Knott’s Berry Farm Update: Summer Nights & Ghost Town Alive Return

The berries have been picked for the season and the Boysenberry Festival has sadly closed up shop, but Knott’s next season of fun will be here in a splash! Summer Nights season starts at the farm in a few short weeks and Knott’s has given us a preview of what’s to come. And we also have a quick update from the rest of the park, so let’s dive on in…

Summer is one of the hottest times down on the farm— both literally and figuratively. Knott’s Berry Farm is bringing a slew of fun this summer with the return of the Summer Nights Festival and Ghost Town Alive. And to help cool everything down, there’s the Soak City water park once it reopens for the season. This summer is already shaping up to be a great time to visit. Here’s a look at what to expect in the next few weeks:

Knott’s Ghost Town Alive

Returning from hiatus is the fan-favorite Ghost Town Alive. This is a daily story that plays out between guests and the citizens of Calico in a semi-impromptu fashion. While we aren’t quite sure what this year’s story will be yet, we are definitely looking forward to it. Ghost Town Alive will be running on select days starting May 20th through September 5th.

For many of us, Ghost Town Alive has been a highlight of the summer offerings not just at Knott’s, but anywhere in Southern California, and we are thrilled that it’s returning. It’s outdoor theater but also brings the Wild West theme of the area to life. It’s absolutely brilliant. There’s really nothing quite like this in any other SoCal theme park, it’s not to be missed.

Knott’s Summer Nights Festival

Another returning favorite is Knott’s Summer Nights, which is a combination of a music festival, a food festival, and a backyard barbeque. The evening event kicks off just before sundown and will keep you entertained well into the night. Three music venues, food booths, and a host of characters stretch from Calico Square Stage to the Charleston Circle Fountain. Summer Nights runs on select nights from May 20th through September 5th.

You can expect to see a variety of musical acts, a wacky assortment of characters, and a whole lot of food— this is Knott’s, after all!

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Knott’s Summer Nights Tasting Card

Knott’s Berry Farm has already begun selling this year’s Summer Night’s Tasting card on their website. A slew of new items have been added to the tasting card with a few returning favorites. The Tasting Card this year runs at a cost of $50 for 6 tastings and Season Passholders can save $5 on the sticker price. If you don’t think you’ll go through a whole Tasting Card, all items can be purchased in à la carte portions at selected card distribution locations.

Last year, we were less than thrilled with the food options; we found that the selections were hit-or-miss. We’re hoping that with the revamping of the menu for this year, the food will live up to the expectations we have for a theme park built on their food program.

Additional Knott’s Summer Entertainment

And that’s not all! Knott’s Berry Farm is bringing more entertainment to the park this summer. First up is the return of Bob Baker Marionette Theater and their show “Alegre.” This classic show uses charmingly old-fashioned marionette puppets to entertain guests daily in Fiesta Village.

Additionally, over at the Bird Cage Theatre, Miss Cameo Kate will be hosting her Western Burle-Q Revue. This year she is bringing her vibrant traveling troupe of singers, dancers, and musicians who perform their western can-can revue. We are excited to see some good old-fashioned high-energy entertainment. And since this takes place right in the middle of Calico, it makes for the perfect opportunity to take a break.

Knott’s Soak City

Cowabunga! We are just a few weeks away from the seasonal reopening of Knott’s Soak City Water Park on Saturday, May 21st.

Looking through the turnstiles, we can see that the Knott’s team is hard at work getting the park ready for the 2022 season.

Around the Farm

Now that we’ve caught up on the big entertainment news from the park in the coming weeks, let’s turn our attention to everything else. Between various construction projects, crowds, and the daily scene at Knott’s there’s been a lot taking place. Here’s a closer look at what’s been going on…

Boardwalk Pizza Construction

Back in the Memory Lane section of the park, Knott’s is making fast work on their new pizza quick-service location. At this point, we can see the building frame taking shape. With an opening date scheduled for this summer, they’re wasting no time getting the new eatery built.

On the day of our visit, we could see a few electricians have begun to install several electrical lines throughout the stud frame.

As this project has continued to move along, Knott’s has been updating the concept art on the construction walls. We’ve noticed that the restaurant’s name has continued to change with every iteration of concept art. The latest version reads “Prop Shop Pizzeria.” But we’d like to hear your ideas for the name of the new pizza restaurant.  

Across the way, the second set of construction walls have been erected for what we assume to be a replacement set of guest restrooms.

Peering through the wall we can see that this project is quickly wrapping up as a new awning has been installed above the facility doors. I love how much detail work is going into theming this project. Theming helps bring the level of a cohesive level of immersion to the entire land, and it is a welcome addition to the Boardwalk area.

Montezooma’s Revenge Refurbishment

Over in Fiesta Village, Knott’s has begun work on Montezooma’s Revenge giving this historic coaster a little TLC and bringing some modernization to its infrastructure. Work is not quite visible to us on the walkways but we expect the shuttle coaster will return to operation next summer.

Currently, the train is parked on the brake run as likely work is commencing on the underside of the station. 

An interesting note is that the ride safety signage is missing from the attraction entrances.

This and That @ Knott’s

And to round out our visit to Knott’s, here is a collection of the smaller stories from the park:

Over at Cordy’s Corner, doors and windows have been covered up for the past couple of weeks for an unknown reason. We are unsure if it has to do with work occurring on the opposite side of the building with the new Boardwalk pizza quick-service location, but it is something we are keeping an eye on.

Meanwhile, over at the Log Ride, the waterfall effect has remained off on the final drop since the attraction returned from its winter refurbishment this year. Although this element is decorative and does not affect ride safety, the attraction really looks like it’s missing some kinetic energy.

Another issue we have also noticed is that the attraction seems to have lost some of its capacity. We spot fewer logs cycling through the attraction and wait times have ballooned. It’s not uncommon to see the attraction post at a 60-minute wait even on the slowest weekdays. With this being one of Knott’s highest capacity attractions in the entire park, the extra capacity is sorely needed, epically as we approach the busy summer season.

Several of the smaller attractions over the past couple of weeks have come back online, like Pig Pen’s Mud Buggies and Wipeout. Unfortunately, the High Sierra Ferris Wheel continues to remain closed. We hope this attraction can return to operation soon.

Let’s Hear From You

And that’s it for our brief update from Knott’s Berry Farm this month. Are you excited about the return of Knott’s Summer Nights and Ghost Town Alive? What will you be picking for your six food options for the Summer Nights Tasting Card? What’s your favorite Knott’s Festival? Have a suggested name for the new Pizzeria? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!