Every fall for about six weeks, Southern California’s self-proclaimed original theme park, Knott’s Berry Farm, decorates its 160-acre park to get into the Halloween spirit. With 10 horrifying mazes, over 40 thrilling rides, special night shows, and hundreds of terrifying monsters roaming through the Ghost Town Streets, there is no wonder why going to Knott’s Scary Farm has been a beloved family tradition for over 50 years.
The park’s origins date back to 1920 when Walter and Cordelia Knott moved to Buena Park, California to purchase 20 acres of land. Resilient through hardships, the family grew their name as established farmers and became popular by growing one plant in particular: the boysenberry.
The boysenberry is a cross between a blackberry and a raspberry, and if you’ve ever had one, they have a rich and unique tangy flavor. Boysenberries quickly became a Knott trademark.
Along with selling jams and jellies, Mrs. Knott began cooking fried chicken dinners to help raise some more money during the Depression Era. They also became a hit, with most nights selling as many as 4,000 dinners.
With their name continuing to grow and people coming from all over the country to try their famous food, the Knott family decided to open up a small section where people could wait. They named it “Ghost Town,” but quickly grew it to include other sectors like “Fiesta Villageâ,” an ode to California’s Spanish Heritage, and the “Roaring 20s.”
They built up the amusement park to include “Camp Snoopy,” the first theme park land designed specifically for kids, and various other roller coasters that people could enjoy, many of which are still a part of the park today.
After Mr. and Mrs. Knott passed, Knott’s Berry Farm was acquired by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, an operator of amusement parks nationwide. The place still holds its nostalgic charm, while also including new rides and attractions each year.
Knott’s Scary Farm debuted in 1973 when the park’s marketing department wanted to do something different for Halloween. They dressed up as monsters to scare people during a three-day event from Oct. 26 to 28 called “Halloween Haunt.” While originally only taking place in “Ghost Town,” the tradition quickly grew over the years to include the entire park, with hundreds of monsters dressing up to scare people.
Even today, “Halloween Haunt” is crowned as the first, largest, and longest-running Halloween event held in a theme park.
Each year, there are 10 mazes set up throughout the park made of elaborate sets filled with detailed props and terrifying monsters. Usually, one to two new mazes are brought in each year, with most lasting a few years before being retired and replaced. This year, the two new mazes brought in are “Widows,” a terrifying experience in which spiders possess residents of the convalescent home, and “Eight Fingers Nine: The Boogeyman,” where a monstrous figure causes sleep paralysis to its victims.
Along with the two new mazes this year, it is also the final year for the 2019 “Wax Works” maze, in which you walk through a madman’s gruesome laboratory of bubbling wax.
Each maze is meticulously constructed, with little details around every corner that make the experience that much more memorable.
I have been going to Knott’s Scary Farm for the past 11 years. My parents first brought me to “Halloween Haunt” when I was only four and barely knew what a maze was. As expected, I did not have a very fun time during the night. However, I did enjoy eating breakfast with Snoopy the next morning and taking pictures with some of the props.
My father, Ralph Behar, has a bit more Knott’s knowledge than me. Having been going to the park for over 25 years, he thinks of the place as a second home and a beloved tradition that he has gone to with family and friends.
When asked about the event, he described it as, “the start of the holiday season. Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays, and when I took your mom there for the first time, and we saw ‘Elvira,’ that was the beginning of a great family tradition.”
My family and I went to Knott’s Scary Farm on Sept. 21, 2024 and had an unforgettable time as always. The new mazes this year were extremely well-done, and I definitely got scared more than a few times. As tradition, we came early to enter the park at 6:30 p.m. and stayed until the park closed at 2 a.m., riding rides and going through mazes until we couldn’t.
For decades, my family, and countless others across America, have loved Knott’s Berry and Scary Farm. It’s iconic, nostalgic vibe and terrifyingly detailed mazes make it a place that we all look forward to going to each year.
