Knott’s Berry Farm reopens after 13-month coronavirus closure (2024)

The roaring whoosh of the Silver Bullet coaster, the howling shrieks on the Supreme Scream drop tower and the soaking splashes of the Calico River Rapids water ride finally returned to Knott’s Berry Farm after a 13-month coronavirus closure.

The Buena Park theme park reopened with rides and attractions to season passholders on Thursday, May 6 after a 418-day closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic that began in March 2020. The park hosted a series of food festivals without rides during the pandemic closure.

Cheers went up at 9:30 a.m. Thursday as the front gates opened early to Knott’s passholders.

Jason Ybarra came dressed as Crafty Coyote, the pie-stealing antagonist from the new and old Bear-y Tales rides.

“I remember the smell of the Boysenberry,” said Ybarra, 45, of Alhambra. “That’s what I reminisce the most about.”

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Ybarra was hard to miss. He wore a matching yellow and red checked mask, pants and hat with coyote ears along with a red and white striped shirt, red suspenders and a fuzzy coyote tail.

Ybarra’s costume has been hanging in his closet for more than a year — in anticipation of the ride opening last summer. He was excited about the debut of Bear-y Tales and planned to ride the new attraction all day.

“It’s like Christmas and all the holidays we missed last year all rolled up together,” Ybarra said.

SEE ALSO: Knott’s Berry Farm ready to bring back coasters and rides after 13-month coronavirus closure

Cat Madinger, Ybarra’s girlfriend, came dressed as Sweetie Pie Coyote with her own first place Boysenberry pie in hand. She never rode the old ride, but she got swept up in Ybarra’s excitement and the return of rides to the park for the first time in more than a year.

“There’s an electricity in the air,” said Madinger, 53, of Riverside. “It feels like things are going to get back to normal.”

Knott’s was the last major Southern California theme park to reopen. Six Flags Magic Mountain and Legoland California reopened on April 1. SeaWorld San Diego returned with rides and coasters on April 12. Universal Studios Hollywood reopened to passholders on April 15. Disneyland and Disney California Adventure returned on April 30.

Matt Chavarria brought his family out to the reopening of Knott’s for the rides and the food.

“It’s about time they reopened,” said Chavarria, 48, of Los Angeles.

Crowds were light in the morning because Knott’s staggered entry times. By early afternoon, traffic picked up but still remained far below normal.

Knott’s felt most alive again in the Boardwalk area of the park where screams and shrieks mixed with the tangled coaster tracks of HangTime, Xcelerator and Coast Rider. The Boardwalk was filled with kinetic energy and unbridled joy — two things sorely missing during the past year.

Knott’s is returning at less than the 25% capacity permitted by state guidelines during the initial reopening of the park.Passholders were required to make advance reservations due to limited-capacity protocols instituted by state officials. Single-day visitors will need to purchase tickets online and make reservations when Knott’s reopens to the general public on May 21.

SEE ALSO:What to expect when Knott’s Berry Farm reopens this week

Spencer Harless came to Knott’s for the two things he’s missed the most during the pandemic.

“I’m looking forward to fried chicken and a roller coaster,” said Harless, 48, of Mission Viejo.

His wife, Nicole, said it felt great to be back in the park.

“It feels very safe and very clean,” she said.

State officials recently allowed fully vaccinated out-of-state visitors at California theme parks, but Knott’s has decided to continue limiting admissions to California residents for now.

Knott’s mastered socially distanced queues during five culinary events the park hosted throughout the pandemic and the expertise was on display. It helped that many of the passholders had been to the food fests and knew the routine.

Shops typically had one entrance and one exit to manage capacity and traffic flow.

As Ybarra’s costume made clear, the reopening of Knott’s also brought the debut of the new Bear-y Tales dark ride with plans to celebrate the park’s 100th anniversary and relaunch the Summer Nights food festival later this month.

The Knott’s Bear-y Tales: Return to the Fair pays tribute to a fan favorite dark ride from the 1970s with a new 4-D interactive attraction that 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 — were shuttered for coronavirus-related reasons and will reopen at a later date. FastLane front-of-line passes were not available.

Shows in the Charles M. Schulz Theatre and other entertainment were curtailed by pandemic restrictions.

SEE ALSO: Knott’s Bear-y Tales pays tribute to original 1970s ride with a modern digital attraction

Mask adherence was good but could still use some improvement. By and large, most visitors wore their mask properly at all times. Masks could only be removed at designated dining areas while eating or drinking.

The exceptions stood out. Nose pokers and chin strappers dotted the crowd. Plenty of people sipped, snacked and strolled. Kids went without masks as tired parents gave up trying. Ride operators repeatedly reminded riders to wear their masks while on the rides.

A mask-free relaxation zone was set up in the queue area of the Mystery Lodge — where the Pepper’s Ghost attraction remained closed. Entertainment was limited to DJ music and atmospheric characters — much like the Knott’s food festivals.

Ghost Town residents chatted with visitors from the balconies. Peanuts characters posed for socially distanced photos at Camp Snoopy Theater. Bear-y Tales bears and coyotes joined the lineup of meet-and-greet characters near the new attraction.

KNOT radio disc jockeys broadcast from the Boardwalk, spinning rocking 1950’s tunes and recreating wacky mid-century radio banter.

The Charles M. Schulz Theatre, Mine Stage, Bird Cage Theatre, Wilderness Dance Hall and Wagon Camp stunt show were all closed. The small stage in Calico Towne Square was removed and replaced by picnic tables. Dozens of picnic tables — leftover from the food fests — continued to be spread throughout the park for outdoor dining.

Signs of the pandemic “new normal” could be found throughout the park’s signature Ghost Town.The Silver Dollar shooting gallery that normally has six guns was down to two due to COVID-19 distancing guidelines.

Plexiglass hung above the Pan for Gold experience where two parties at a time were allowed to try their luck. Gloves were available for visitors who asked.

“Horze Thif” Sad Eye Joe still drew the curious to the Ghost Town Jail.

Retired stagecoach horses Dave and Ted ate lunch in Livery Stable. The Butterfield Stagecoach was one of the few Knott’s attractions not scheduled to operate on reopening day.

The red curtain was drawn in the Calico Saloon — with the saloon entertainers expected to return for outdoor balcony shows when the general public returns on May 21.

Knott’s rides also showed signs of pandemic adjustments. Bear-y Tales had the longest socially distanced line of the day — stretching to the Boardwalk Pier entrance. Nearby, Pacific Scrambler and Surfside Gliders had short waits. The classic midway rides seemed custom built for pandemic times — with each ride vehicle separated by six feet and only big enough for a party of two.

The Silver Bullet coaster line stretched beyond the bounds of its typical queue — in part because only half of the 32 seats were in use. It was strange seeing a “full” Silver Bullet train racing past with only 5 to 10 riders on board.

Sierra Sidewinder was not built for the pandemic age. Two of the four ride vehicles were left empty to keep riders on the spinning cars socially distanced. That meant a train built for 16 riders was often dispatched with only two to four people.The HangTime coaster has 16 seats per train — but only half were in use. That wasn’t much of a problem around 11:30 a.m. when crowds were light and there was no wait for the ride. The 57 mph coaster barely nudged riders’ masks.

Coasters like GhostRider, Pony Express, Xcelerator and Montezooma’s Revenge left a row empty between parties.The Jaguar coaster had an outdoor queue with umbrellas to keep riders from waiting inside the ride’s pyramid load station.

Only one of the three Supreme Scream towers were running with only one party permitted in the seats on each side of the drop tower.

Robert Glover and his wife like to come to Knott’s just to walk around, people watch and listen to the music.

“We don’t ride the rides too much,” said Glover, 55, of Buena Park. “We’re just here for the atmosphere.”

Eve Rodriguez was thrilled to be back in the park after a year of online classes and being cooped up in the house.

“Being here brings back a lot of memories,” said Rodriguez, 17, of Lake Elsinore. “It’s good to be back.”