What to Know
- Knott's Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival in Buena Park
- March 8 through April 7 (daily); the festival continues Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays through April 28, 2024
- Admission is required; foods and drinks are priced separately
How do we choose to greet spring in Southern California?
Do we head for San Juan Capistrano and watch the swallows as they alight around the mission?
Is finding a field laden with California poppies part of our plan?
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Or do we snack upon an assortment of offbeat and appetizing goodies that all include a gooey Golden State superstar, a vine-vivacious favorite that is synonymous with a certain theme park?
Well, if you're voting "all of the above" here, you're not alone; there are many enchanting ways to embrace the softest season in our region.
But boysenberries play a central and sweet role for so many locals and, as is tasty tradition, Knott's Berry Farm will give us the delicious goods, right when we are craving them most.
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We are, of course, ballyhooing about that most berry-ish of bashes, the Boysenberry Festival, an annual food festival that forms a boysenberry-flavored bridge between the end of winter and the start of spring.
The 2024 festival lusciously launches on March 8 with a whole limited-time menu of boysenberry bites, including an array of decadent funnel cakes, colorful beverages, and meaty fare with a saucy, boysenberry kick.
Shows and happenings also weave through the month-plus merriment, with "Knott's Preserved" taking to the stage in a spirited fashion. The live presentation will "commemorate the heritage of the park" through music, vocals, and dance.
Calico Park is the place for boysenberry-inspired games, and the popular pie-eating contests? Oh yes: Prepare to find most of your face, and possibly most of your outfit, too, doused in sticky purple splendor.
There's a museum devoted to the history of the boysenberry; Walter Knott, the founder of Knott's Berry Farm, plays a major part in its origin story. Stop by Town Hall to learn more about the famous fruit and how it changed the course of the beloved theme park.
Your theme park admission gets you into the entertainment offerings of the festival, while the goodies will be separately priced.
