Knott's Berry Farm

[Stryker]

From Saturday. Fiesta Village construction update. So long to the carnival games. The entire Fiesta Village is closed off Monday-Thursday until Thanksgiving only opening Friday-Sunday with WaveSwinger, Jaguar, Sol Spin and Merry Go Round.

 

[joerodriguez]

 

[JaySalahi]

Went this weekend and finally saw all the new shows, WOW, Knotts stepped up their game, SO much entrainment. The Snoopy on Ice stage got a brand new Digital screen behind with a new awesome projection mapping frame shape wrapping around the stage. I was extremity impressed. Cannot wait for the Fiesta Village redo. Knotts is killing it right now. Easily the 2nd best park in the state and honestly its closer to Disneyland then people give it credit for. You can go to knotts on the right day and see nothing but shows and have a full day.

 

[Stryker]

Knott’s always put on quality ice shows. I get that it probably wasn’t in the entertainment budget last year, but hope they bring back an ice show this summer. No offense to anyone who enjoyed DJ Lance Rock, but even my kids were bored with both of his shows. I had to force them to sit through it until the end just so we can say we saw all of the shows in its entirety. Haha.

All the rain seems to have severely impacted construction. Hope there won’t be too much delays and they can now catch up. No notable differences on Xcelerator or Monty.

New snack stand coming soon near HangTime.
Credit: Vince Thehatman on FB

 

[Freak]

Knott’s always put on quality ice shows. I get that it probably wasn’t in the entertainment budget last year, but hope they bring back an ice show this summer. No offense to anyone who enjoyed DJ Lance Rock, but even my kids were bored with both of his shows. I had to force them to sit through it until the end just so we can say we saw all of the shows in its entirety. Haha.

All the rain seems to have severely impacted construction. Hope there won’t be too much delays and they can now catch up. No notable differences on Xcelerator or Monty.

New snack stand coming soon near HangTime.
Credit: Vince Thehatman on FB

View attachment 18220

I’m thrilled to see they’re putting another coffee stand in the park. Whenever I need my espresso boost at Scary Farm, that Starbucks line by Bear-y Tales is always ridiculous. Glad to see they’re making another one!

 

[Stryker]

I’m thrilled to see they’re putting another coffee stand in the park. Whenever I need my espresso boost at Scary Farm, that Starbucks line by Bear-y Tales is always ridiculous. Glad to see they’re making another one!

Not sure if they have espresso but they have coffee at the bar inside Prop Shop Pizzeria. You can bypass the food line and go straight to the bar. They might also serve coffee at the adjacent outside bar.

 

[deadbydawn]

Loving all these changes to the park!

 

[SailwiththeTide]

Anyone have info on xcelerator. Seems weird 2 roller coasters being down for multiple months is cool with Knott’s.

 

[Brian G.]

It's 2023 and it's time for the first big seasonal event of the year at Knott's - it's time for the Peanuts Celebration!

Knott's Kicks off 2023 with the Peanuts Celebration

We're back at Knott's! It's 2023 and it's time for the first big seasonal event of the year - it's time for the Peanuts Celebration! What began as what felt like a test has become a nice way to ease families into the new year with theme parks. A mixture of tasty treats, fun shows, some special

www.insideuniversal.net

 

[Stryker]

They still need to address line cutting. Especially on GhostRider. With slow dispatches and 500 riders/hour, this only encourages line cutting but not enough enforcement of it. It’s going to get worse now on Saturdays.

 

[Freak]

They still need to address line cutting. Especially on GhostRider. With slow dispatches and 500 riders/hour, this only encourages line cutting but not enough enforcement of it. It’s going to get worse now on Saturdays.

Oh yes, line cutting is brutal at Knott’s. I got cut by so many obnoxious kids there. I actually saw a fight breakout on the stairs for Ghostrider several years ago because of the line cutting.

 

[deadbydawn]

Line cutting is and has been a huge issue at Knott's. I can remember even back in the 90's it was a problem. The park really suffers operationally sometimes and it's very obvious on a roller coaster like Ghostrider with how long load times are, etc.

Since they are going back on the chaperone policy, I guess we will just have to see how things are in the park as we head towards the summer season.

 

[Rideguy70]

Now that they've had a working policy, it's easily something they can bring back if they feel it's necessary. Part of me wouldn't be surprised if, in the long run, it becomes a peak season sort of thing.

 

[Stryker]

So like the cutting a week of Scary Farm after dates were announced, Knott's has cut some entertainment for the Boysenberry Festival and possibly Summer Nights after they've been announced. This includes the Totally Tubular 80's Dance Party, Bluegrass Duo at Fireman's and Deuling Pianos at Boardwalk BBQ.

They've already cut the Silent Disco for Peanuts Celebration. They could've had it in the ballroom if they really wanted. They've already cut KNOT Radio. The Stunt Show doesn't appear to be coming back. Who knows if Mystery Lodge will ever come back.

Disney got so much flack for cutting entertainment, but Knott's kept most of their entertainment the last few years. I really like the variety of entertainment they offer during the seasons of fun. There would be visits I don't even go on a ride since there was enough entertainment to keep me busy for the day.

Sad to see them go this route and now I'm worried if Scary Farm's entertainment will be cut - even for their 50th.

 

[joerodriguez]

 

[queenmetroid]

Yeah, that Cedar Fair statement is basically saying that an "unfavorable attendance mix" is an issue at Knott's Berry Farm as well. This certainly explains the decision not to bring back Knott's Scary Farm passes.

After looking at the attendance data for 2021 and projections for 2022, it really does seem like Disney has the only SoCal parks that aren't struggling right now. Universal Hollywood has a shot at bouncing back with Super Nintendo World, but Knott's really has nothing equivalent. I really hope this isn't a trend.

 

[Freak]

I will also say that it certainly isn't helping when Monty is down for a year and a half for a restoration and Xcelerator has been down for two years now with no sign of reopening anytime soon. I'm sorry to hear they're making these poor decisions. Hopefully the Christmas entertainment or the 50th for KSF doesn't suffer.

 

[Rideguy70]

This is such super confusing news... didn't Cedar Fair just post about a week ago that they were posting record revenue? I realize that's for Cedar Fair as a whole, not specifically Knott's, but I was under the impression Knott's was one of their #1 performing parks, even outdoing Cedar Point (due to the fact Knott's is open year round). Plus, Knott's just always seems mobbed, with no real slow season anymore.

In a way, I think that Passholder Reward is barely going to make a difference with this huge winter storm approaching. I'd suspect the park will be outright closed for a few days just for weather.

And while it's certainly a bummer some acts are getting cut, it still seems like there's plenty of other acts to still go around. At least, so far.

Also interesting to note that at least one of the events that was cut will be heading up to Great America (Spike's Silent Disco).

 

[Stryker]

I think that tweet was cherry picking a negative stat. Read the full report for yourself, but I highlighted some points below regarding the highs. I do wish they broke down the numbers by individual parks. That said, there's rumors of more entertainment cuts including Cameo Kate at the Calico Saloon, Native American Dancer and the Memory Lane Melodian. It's these types of entertainment that creates the atmosphere Knott's is known for. If true, they're really killing its roots.

I think these cuts are to salvage the loss from the chaperone policy resulting in low attendance and lost revenue. Why else would they have so many crazy promotions like the $15 F&B credits, $74.99 bundles that includes a day pass, parking and all day dining, and $49.99 bring a friend days?

Cedar Fair Reports Record Results for 2022 Fourth Quarter and Full Year - Cedar Fair

• Record 2022 performance in net revenues, net income and Adjusted EBITDA driven by year-over-year increases in attendance (+38%) and out-of-park revenues (+27%), as well as near historical highs for in-park per capita spending
• In-park per capita spending(3) was $63.33, an increase of 3% compared with Q4-2021, primarily due to increases in guest spending on admissions and food and beverage. Compared with Q4-2019, in-park per capita spending increased 36%, driven higher over the three-year period by meaningful increases in guest spending across all in-park revenue channels.
• Compared with 2019, in-park per capita spending increased 28%, driven higher over the three-year period by meaningful increases in guest spending across all in-park revenue channels.
• The capital investments we made in 2022 delivered impressive returns, driving revenue growth across the portfolio through meaningful increases in attendance and out-of-park revenues, as well as near historical highs in in-park per capita spending
• The increase in net revenues was due primarily to a 28%, or $13.33, increase in 2022 in-park per capita spending
• The $47 million increase reflects higher net revenues attributable to higher in-park per capita spending

 

[deadbydawn]

I think that tweet was cherry picking a negative stat. Read the full report for yourself, but I highlighted some points below regarding the highs. I do wish they broke down the numbers by individual parks. That said, there's rumors of more entertainment cuts including Cameo Kate at the Calico Saloon, Native American Dancer and the Memory Lane Melodian. It's these types of entertainment that creates the atmosphere Knott's is known for. If true, they're really killing its roots.

I think these cuts are to salvage the loss from the chaperone policy resulting in low attendance and lost revenue. Why else would they have so many crazy promotions like the $15 F&B credits, $74.99 bundles that includes a day pass, parking and all day dining, and $49.99 bring a friend days?

Cedar Fair Reports Record Results for 2022 Fourth Quarter and Full Year - Cedar Fair

• Record 2022 performance in net revenues, net income and Adjusted EBITDA driven by year-over-year increases in attendance (+38%) and out-of-park revenues (+27%), as well as near historical highs for in-park per capita spending
• In-park per capita spending(3) was $63.33, an increase of 3% compared with Q4-2021, primarily due to increases in guest spending on admissions and food and beverage. Compared with Q4-2019, in-park per capita spending increased 36%, driven higher over the three-year period by meaningful increases in guest spending across all in-park revenue channels.
• Compared with 2019, in-park per capita spending increased 28%, driven higher over the three-year period by meaningful increases in guest spending across all in-park revenue channels.
• The capital investments we made in 2022 delivered impressive returns, driving revenue growth across the portfolio through meaningful increases in attendance and out-of-park revenues, as well as near historical highs in in-park per capita spending
• The increase in net revenues was due primarily to a 28%, or $13.33, increase in 2022 in-park per capita spending
• The $47 million increase reflects higher net revenues attributable to higher in-park per capita spending

Thanks for breaking this down. I do sometimes think that things like this are taken out of context (not always on purpose) so I'm glad to see people reading the full report.

I am also hearing that more entertainment cuts are happening as well. Not a great sign in general, but really not a great sign for Scary Farm fans as this year will be a big year for the event, at least from a marketing standpoint. I am very curious to see how much the chaperone policy actually affected the revenue.