Food and Fun at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is in full swing. When most people think of Knott’s Berry Farm, roller coasters are probably the first thing that come to mind. But if it wasn’t for the boysenberries, Knott’s would not have transformed into the thrilling theme park it is today. Each spring Knott’s pay homage to its roots during the annual Knott’s Boysenberry Festival at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.
This year, the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is taking place March 18 through April 24, 2022. Throughout the park, guests can taste more than two dozen boysenberry food items, such as mini crab sushi rolls with a boysenberry aioli and boysenberry pie bar. Admission to the park (starting at $84 for adults) does not including tasting the boysenberry food items. Guests can purchase a Boysenberry Festival Tasting Card for $50 to get six tastings. The “tastings” are a generous size. Knott’s Season Passholders get an additional $5 off.
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival Food Items
Here are just a few of the items you can try:
- Boysenberry beer
- Boysenberry wine
- Boysenberry horchata
- All-Beef Meatballs in a Boysenberry BBQ Sauce on Masher
- Chicken Cordon Bleu with a Boysenberry Cheese Sauce
- Boysenberry & Pomegranate Smoothie
- Chicken Pozole with a Boysenberry Garnish and Tortilla Chip
- Boysenberry Cowboy Chili with Mac & Cheese and a Frito Garnish
- Boysenberry Sangria
- Boysenberry Rocky Road Brownie
If you don’t want to buy a tasting card, food items can be purchased individually. The tasting cards have a list of vendors printed on them shows what tasting item each vendors sells. Some items are available at the permanent vendors, other items are sold at temporary vendors.
In addition to food tasting, there are also several booths selling boysenberry-themed items, such as knitted boysenberry hats, boysenberry jam, t-shirts and so much more. There is also live music and musical stage shows.
The Berry Festival draws a crowd, but since the tasting locations are spread throughout the park, the lines for the food tend to be reasonable. However, the lines for the rides can be long. If you don’t want to wait up to two hours for a roller coaster, you should consider purchasing a Fast Lane upgrade to your admission tickets ($89 per adult). This gives you priority boarding so you won’t have to wait as long for certain attractions. The good news for families is that the kids’ rides typically have less of a wait. Download the Knott’s app to keep track of wait times for rides. If you’re looking to make a weekend out of your trip, accommodation is available at the adjacent Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel.
Knott’s Berry Farm was founded in 1920 by Walter and Cornelia Knott. The first rides were built in 1960, the Calico Mine Ride and the Timber Mountain Log Ride. They no longer grown berries at the park location. Some of the berries are grown in Cambria, California. The park is also no longer owned by the Knott family. In 2008, it was purchased by the J.M. Smucker Company. Want to learn more about the history of the park and the boysenberry that started it all? Stop by the Town Hall in Ghost Town to see how it all started.
Disclosure: Admission to Knott’s Berry Farm was provided in order to do my review, but all opinions are my own. Article may contain affiliate links.