The return of the holiday season means one thing: Knott’s Berry Farm is once again aglow as Knott’s Merry Farm. This is my favorite theme park holiday event: festively decorated streets, incredible entertainment, and delicious holiday food. Join us as we explore what makes this holiday tradition so beloved.
There’s a lot of returning Merry Farm favorites, so let’s begin with what’s new: food and merchandise!
Knott’s Merry Farm Food
The holidays are a time for comfort food, and Knott’s Merry Farm is stuffed with new dining options. In fact, most of the items seem to be new this year. Even the mainstay Santa’s Turkey Ball (an entire Thanksgiving dinner in a deep-fried ball) has been swapped out for a similar item, Santa’s Turkey Dinner Muffin with Brussel Sprouts. Will the new version win out this season?
The chefs at Knott’s have created a spread of creative new dishes. I was partial to the Chiles Rellenos with a Poblano Cream Sauce and Spanish Rice. This may be the year of finding surprising new favorites— perhaps even ones that aren’t quite as traditional.
If you are a fan of traditional holiday dishes, there are a handful of items with turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce, like the returning favorite Loaded Turkey Sandwich.
Knott’s has also slipped holiday ham into some comfort mainstays— tater tots, pizza, and a burger.
The winter holidays are truly a time for sweets, and Merry Farm’s seasonal desserts are irresistible. This year, they’re working with some unique ingredients. I’m not a particular fan of coconut, but the Zebra Cheesecake won me over anyway.
The delectably rich Snickerdoodle Pumpkin Bar would pair so well with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Perhaps someone can put a carton in the Ghost Town Bakery freezer.
Many of the seasonal savory items are also available on the meal plan. The Jalapeño Popper Grilled Cheese is a kid’s dream—fancy grilled cheese with American cheese and rich cream cheese, featuring a few pieces of spicy jalapeños, all wrapped in Texas Toast and served with fries or onion rings. We only wish there were more jalapeños. Perhaps they can be diced up and mixed in more.
Another surprising winner was the Turkey Corn Dog with a Stuffing Seasoned Batter. The name says it all; it’s a turkey dinner corn dog! While mustard does go well with this, I do wonder if a bit of dipping gravy would be an even better companion.
Here’s a complete gallery of all the mouthwatering seasonal eats around the park:
Knott’s Merry Farm Merchandise
Knott’s Berry Farm is a wonderful place to shop for holiday gifts. The merchandise team has created an assortment of popular holiday apparel, accessories, and more. Their partnership with Loungefly continues to churn out adorable bags.
The interactive bubble blowers are back with some new tricks. Utilizing many of the additions from Scary Farm, they can now control lights on attractions and even the K on top of the Sky Tower.
This sparkly, ugly sweater-inspired Spirit Jersey is sure to be flying off the shelves.
Betty Boysen is back, this time on a jolly shirt.
The fan-favorite Mrs. Knott original Christmas Jam is back again (I may need a jar).
In addition to Knott’s Merry Farm merchandise, Ghost Town is filled with the Christmas Crafts Village. Booths dot Calico with unique homespun merchandise and crafts from local artists and merchants.
Both the glass blower and the chainsaw carver are back, creating an extra show whenever they’re out working in their booths.
Knott’s Merry Farm Entertainment
Fan-favorite Knott’s Merry Farm shows are back this year. From heartwarming performances to cheerful holiday spectacles, Knott’s continues to deliver some of the best seasonal entertainment around!
‘Tis the Season Tree Lighting
In the heart of Ghost Town, the grand Calico Park Christmas Tree towers over the square. Every evening, the tree is lit in a park-wide lighting ceremony. While the show itself is not new this year, Knott’s has erected a beautiful new tree and enhanced stage.
In a way, it’s a great lead-in to the evening’s nearby gorgeous Home for the Holidays show, as it utilizes the singers and dancers from that show to celebrate the beginning of the glittering nighttime holiday celebration. Clever and practical!
Home for the Holidays
One of our absolute favorite shows, Home for the Holidays, returns again to bring some good old-fashioned Christmas cheer! This show is elaborate with huge sets, an enormous cast, and a wonderfully nostalgic performance that takes us back to classic Christmas shows of the past.
Even though it’s been a few years, we haven’t gotten tired of this show at all. It’s like eating a favorite comfort food; we can’t get enough of it.
It’s incredible to watch the stage open up like a book. Stunning moment.
Home for the Holidays is brimming with heartfelt moments with friends and family. It’s the kind of perfect Christmas celebration one dreams of having.
With the catchy renditions of age-old songs, you’ll be humming the tunes well after the show ends. In fact, I’m doing it right now as I write this.
Home for the Holidays really goes big on its performance, culminating in a huge snow finale. It’s so big that the stage techs spend quite a lot of time between shows cleaning it up!
This continues to be the must-see show of the season, and we can’t recommend it enough. Make sure to check the Knott’s Berry Farm app for showtimes.
A Calico Christmas Carol & The Gift of the Magi 1885
Over at the world-famous Birdcage Theater, Knott’s is hosting two holiday melodramas, A Calico Christmas Carol and The Gift of the Magi, 1885. Both are Knott’s versions of two classic Christmas stories, each with its own Calico twist.
For example, in Gift of the Magi 1885, the ironic ending remains that they both sold their prized possessions to buy each other Christmas gifts; although the husband has sold his prized revolvers instead of his pocket watch. It’s a kookier version, yet familiar and quintessentially Knott’s.
The park has given the same treatment to the classic Charles Dickens tale, A Christmas Carol. Both melodramas are now set in Calico— how delightfully meta. A Calico Christmas Carol is beat for beat the same as the classic tale: 3 ghosts, 3 hauntings, and a changed and generous Ebenezer Scrooge at the end.
Like the original, it also doesn’t stray away from letting Scrooge’s haunting be a little scary.
Jacob Marley forged his chains in life in the railroad business. Now he’s literally weighed down by railroad cars.
Both shows use familiar Ghost Town locations and kookier versions of the classic characters. The ghosts of Christmas Past and Present are delightfully corny and silly.
Of course, Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas and begins to right his wrongs.
…and Tiny Tim lives!
The clever setting change to Calico is just enough to freshen up both stories, which have been a tradition at Knott’s Berry Farm for years. Both melodramas rotate throughout the day; make sure to check showtimes outside the Bird Cage Theater.
Snoopy’s Night Before Christmas
A retelling of the classic “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” Snoopy’s Night Before Christmas returns to dazzle us once again with its spectacular skaters, extensive sets, and nostalgic Snoopy on Ice performance.
This is a continuation of the 40+ year tradition of Snoopy taking to the ice at Knott’s Berry Farm! Compared to the older shows, though, Snoopy’s Night Before Christmas has a much-improved set, different songs, and even several aerial stunt segments.
Knott’s has really knocked it out of the park with this show. It continues to astound us with just how much they’ve managed to pack into 30 minutes.
One thing that is kept intact by popular demand is Linus’s recitation of the birth of Jesus in the Bible passage. He receives thunderous applause every time.
Balancing traditional charm and modern production value, Snoopy’s Night Before Christmas is one of the best theme park shows around. It may even be worth the cost of admission alone if it weren’t for all the other amazing Merry Farm shows!
Snoopy’s Night Before Christmas performs several times a day to a packed house, so make sure to check showtimes and arrive early!
Snow and Glow
Snow isn’t a common sight in Southern California, but Knott’s Merry Farm creates quite the flurry in Ghost Town throughout the night.
Every half hour in the evening, synchronized lights and music bring Ghost Town to life while the snow falls. In fact, the snow falls so heavily that guests in the area get absolutely covered in it. I’ve seen kids create snow angels in the piles left behind— it’s a true snowfall!
Calico Carolers
Step back in time to a Victorian Christmas with the Calico Carolers, Knott’s Merry Farm’s beloved vocal quartet. Bells in hand, they spread cheer throughout the streets of Ghost Town with the harmonious sounds of classic carols and contemporary holiday favorites.
Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies
Fan-favorite bluegrass band, Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies are playing twangy versions of your holiday favorites like “Blue Christmas” and “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”
Knott’s Merry Farm Guide
Knott’s has created a handy guide for finding all the food, entertainment, and shopping for Merry Farm. Keep it handy via the images below.
The Spirit of Christmas at Knott’s Merry Farm
All throughout Knott’s Berry Farm, it’s a nostalgic Christmastime.
We love that the Gold Mine Trail continues to be utilized as extra space. It’s very well-themed for what’s technically a backstage area.
The entrance photo op includes a spinning Christmas tree!
The true magic begins in the evening when the lights come on.
Memory Lane and the Boardwalk have some lovely old-school decorations.
The Boardwalk is filled with beautiful mid-century decorations.
Fiesta Village is decked out in traditional decorations.
A full Nativity scene appears in Mission Row. In the evening, it lights up with a few effects and a voiceover occasionally reads the birth of Jesus Bible passage.
Camp Snoopy’s remodel this year came with a slight refresh to it’s Merry Farm decorations.
It’s still a gumball light forest, but much of the rainbow colored lights have been replaced with red and white candy-cane lights. It’s much less chaotic and mixes well with the cute vintage Christmas props scattered throughout.
There’s no show in Camp Snoopy, but the small gazebo stage is home to Snoopy’s meet and greet.
The World’s Merriest Beagle has quite a lot of outfits for the holiday season, from the dapper vest at his meet and greet to the Santa suit he’s wearing in the various shows.
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Let’s Hear From You
Knott’s Merry Farm remains the wonderfully traditional and carefree Southern California holiday event. It’s a classic Christmas theme park experience, filled with charm and attention to the little details that make the season so enjoyable. Let’s hear from you. How does a visit to Knott’s Merry Farm sound to you? Do you enjoy Knott’s old-fashioned version of Christmastime? Let us know in the comments below.
For more Christmas cheer, please visit the MiceChat theme park holiday roundup: