Knott's Berry Farm will reopen to guests for the first time since the Covid pandemic closed the nation's theme parks in March.
The Buena Park, Calif. park does not have permission from the state to resume theme park operations, so Knott's won't be running its rides or shows. Instead, the park will host a hard-ticket "Knott's Taste of Calico" outdoor food and retail event on Fridays through Sunday for the next two weekends, July 17-19 and 24-26.
Admission will be with the purchase of a $25 (plus tax) date-specific tasting card, which will be on sale at Knotts.com. Tasting cards will include five tastings from among the 23 available food and beverage selections. A kids' tasting card will be $15 plus tax and include three tastings.
Visitors will be admitted to the streets of Calico inside the park for the event, in which select stores will be open. Capacity will be controlled and limited to less than 50 percent of normal inside each retail and craft location, and all guests must pass a temperature screening to be admitted to the event. Masks also will be required.
Update: Here's the menu:
Sutter’s Grill
Ghost Town Grub
Fireman’s BBQ
Wilderness Broiler
Wilderness Dance Hall Patio
Gourmet Churro Factory
Mix-It-Up
Judge Roy Bean
Event hours will be Fridays and Saturdays from 4pm to 10pm and Sundays from 12pm to 8pm. Capacity will be limited, so dates might sell out.
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If masks and social distancing are 90% effective, that does mean people will still get covid. With that being said, as long as those requirements are generally followed, the risk is small enough events like this and others are fine. If people would just follow the rules and reconditions, the virus won’t disappear, but it would at least be manageable, and more things could remain open. Stay safe everyone!
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This seems like a version of the Christmas crafts fair, where Knott's allows people into Ghost Town to shop the local crafts vendors, combined with a smaller version of the Boysenberry Festival.
My family and I might be interested, but the number of people allowed into the park and how crowded it will be are primary concerns. There's no information about what types of boysenberry foods will be available, which is a secondary selling point, at least for us.
In any case, I hope it's successful, and more importantly, people keep their distance and wear their masks correctly and no one gets infected at the event.