Let me start off by saying thank you to Knott‘s Berry Farm. They sponsored this amazing day for not just me, but also my additional three guest. This was my first time attending the Boysenberry Festival, and I must say, they did not disappoint. The Knott’s Boysenberry Festival is their annual food and wine festival that celebrates the park’s historic roots by highlighting the little berry that started it all, the boysenberry.

UPDATE: 4/11/2023

As of March 30th of this year, Knotts Berry Farm having extended the boysenberry festival. I’m assuming they extended the festival due to the fact we had heavy rains the past two months. Fest is extended to May 7th.

Since this update, I decided to go back to try out some more items with some amazing foodie friends. Scroll all the way to the end to see what the newest items I tried.

Before I get into what we devoured, let me break down the details of the actual festival.

• Daily March 10 – April 16, 2023
• Food and beverage offerings and location times vary. Locations close 30 mins – 1 hour prior to park closing.
• Boysenberry Festival Tasting Card is $55 plus taxes and fees (Doesn’t include admission)
• Boysenberry Festival Bundle 3 Free Tasting Items which is $95 plus taxes and fees

Check out the full Foodie Guide which offers Vegan, Vegetarian, Dairy Free, Gluten Free and more dietary options.

The park gave us two tasting cards, which was a total of 12 tastings. Now, I recommend getting the Tasting Cards because it offers six tastings from a selection of over 37 boysenberry-inspired dishes and drinks. Unlike other theme parks, the tasting cards include alcohol drinks, which is fantastic! In addition, most of food portions are shareable and very huge, to the point, you might need to bring Tupperware for any leftovers. I definitely did!

Let’s break down everything I devoured….

Like I said, before, I had a total of 12 tastings, however there is a total of 14 items I did try. I was lucky enough to receive a free item at one of the restaurants because we could not decide on an option at a booth. The other tasting item, which is revealed in Part 2, my guest purchased out of pocket. By the way, the location of each item is in parentheses.

Part 1

➜ Boysenberry Smoothie (B Wagon Wheel Pizza)

Rating: 8/10 —— The smoothie is very refreshing and very light. It’s a bit too sweet and I wish it was thicker. By the way, the cup is reusable, so don’t forget to save it.

➜ Chicken Wings (Spurs Chop House or Wilderness Dance Hall)

Rating: 10/10 —— I love the fact that the wings were tangy and sticky. In addition, they do have ranch on the side, which is perfect for dipping. By the way, the staff gave me a few extra wings because I was literally drooling as she was placing them in the plate.

➜ Boysenberry Panna Cotta with a Shortbread Cookie (Gold Mine Trail)

Rating: 10/10 —— Everything about this dessert was on point. Down to the perfectly sweetened Panna Cotta, to the Boysenberry jam and chunks of Boysenberry at the bottom. Lastly, the shortbread cookie on top was perfect for dipping in to the dessert.

➜ Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese (Chow House)

Rating: 10/10 —— I was so shocked on how big the portion was. The mac & cheese was very creamy, and I love the buffalo chicken on top. You can’t go wrong with this combination. I have nothing bad to say about this tasty dish.

➜ Cajun Shrimp Po’ Boy (Wilderness Broiler)

Rating: 7.5/10 —— Now, I seen mixed reviews on this particular item online, but I still had to try it out for myself. It wasn’t as bad as people said it was. I love the crispiness of the shrimp and the sandwich itself. However, I wish the bread was a little bit softer to bite into.

➜ Boysenberry Bread Pudding (Wilderness Dance Hall)

Rating: 8/10 —— I was a little bit disappointing that the bread pudding portion was very small, however, it was tasty. I was expecting a big portion as I seen people online getting a huge portion while doing their food reviews. It wasn’t as sweet as I thought it was going to be, and I wish it was more moist.

➜Veggie Chili (Spurs Chop House)

Rating: 8.5/10 —— This is the item that one of the staff members gave me for free because we couldn’t decide on which item we wanted to get. One of my guest is a vegan and I honestly did not want try it because I’m not a vegan. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bad at all. I love the hearty vegetables, but the boysenberry bread it very hard. However, if you place the bread in the chili or use it as a dipper, it will moisten up.

Part 2

➜ Cucumber Lemonade with Raspberries and Boysenberries (Ghost Town Bakery)

Rating: 7.5/10 —— I wish there was more lemonade in this drink, because I could only taste the cucumber. It tasted like cucumber water.

➜ Beef Barbacoa over Mac and Cheese with a Boysenberry Chipotle Crema (Wilderness Dance Hall)

Rating: 10/10 —— This items was massive, to the point just like the other mac & cheese, I took the leftovers this home. I love the Beef Barbacoa, it was tender, juicy and just plain delicious. The Boysenberry Chipotle Crema on top was a perfect match.

➜ Boysenberry Elote (Chow House)

Rating: 10/10 —— I’m so used to eating my corn with Tajín on top. I love that spicy citrus when biting into it, but this Elote did not need that. The boysenberry Mayo, and Parmesan cheese was perfect combination on top of the sweetcorn.

➜ Boysenberry Waffle with Whipped Cream and Boysenberry Maple Syrup (Ghost Town Bakery)

Rating: 9.5/10 —— Let me start off by saying, I need the recipe for this Boysenberry Waffle. It was incredible! When, biting into it, it reminded me of the texture of mochi and a churro. Only thing is, I wish the portion was a bit bigger and instead of the whipped cream, a vanilla soft serve would have been better.

➜ Boysenberry BBQ Meatball Pizza ( B Wagon Wheel Pizza)

Rating: 10/10 —— INCREDIBLE! As soon as I took my first bite, I didn’t want to finish it. The meatballs was so juicy, and the pizza wasn’t thick at all. It was a perfect ratio of cheese, bread and meatballs.

➜Sushi Burrito (Ghost Town Bakery)

Rating: 10/10 —— If you know me, I love sushi and this right here did not disappoint. The sushi roll wasn’t anything out of the ordinary, it was a simple California Roll. However, what made it extremely flavorful was a Boysenberry Sauce.

➜ Boysenberry Sangria (Calico Railrood)

Rating: 8/10 —— This was an item that one of my guest purchased for about $12 and it was great. However, I wish it had pieces of Boysenberry in the drink and other tropical fruits instead of the orange slice.

Newest items I tried……

Ratings for the newest items breakdown…

➜ Jambalaya (Gold Mine Booth)

Rating: 8/10 —— The jambalaya was very impressive, coming from a theme park. I wish they were more generous with the shrimp and sausage. all I needed was spice and it would’ve been a 10 to 10.

➜ Boysenberry Mudslide (Gold Mine Booth)

Rating: 10/10 —— Let me tell you this alcoholic drink was very good. It reminded me of an eggnog and the drink didn’t hit when I first had it but when I got a second one, it definitely hit.

➜ Boysonberry Ice Cream Cookie Sandwich Spurs)

Rating: 9.5/10 —— This was on my list to get last time, but it was hot that day, and I did not want it to melt in my hand. I’m glad I got to try the second time around and it was very tasty and lights. I got two of this.

➜ Boysenberry Mango Lemonade (Spurs)

Rating: 8/10 —— The first time I seen this, I wasn’t really impressed with the color. It reminded me of a sweet tea, but I’m glad I got it because it was very refreshing.

➜ Boyson berry Dip and Dots (silver bullet or dip and dots )

Rating: 8.5/10 —— You would think that the portion of this would be bigger, but with the tasting card, you only get the small. This is very cooling on the tongue and very tasty.

➜ Sweet Corn Nuggets (ghost town grub)

Rating: 7.5/10 —— I was excited to try this because it’s something very different from what I normally try. I really was on the fence on the taste of the nuggets. I wish the lights were a little bit bigger, but overall the honey boysenberry sauce was incredible.

➜ Loaded Potato Bowl (wilderness dance hall)

Rating: 9/10 —— I actually devoured this. I love how the potato were a cut in big chunks and it was loaded with bacon and green onion. Only things missing were some cheese and a little spice.

Best places to take pictures

1. The Boysenberry Farm Display (Entrance)

2. Boysenberry Bush (Catawampus)

3. Boysenberry Plant Store (Whittle Mine)

4. WestCoast Machine (Boysenberry Festival)

5. Cordelia’s Pie Kitchen (Next to Wilderness Dance Hall)

6. Camp Snoopy Store ( Marketplace)

7. Easter Bunny Land /Field (Near Ferris Wheel)

8. 340 Train (Calico Railrood)

What else to do around the park except for the festival and rides?

In addition to the numerous food and drink offerings, the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival offers a wide selection of local crafters, games, live music, musical stage shows, and fun activities for guests of all ages to enjoy.

Must have items to get during Boysenberry Festival

You can find these items throughout the park and outside the park at the Market Place.

Anything new happening in the park in 2023??

This Summer, Fiesta Village and MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress, will be the new attractions come to the park. I hope I get the invitation to attend the media preview and if I do, I will write another article.

MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress, a new twist on a revered classic coaster experience that may alter your ability to escape with the treasure once and for all!

Inspired by the Hispanic influence on Southern California, Fiesta Village will come alive in 2023, full of celebration and culture with all-new experiences, entertainment, dining, shopping, and thrills.

Stroll down Fiesta Mercado, inspired by Los Angeles’ Olvera Street, and find a variety of merchants with unique and authentic items, surrounded by bright, colorful alebrijes and vibrant landscaping. Bite into made-to-order burritos and tacos at the new full-service Casa California restaurant, or enjoy a cold cerveza and specialty cocktails at the adjacent Cantina Del Sur. Take in more live entertainment at the transformed open-air Fiesta Stage, plus newly themed attractions, including the next chapter in Montezooma’s Revenge.

Knott’s Berry Farm (Read and Watch More)

THE END

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