Knott’s Berry Farm, one of our family’s favorite southern California theme parks, will kick off its holiday festivities Thanksgiving day. “Knott’s Merry Farm” runs through January 6, and brings holiday entertainment, a craft fair, a Christmas parade, and tons of Christmas lights to the park.
Snoopy Ice Skating Show
In what has become a holiday tradition, the ice skating show, “It’s Christmas, Snoopy!”, will be presented November 22-25; December 1-2, 8-9, 15-18, 20-24, 26 -31, January 1, 3-6, 2013. The show is performed in the 2,100-seat Charles M. Schulz Theatre and features the Peanuts characters as they look for the true meaning of Christmas.
Peanuts Holiday Parade
“A Peanuts’ Holiday Parade” runs from November 22-25; December 1-2, 8-9, 15 – 23, 26 -31, January 1-6, 2013. The parade has seven floats featuring Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Sally, Schroeder and Snoopy. The floats are scenes of the characters doing holiday activities like cookie making, tree trimming, and toy building in Santa’s workshop.
Knott’s Christmas Craft Village
Our favorite part of Knott’s holiday offerings is the Christmas Craft Village. The Ghost Town are of the park becomes filled with vendors who sell lots of unique handmade gifts. We usually visit Knott’s during the holidays just for the Craft Fair and walk away with a few special gifts.
If you just want to stroll through the Christmas Crafts Village, admission is free Monday through Thursdays. You’ll need to buy a theme park ticket if you want to leave the Ghost Town area and enjoy the rest of the park. The Craft Village runs from November 22 through December 24.
Elf Mountain Ride
Elf Mountain is a Christmas overlay for the Timber Mountain Log Ride. This is a fun seasonal dressing for a classic attraction and gives you a reason to brave a water ride in winter. The holiday scenes depict the elves in the workshop as they get ready for Santa’s busiest day of the year. This holiday overlay will remain in place through Jan. 6, 2013.
Free Admission with Toy Donation
December 1-16, you can get free admission to the theme park when you purchase a $25 gift at the Knott’s California Shop (located in Knott’s MarketPlace) and then donate it in the Toys for Tots box at the Knott’s Main Gate. If you want to bring your own new, unwrapped gift valued at $25 or more, you will be given a voucher to purchase a regular Knott’s Merry Farm admission for only $25. Buying a gift from the Knott’s store is obviously the better bargain, but either way it is nice to see Knott’s creating this program to collect toys for a worthy cause.
Getting There
Knott’s opens daily at 10 a.m. The park closes Dec. 25 to allow its employees to spend Christmas with their families. For only $4, you can take the ART shuttle from Disneyland to Knott’s Berry Farm. This is a great option not only because of the low cost, but also because of the convenience. Knott’s gets very busy during the holidays and avoiding the hassles of driving and parking will save a lot of time.
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Photos via Knott’s Berry Farm
