announced that a new story will be installed on Bigfoot Rapids, which will be renamed “Calico River Rapids.” The change will bring the ride more in line with the Ghost Town lore with new music, story, figures, and detail.
The concept art has us excited to see what Knott’s and Garner Holt Productions have in store for us. To read more about it, check out our article.
For now, the attraction is closed while the new scenes and animatronics are installed. It’s probably too cold to get drenched right now anyway.
Timberline Twister
In Camp Snoopy, there is currently an unexpected ride closure. Timberline Twister is closed and the train has been removed off the track.
Although it’s not Merry Farm, I recently found one of my favorite treats from last year’s Boysenberry Festival, the handmade Boysenberry Cream Soda, at the Calico Saloon. It eluded me for a while since Judge Roy Bean’s place is closed most of the time, but they kept the drink around and renamed it “Calico Soda.” It’s $4.59, comes in a reusable plastic mason jar, and is a bargain in my opinion for a soda you watch them mix in front of you.
That’s it from Merry Farm this year. Let us know what treats from the Farm you look forward to trying. Are you interested in Calico River Rapids?