Knott’s Boysenberry Festival 2019

With a nice Spring breeze and the sun shining down, people came out in droves to experience the wonderful entertainment and eat the delicious foods of Knott’s Boysenberry Festival. Similar to it’s previous years, Boysenberry Festival brings so much to the table that it can make your head spin. With over 70 different wonderfully crafted boysenberry food and drink options, boysenberry merchandise, tasting cards, and 18 shows and attractions; Boysenberry Festival isn’t lacking in entertainment. The best part of it all, it isn’t a separately ticketed event!

As soon as we entered, the park was buzzing with excitement. People were so jazzed to try their favorite boysenberry treats and experience all the fun activities.

OLD McDONALD’S BARN

The inclusion of the Livery Stable in the different seasonal events through the year has become a favorite of ours. Even more so now that we have Eireann (Our 6 month old Daughter) in our life! We think it helps spark a certain curiosity and interest in a lot of animals that children do not get to see on a regular basis.

This goat was a diva when it came to the camera. The more pictures I took, the closer she got. She just loved getting her photo taken!

Eireann also got a kick out of all these animals. It was the first time she got to see these animals close up and you could tell it made her happy. It made us happy to see her excitement.

The sheep were a lot less needy when it came to the photos. They were just relaxed in the back soaking up their vacation time.

TIED UP IN KNOTT’S: A TRIBUTE TO THE FARM

Art shows have quickly become a regular staple of Knott’s seasonal events. Between Boysenberry Festival and Knott’s Scary Farm; Knott’s has tapped into the artistic talents of its fans and created an opportunity for people to share their love for the park. We absolutely love seeing the variety of art and see the park through someone else’s eyes.

We only wish it was a bit more clear how to obtain the prints for these pieces of art. To be clear, it actually doesn’t say prints are available. We only know this because we’ve been to the event before. Although we do like the fact that the prints are available for purchase in the same building the original art is housed (as opposed to previous years where it was kept in the Mystery Lodge store), we just wish things were spelled out clearly for everyone. A sign or two would go a long way,  we just want everyone to get the opportunity to walk away with one of a kind artwork like we did.

While you enjoy the art, you can sip on your favorite wine or beer.

The featured wines are: Flora Springs, Duckhorn & Decoy, Kung Fu Girl, Kim Crawford, Crafters Union, Meiomi, Robert Modavi, Saddleback, Honeywood Winery, Ferrari Carano, RUTA 22, Natura, The Convert, and Kenwood.

The featured beers are: Bootlegger’s Brewery (Fullerton, Costa Mesa, CA), Four Sons (Huntington Beach, CA), Taps Brewery (Tustin, CA), SLO Brew (San Luis Obispo, CA), BallastPoint Brewing Co. (San Diego, CA), and Lindemans Lambic Beer (Vlezenbeek, Belgium).

Needless to say, there is no shortage of wine and beer to enjoy throughout the day.

THE FOOD

The incredible flavor of the boysenberry is versatile to be used in both sweet and savory dishes. In 2019, the Knott’s Culinary Team brings a vast array of new dishes to the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival that use the incredible berry in brand new ways. In addition to dozens of tasty boysenberry dishes, the festival also features a unique assortment of boysenberry infused drinks.

Let’s not pull any punches, this is the reason why you clicked on the link in the first place. Boysenberry Festival has quickly become known as the place to go for wonderfully delicious and semi-adventurous foods. From Boysenberry Habanero Mac and Cheese to Boysenberry Glazed Salmon; there is a myriad of options that all include the wonderful boysenberry.

The wonderful part of this event is the tasting card. For $35 you can buy a tasting card that allows you to choose 8 of 14 different food options from around Ghost Town. This is tremendously helpful when you want to try more than one type of food. And if for some weird reason you get full too quickly, Save them for your next visit!  This tasting card has incredible value!

Our favorites of the day included the Boysenberry Elote, the Boysenberry Chicken Skewers and the Boysenberry Dry Rubbed Flank Steak. All of them introducing a unique and different take on using boysenberry to enhance the flavors. Trust us when we say we’ll be back to try more of our favorites before the event is over.

This face is the, “Why didn’t you give me any boysenberry today?” face.

 

MERCHENDISE

Have you ever sat at home thinking to yourself, “I need more items in my house that have boysenberry on them…” then fret no longer because Knott’s has you covered. Boysenberries or the boysenberry purple adorn every piece of merchandise. We absolutely loved the apron, pot holders and kitchen towels. You could even take home your very own boysenberry plant to grow some at home. Who knows, maybe you can grow enough to create your very own boysenberry festival at home! Or you could easily get some of the boysenberry sauces from the store and make life a little easier.

Knott’s is king when it comes to creating deals. As we’ve said many times, it’s ingenious to sell a shirt and pin combination. Alone, shirts can cost $20. But you can now get a shirt to commemorate your visit to Knott’s and a pin. The line to get this combo was long ALL DAY! So during your visit, make sure get in line early and get them while they last.

ENTERTAINEMENT

CHAPARRAL at FIREMAN’S BARBQUE

Chaparral is a staple of the Fireman’s BBQ restaurant in Ghost Town. Nothing is better than listening to some wonderful western tunes while grubbing on some delicious and mouth watering BBQ.

SPACE BEAGLE

Back from Peanuts Celebration, Space Beagle takes the stage in Camp Snoopy. We are elated to see this show continue to entertain guests through Boysenberry Festival. If you haven’t had a chance to see this cute show, make sure you do so because it is a blast.

CALICO TOWN SQUARE

The Calico Town Square is always filled with lively games for the younger members of the family. Although Eireann was a tad too small to take part in the fun, there is no shortage of entertainment in watching everyone having a blast playing music chairs or taking part in the Pie Walk.

Through the day, you can find 6 different activities taking place in this area. What we love about this, is the area is so open that it almost feels organic the way we stumble upon entertainment such as this. It makes Ghost Town feel much more like a hustling and bustling town than just a dusty themed land.

OTHER ENTERTAINMENT

There is so much to do at Knott’s Boysenberry Festival that we didn’t even get to do it all! From Snoopy’s Boysenberry Jam-boree, The Totally Tubular 80’s Dance Party, Crafts Fair, Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies, and the Old Time Melodrama at The Birdcage Theater; your day will be filled more than a boysenberry pie!

OVERALL

Knott’s continues to expand and improve each and every year for Boysenberry Festival. Just when we think, “There’s no way they can think of more!” they end up thinking of more! Ultimately, it isn’t the food, drinks, or entertainment that set this event apart from the rest, (Although the outstanding food, drinks and entertainment helps tremendously) It’s the creative forces and staff that help bring this event to life for everyone coming to expand their belt just one more notch. A relaxed environment where people can stop and smell the roses instead of running off to the next ride. Boysenberry Festival (more than most) seems to bring people together over a common love…FOOD! The smiling faces of families as they dig their faces into Boysenberry Elote, the remnants of Boysenberry Pie on the bright cheeks of a child and the laughter of friends while sipping wine are what makes this event so special to us. With an affordable price tag and a myriad of options for the whole family; Boysenberry Festival is a NOT TO BE MISSED event at Knott’s Berry Farm. Go before it ends on April 28th.

Knott’s Berry Farm is the birthplace of THE Boysenberry and each spring, Knott’s celebrates the flavorful berry and its historic roots during the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival with unique food and live entertainment. The 31 day food festival features over 75 one-of-a-kind boysenberry inspired dishes, drinks and more, plus foot-stompin’ entertainment, the Wine and Craft Brew Tasting Garden, and family fun everyone will love! From sun up to sun down, the festival offers good ol’ fashion food, fun and entertainment. Pick up a tasting card to sample a few of the most popular boysenberry dishes in the park. For guests with a hankerin’ for some live entertainment, the options are endless with live music throughout the park. The limited-time food festival is included with admission to Knott’s Berry Farm. The Knott's Boysenberry Festival runs March 29th - April 28th, 2019.