Archive for the 'Knott's' Category
California’s Great America to add swing ride, re-theme kids area for 2010
October 23, 2009 5:55am
California’s Great America officials expect the Screamin’ Swing ride at Knott’s Berry Farm to be relocated to the Santa Clara theme park by summer 2010.
Knott’s is removing the pneumatically powered pendulum swing ride to make room for Demon Drop, a 26-year-old thrill ride being removed from Cedar Point and relocated to the Buena Park theme park.
Confused?
Knott’s Berry Farm to add 1980s-era thrill ride in 2010
October 20, 2009 11:01am
Knott’s Berry Farm’s new attraction for 2010 is an aging hand-me-down thrill ride that’s older than many of the Buena Park theme park’s patrons.
The Demon Drop attraction will be relocated from sister park Cedar Point in Ohio, where the ride debuted in 1983 — when Ronald Reagan was president, Michael Jackson introduced the moonwalk and leg warmers were in fashion.
Knott’s officials confirmed that the installation of the drop tower ride will begin in January with a grand opening scheduled for Memorial Day Weekend 2010. Knott’s will keep the Demon Drop name, color scheme and theme.
The best and worst of Halloween 2009 at Southern California theme parks
October 16, 2009 10:00am
As we reach the midpoint of the Halloween season, it’s time to take a look back at the best and worst of the Southern California theme park scare fests.
I found something to like at each of the parks. Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood clearly had the best haunted mazes and scare zones. Halloween Haunt at Knott’s Berry Farm — with 13 mazes and seven shows — simply offers too much to do in just one night. And Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain serves as a great introduction for tweens testing the mazes and monsters for the first time.
Knott’s vs. Universal: Halloween scare fests battle to a bloody draw
October 14, 2009 4:08pm
The bloody writing is on the wall: Universal Studios Hollywood is this close to overtaking Knott’s Berry Farm for the top Halloween event in Southern California.
As in years past, it comes down to quality versus quantity: Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights puts on a far better show, but Knott’s Halloween Haunt is still twice as big and far more established.
For 2009, Knott’s has 13 mazes, seven shows and three scare zones over 28 nights compared with Universal’s four mazes, two shows, six scare zones over 16 nights.
Halloween bloodfest heats up at Southern California theme parks
October 2, 2009 8:58am
October marks the return of the annual death match between Halloween Haunt at Knott’s Berry Farm and Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood for the blood-splattered title of best Halloween theme park event in Southern California.
Halloween Haunt, celebrating its 37th year, is universally regarded as the granddaddy of Halloween events. Halloween Horror Nights, which focuses on movie-set-quality authenticity, is the bloodier and gutsier upstart bent on Halloween supremacy.
My recommendation: Hit ‘em both. You won’t be disappointed.
Fright Fest at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which includes its Halloween event as part of general admission, can’t compare or compete with the big boys. Disneyland, Legoland and SeaWorld San Diego focus more on family-friendly fare.
In Northern California, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom delivers a similar Fright Fest event, and California’s Great America offers its slim-downed take on Halloween Haunt.
2009 Halloween events at California theme parks:
Halloween events at U.S. theme parks
October 1, 2009 12:16pm
If the calendar on the wall says October, then it must be time for Halloween mazes, monsters and mayhem to take over theme parks across the U.S.
Here’s a rundown of the haunted attractions:
Theme park news: Another Dale Earnhardt coaster, Snow White wins lottery, Hello Kitty attraction, Coney Island closure
August 29, 2009 6:27am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
POV video: Carowinds announces $23-million Dale Earnhardt-themed Intimidator coaster for spring 2010 with stadium-style seating and T-shaped lap bar.
Universal Studios Orlando unveils eight Halloween Horror Nights mazes: Saw, Wolfman, Chucky, Dracula, Frankenstein, Silver Screams, Leave it To Cleaver and The Spawning. Six scare zones: Lights Camera Hacktion, Cirque Du Freak, Horrorwood Die-In, Apocalypse, Containment, War of Living Dead. (Orlando Attractions)
Disneyland’s Snow White wins $5.2 million lottery jackpot, feels “like Cinderella.” (O.C. Register)
Busch Gardens Tampa adding Sesame Street Safari of Fun for Spring 2010: kiddie coaster, flume ride, carousel, swing ride, water play area. (Orlando Sentinel)
Theme park news: Another Disney World death, Dale Earnhardt coaster, Star Tours 2.0, Say No to B.O.
August 22, 2009 6:02am
A roundup of my theme park Twitter updates for the last week:
* Walt Disney World actor dies during rehearsals for Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Investigators searching for “any pattern” in three Disney World employee deaths this summer. (Orlando Sentinel)
* Video: Kings Dominion in Virginia announces $25-million Dale Earnhardt-themed Intimidator 305 coaster for 2010.
* Katrina-battered Six Flags New Orleans to reopen as Nickelodeon Universe-New Orleans theme and water park by late 2010. Theme Park Insider: Why it won’t work.
* Dollywood’s Splash Country water park in Tennessee announces Slide Rock Racer side-by-side mat racer slide for 2010. (Screamscape)
* Disney dispatches Star Wars storm troopers to guard “imperial dignitaries” at D23 Expo. Is Star Tours 2.0 coming to Disneyland?
Knott’s Berry Farm to add Zombieland scare zone for Halloween Haunt 2009
August 10, 2009 2:52pm
The upcoming “Zombieland” horror film starring Woody Harrelson will serve as an inspiration for one of the monster scare zones during Halloween Haunt 2009 at Knott’s Berry Farm.
The post-apocalyptic zombie comedy, which opens in theaters on Oct. 9, follows a lone band of survivors who fight the living dead. Scenes from the movie were shot at Wild Adventures theme park in Georgia.
In addition to Harrelson, who plays a zombie killer, the film stars Jesse Eisenberg (”Adventureland”), Emma Stone (”Superbad”) and Abigail Breslin (”Little Miss Sunshine”).
Zombieland will take over a new scare zone location in the Buena Park theme park near the Silver Bullet roller coaster entrance.
California’s Great America unveils 2009 Halloween Haunt lineup
August 9, 2009 8:02am
California’s Great America plans to add a new maze and at least one new show for Halloween Haunt 2009.
Toy Factory will boost the maze count at the Santa Clara amusement park to six.
The five returning haunted mazes:
* CarnEvil (clowns)
* Club Blood (nightclub)
* Cornstalkers (scarecrows)
* Slaughterhouse (blood and guts)
* Werewolf Canyon (hunters become hunted)
The new Shocking Sideshow of Freaks joins two returning shows, Dave Hill’s Haunted Hypnotics and Ed Alonzo’s Psycho Circus of Magic and Mayhem. A fourth show may still be added.
