Author: Chris

It’s been a few years… a few long years… but the Queen Mary is ready to host Halloween again in style. After taking a break and hosting Shaqtoberfest for the last two years, the time is now right for Dark Harbor to rise from its grave. Up until now, the most recent team running Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor has been Epic Entertainment Group, and they did an awesome job turning it into a heavily-character-focused celebration of Halloween and Long Beach. But now, 13th Door is taking a stab at running the old ship and they’ve spent a lot of effort…

Midsummer Scream has wrapped yet another year down at the Long Beach Convention (And Entertainment) Center. While nothing radically changed from last year, it ran like a well-oiled machine. While tickets were available once the convention kicked off, they eventually sold out. After last year’s Friday preview night, which was a low-key event, it was much busier this time around. The secret got out! There was a constant stream of panels to attend at the stages all around. It’s easy to assume the convention is merely a show floor, a sampling of mazes and announcements from theme parks, but there’s…

Well, with the summer solstice now in our rearview mirror, we’re officially into the summer season at theme parks, and for Knott’s Berry Farm, that means Ghost Town Alive is back for its 7th full year. That leaves us in the year 1893. If you followed the events of last year, you would remember it ended with Ms. Cookie Lemon ending up in jail, and the discovery of one mighty large catfish that was nicknamed ‘The Admiral.’ If that last bit confused you, let me introduce you to Ghost Town Alive, Knott’s Berry Farm’s very own award-winning live-action role-playing event,…

Well, spring is in the air, and that means the boysenberries are in bloom at Knott’s! We recently covered their preview of the seasonal event, so this article will cover more of the entertainment side of the event. Tied Up In Knott’s is their seasonal art gallery, showing off local artists and their tribute pieces to all facets of the park’s history.The original pieces are often claimed quite quickly, but the prints are readily available. If they’re sold out, the artists usually restock when they can find the time before the end of the event. They’ve done this for a…

A lot is going on down at the Farm this month! Normally, as the Peanuts Celebration concludes, there’s always the transition toward the sweet and juicy festival we’ve come to know and love. But in addition to that, the neighboring hotel is also getting its final touches on a multi-million dollar upgrade.The entire hotel has been redone, from the lobby to the bathroom mirrors. There’s a new Thirty Acres restaurant, a new Starbucks cafe in the lobby, and a beautiful outdoor venue where live music will be hosted. One of the most endearing parts of Knott’s is their love of…

The Peanuts Celebration is back to kick off 2024 at Knott’s. Let’s see how the year is rolling out! After putting away all the Merry Farm decorations, the park gets a light coating for the next few weeks as we’re in a, typically, low-key time prime for construction and refurbishment of popular summertime attractions, like the log ride. The Wagon Camp is lacking the Billies right now, but there’s still other entertainment to be found around the park. After seeing garlands and shops everywhere for a few months, it’s nice to have breathing room back as you walk around.The Dress…

Oh man, it’s been a journey to get here. Ever since the lockdown of 2020, theme park events have been shifted all over the place. And the big 5-0 for Knott’s Scary Farm was creeping ever closer. They, rightfully, wanted to go big, and that requires a big budget. But then 2023 decided to throw a wrench into everything with some inflation woes and budget cuts across the industry. So did they pull it off? It’s Knott’s. Of course, they did. After half a century of doing this, it’s expected to have a certain cadence and rhythm that becomes established…

Well, it’s the end of July, and that usually means one thing. The spooky season is coming fast, depending on when you choose to jump into the purple and orange holiday. And while on the exterior, it looks unassuming, this weekend, Long Beach played host once again to the annual Midsummer Scream convention, covering all things creepy and kooky. The Shaq-enstein Monster statue is a good indication we’re in the right spot. This year, Casa Calaveras is outside of the Hall of Shadows and standalone, in a more family accessible area, a move I approve of, since it allows more…

Last year, Knott’s put some mighty big plans into motion. Early in the year, they bid farewell to MonteZOOMa’s Revenge, an aging and award-winning coaster. Then a few months later, in early July, closed off the entirety of Fiesta Village. Much like Camp Snoopy some years prior, the time had come for a complete redo of the entire land. And we’re going to be covering all of that in this article, in addition to the return of Summer Nights! The first thing you’ll notice is the footprint for Fiesta Village has been extended. The alley that runs along the lake…

May 31st, 1892, err… 2023 Happy Founder’s Day! Since 2016, Knott’s has celebrated the summer season with Ghost Town Alive in the parks, an award-winning live-action role-playing event for all ages taking place entirely in the semi-fictional town of Calico. Each year the story progresses, giving the incentive to visit regularly and interact with the fantastic citizens in the town. Progressing in semi-realtime, the year is 1892. And no matter what day you visit, it always happens to be “Founder’s Day”, a celebration of the day the town was founded. You never know what is going to happen or who…