Knott’s Berry Farm will reopen this week with the new Bear-y Tales dark ride after a yearlong coronavirus closure as the Buena Park theme park prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary and relaunch the Summer Nights food festival later this month.
Knott’s will reopen on Thursday, May 6 to season passholders following more than 13 months of closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The park will reopen to the general public on May 21.
Knott’s and other California theme parks have been closed since March 2020 under COVID-19 health and safety reopening guidelines issued by the state and were permitted to reopen with rides and attractions beginning April 1.
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Knott’s passholders and single-day visitors will need to make an advance reservation online and choose an arrival time to get into the theme park. No tickets will be sold at the front gate due to the state’s COVID-19 mandates. Season passholders can have one active reservation at a time. Knott’s Soak City water park has not announced a reopening date yet.
Theme park tickets and advance reservations — limited only to California residents — are available online at the Knott’s website or through the park’s mobile app.
SEE ALSO: Knott’s Bear-y Tales delivers fast and furious game play in fun tribute to 1970s ride
California theme parks were allowed to reopen on April 1 at reduced capacity with rides and attractions provided the counties they reside in reach the red/substantial tier 2 risk status of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s updated Blueprint for a Safer Economy.
Starting on April 1, California theme parks could reopen at 15% attendance capacity in the red/substantial tier 2, 25% capacity in the orange/moderate tier 3 and 35% capacity in the least-restrictive yellow/minimal tier 4. Orange County — home to Knott’s Berry Farm, Disneyland and Disney California Adventure — has moved into the orange tier.
Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, Legoland California in Carlsbad and Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo reopened on April 1. SeaWorld San Diego returned on April 12. Universal Studios Hollywood welcomed back passholders on April 15 and the general public the next day. Disneyland and DCA reopened on April 30. California’s Great America in Santa Clara will return on May 22.
SEE ALSO: Southern California water parks prepare to reopen under new guidelines following pandemic closures
What is the maximum attendance capacity of Knott’s? Officials won’t say, but Knott’s attracted an average of 11,600 visitors per day in 2019, according to Themed Entertainment Association/AECOM.
The theoretical maximum capacity of Knott’s is approximately 29,000, according to the Park Database, which collects data on the attractions industry.
An attendance cap of 25% would bring the theoretical COVID-19 capacity of Knott’s down to approximately 7,000 daily visitors. A 35% cap would work out to 10,000 daily.
SEE ALSO:Meet the person who transformed Knott’s Berry Farm into a food festival venue
Regardless of the capacity levels, expect Knott’s to feel a little empty by design when the 160-acre park first reopens with rides and attractions. The goal is make visitors feel safe and comfortable as they adjust to the new normal.
Knott’s will follow now-familiar COVID-19 health and safety protocols with limited capacity, required masks, social distancing, enhanced sanitization and contactless payments. Knott’s has discontinued temperature screenings based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control.
Once inside the park, visitors will find COVID-19 health and safety reminders everywhere they look.
Many rides, attractions, restaurants and shops will reopen with the park while some will return at a later date due to government restrictions and attendance capacity limitations.
Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return To The Fair, a 4D themed interactive dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The ride is a follow up to the traditional dark ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales, which operated in the same space from 1975 to 1986. The new ride will open when the them park reopens on May 6.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return To The Fair, a 4D themed interactive dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The ride is a follow up to the traditional dark ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales, which operated in the same space from 1975 to 1986. The new ride will open when the them park reopens on May 6.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return To The Fair, a 4D themed interactive dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The ride is a follow up to the traditional dark ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales, which operated in the same space from 1975 to 1986. The new ride will open when the them park reopens on May 6.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A jam jar with a rope serves as a “gun”on Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return To The Fair, a 4D themed interactive dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The ride is a follow up to the traditional dark ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales, which operated in the same space from 1975 to 1986. The new ride will open when the them park reopens on May 6.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return To The Fair, a 4D themed interactive dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The ride is a follow up to the traditional dark ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales, which operated in the same space from 1975 to 1986. The new ride will open when the them park reopens on May 6.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A jam jar with a rope serves as a “gun”on Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return To The Fair, a 4D themed interactive dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The ride is a follow up to the traditional dark ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales, which operated in the same space from 1975 to 1986. The new ride will open when the them park reopens on May 6.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A jam jar with a rope serves as a “gun”on Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return To The Fair, a 4D themed interactive dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The ride is a follow up to the traditional dark ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales, which operated in the same space from 1975 to 1986. The new ride will open when the them park reopens on May 6.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A jam jar with a rope serves as a “gun”on Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return To The Fair, a 4D themed interactive dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm on Tuesday, April 27, 2021. The ride is a follow up to the traditional dark ride, Knott’s Bear-y Tales, which operated in the same space from 1975 to 1986. The new ride will open when the them park reopens on May 6.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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The new Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair 4-D interactive dark ride will debut on May 6 when the park reopens to season passholders. The new attraction takes the old Bear-y Tales dark ride concept from the 1970s and adds a modern digital twist to the original story with Boysenberry Blasters that fire jam at pie-thieving coyotes during game play that unfolds on a series of massive screens.
Some rides and attractions — including the Butterfield Stagecoach and Huff and Puff kiddie ride — have been shuttered for coronavirus-related reasons and will reopen at a later date. FastLane front-of-line passes will not be available.
SEE ALSO:Raffi Kaprelyan has guided Knott’s and other parks through pandemic closures
California’s revised COVID-19 health and safety guidelines require theme parks to limit indoor rides and attractions to no more than 15 minutes. Indoor rides will use outdoor queues to abide by social distancing mandates. Knott’s will alter loading patterns on ride vehicles to create physical distance between parties. Riders who lose their masks will be provided new ones — plus the park will sell themed masks.
Despite the capacity-limited crowds, expect socially distanced ride queues to look a lot longer than normal. Frequent sanitization of rides will likely slow loading and lengthen wait times.
Peanuts and Bear-y Tales characters will be available for socially distanced meet-and-greet opportunities.
Additional tables have been set up throughout the park to facilitate increased outdoor dining. Visitors can remove their masks to eat and drink in designated dining areas. Sipping or snacking while strolling will be prohibited. Capacity will be limited in shops, which will have separate entrances and exits.
SEE ALSO: Disneyland reopens to the public after 13-month coronavirus closure
Knott’s postponed the park’s 100th anniversary celebration last year due to the coronavirus closure. The Knott’s Family Reunion will be held starting May 21 with anniversary decor, live entertainment and themed food and merchandise.
The Knott’s Summer Nights event will return May 21 through Sept. 6 with food booths, live bands and DJ dance music.
Knott’s hosted the Taste of Calico, Taste of Knott’s, Taste of Fall-O-Ween, Taste of Merry Farm and Taste of Boysenberry Festival food, beer and wine events without rides or attractions during the 13-month pandemic closure of the park. The Taste of Boysenberry food fest ran through Sunday, May 2, delaying the return of the park with rides and attractions.
