The annual Knott’s Boysenberry Festival has returned once again and we were invited to come check out out for its opening weekend! If you’ve missed it in previous years, you have even more chances to get in on on the action as the celebration has been expanded to 24 days this year!
Ready for a taste of what to expect? Let’s dive right in!
THE FOOD
This year’s appetizing lineup includes new and returning favorites:
Boysenberry grilled sausage on a fresh roll prepared with a fresh farm-baked roll, topped with boysenberry ketchup, relish and mustard. Simple, but so effective. Everyone in our group walked away loving this dish. Both the boysenberry ketchup and boysenberry mustard were perfect complements to the salty sausage.
Boysenberry elote features lightly grilled corn, smothered in fresh boysenberry butter, mayo and perfectly topped off with cotija cheese. If you’re a fan of the regular version of this delicious street food then you’re going to be super happy here. The boysenberry flavor is not overpowering so you just get a really great combination of flavors.
Slow cooked boysenberry short ribs, the juicy meat is smothered in boysenberry hoisin sauce served over butter basmati rice and topped with chopped green onions. This one is a safe, solid that. You kind of know what you’re getting and it’s very good with the savory boysenberry sauce.
Boysenberry boba tea which consists of boysenberry milk tea and chewy berry-soaked tapioca balls served over ice.
Boysenberry chicken wings which are smothered in the delicious and popular boysenberry BBQ sauce which is made exclusively at the Farm. This is another solid Choice. The classic boysenberry barbecue sauce is really good above the well seasoned chicken.
Boysenberry coconut macaroons, dipped in a chocolate ganache. These were dense and moist. Similar in flavor — but not texture — to a Somoa cookie.
Boysenberry Quesadilla made with a boysenberry-infused flour tortilla, paired with boysenberry salsa, boysenberry sour cream, sprinkled with cotija and mozzarella cheese. Our group had mixed reactions on this one. The cheese is not stringy, as some might expect die to the blend of cheeses used. Also, the boysenberry salsa had equally mixed reviews.
Boysenberry pierogies with onions, bacon and boysenberry sour cream. This was an interesting dish. All of the individual ingredients were great, however they didn’t really seem like it together into a cohesive dish.
Boysenberry hummus served with grilled pita bread. This one is an easy skip. Nobody in our group found much to comment on here, it was mostly bland without much of a flavor of either hummus or Boysenberry.
This is not part of the festival perse but the Boysenberry Icee is a really refreshing sugar-rush.
Save with TASTING CARDS
If you’re looking to immerse yourself in boysenberry flavor, you will really want to consider the tasting card options.
- Food Tasting Cards are $30 with 8 of the new food options per card; guests can select any 8 items of their choice.
- Wine and Craft Beer Tasting Cards are $25 with 6 opportunities to sample flavours from various vendors. This also comes with a pairing plate of nuts, fruits, crackers, and cheeses.
MERCHANDISE
As always, there’s an array of boysenberry colored, flavored, and scented merchandise items and this year there’s a few new things to keep an eye out for.
New — and exclusive — to Knott’s Berry Farm this year is the all-new boysenberry Jelly Belly!
Plus there’s a new boysenberry bath and body line including soaps, salt soaks, bath bombs, lip balms (introducing three new flavors) and candles.
Also new this year is Knott’s sugar-free boysenberry concentrate, a low calorie, no sugar version of Knott’s popular drink.
There’s also a wide selection of boysenberry chocolates including boysenberry versions of milk chocolate bars, truffles, caramel squares, peanut butter and jelly cups.
There’s a special Pin & T-shirt Combo this year for $12.99!
Boysenberry Giftbaskets are ready to go! There’s also tons of other things to get your hands on…
The Knott’s Berry Market also features signature boysenberry items like the delicious boysenberry BBQ sauce or the classic jams and preserves. Unique boysenberry inspired products with a homemade twist will also be available as the Craft Fair returns offering a variety of products like boysenberry cashew nut brittle, boysenberry pie shaped homemade accessories and more.
The Festival kiosks have returned for the festival bringing tons and tons of shopping opportunities from small and local vendors. You can also buy boysenberry plants to take home!
ENTERTAINMENT
Special activities and entertainment are available during the festival.
Easter Beagle has been spotted! Find Snoopy dressed in boysenberry as the Easter Beagle and if you’re lucky, you might see him with Woodstock!
Snoopy’s Boysenberry Jamboree! returns once again this year and brings with it ever much as charm as last year. This charming show is a fantastic way to spring into the season and into the festival. We once again highly recommend this charming character show.
Tied up in Knott’s! is new this year, it is a tribute art show featuring more than a dozen artists utilizing various mediums including: oil paintings, illustrations and digital mixed media. These original pieces are on display at the Wilderness Dance Hall during the duration of the Boysenberry Festival and Guests with the opportunity to purchase many of the pieces, as well as prints of some of the art.
History of the Boysenberry is also back again and is such a great respite from the day. Come in and sit a spell to learn about the history of the boysenberry and its impact on the Knott family.
Calico Town Square is home to a bunch of fun little shows taking place, all with a boysenberry twist. The Grandpa’s Flannel Pajamas game in particular is absolutely hilarious.
Old MacDonald Petting Zoo is always a fun for the little ones. This past weekend there was a donkey, sheep, goats, and some horses!
Old Time Melodramas are a charming addition to the roster and they’re back again at the Legendary Bird Cage Theatre.
Other fun entertainment to take in as part of the festival include Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies and the Ghost Town Miners along with other regular entertainment scheduled in the park.
More to Explore
Hang-time is getting ready to open this year.
See it for Yourself
The Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is included with admission to Knott’s Berry Farm. Knott’s will have extended hours on select days March 16 – April 8, allowing guests extra time to take advantage of all of the limited-time offerings.
Tee Time!
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THE END!
