A popular California theme park is welcoming an American icon with a brand-new coaster and a fun expansion! It seems that Mickey Mouse might have some competition to watch out for in Walt Disney’s original theme park.
California residents and visitors are in for a treat in 2024, as the Golden State will soon welcome American icon Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang with a fun expansion at Knott’s Berry Farm, bringing a brand-new roller coaster, reimagined attractions, and fun new experiences for the whole family to enjoy!
Earlier today, Knott’s Berry Farm revealed that the theme park will reimagine its immersive land inspired by Charles M. Schulz’s Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang, Camp Snoopy, aiming to “allow parents and kids to ride and play together and be truly immersed in a summer camp experience right alongside the entire Peanuts Gang,” according to Knott’s Berry Farm vice president and general manager Jon Storbeck.
The main attraction of the California theme park expansion will be Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister, “the only family coaster that takes parents and kids up a lift hill and delivers a pint-sized launch, making this a first, big coaster experience for everyone.” Guests riding Snoopy’s Tenderpaw Twister will get twice the fun and double the adventure, as the upcoming coaster takes two laps every time.
Additionally, the reimagined Camp Snoopy will be home to the brand-new attraction Sally’s Swing Along, a super-sized swing that will take kids and parents up to 10 feet toward the sky, as well as Camp Snoopy’s Off-Road Rally, which will replace Rocky Mountain Trucking Company in the land’s transformation with a colorful road rally.
The reimagined land will also feature the Barrell Bridge and Waterfall area, a new play area packed with fun activities for the young and the young at heart; the newly upgraded Beagle Express, which will take guests on a locomotive ride through a new set of sights; the new Camp Snoopy Theater that will be the stage for a new Camp Snoopy show; and meet-and-greets with Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Pigpen, Sally, Marcie and, of course, Snoopy throughout the land at varying times every day.
Ken Parks, Corporate Director of Creative Development for Knott’s, revealed that while the reimagined Camp Snoopy will feature new attractions and refresh current locations, the creative teams worked hard to create an immersive story for the land, on which attractions and experiences will heavily rely.
“So when you arrive at Camp Snoopy, you as a camper are lucky enough to arrive on Jamboree Week. And so this is an event that happens every year at Camp Snoopy where all of the campers get together and they have different contests and different events that happen in the land. And so a lot of our attractions are themed to the idea of that it’s Jamboree Week,” Parks commented.
Per Knott’s press release, the six-acre reimagined Camp Snoopy is set to open on Memorial Day weekend, 2024.
Knott’s Berry Farm kindly shared a digital rendering of the reimagined Camp Snoopy area with Inside the Magic as part of the land’s press release, which you can see below:
2024 will be an excellent year for Peanuts fans to visit Knott’s Berry Farm, as the beloved characters will take over the entire park for Knott’s Peanuts Celebration starting January 27 through February 25, 2024. The Gang will also be part of the park’s celebrations, including the famous Knott’s Boysenberry Festival (from March 8 through April 28, 2024), Knott’s Spooky Farm (from September 26 through October 31, 2024), and Knott’s Merry Farm (from November 22, 2024, through January 5, 2025).
Of course, Knott’s Scary Farm will return in 2024 for guests brave enough to visit California’s longest-running Halloween theme park event, which trumped Disneyland and Universal Studios Hollywood this year. However, Snoopy and the Peanuts Gang will not attend the park’s adult-oriented event.
Despite what one might think, Knott’s Berry Farm and Disneyland Resort, located minutes away from each other, had no rivalry. On the contrary, Walt Disney and Walter Marvin Knott inspired each other to develop their theme parks in Southern California, with both visionaries having an extremely close relationship.
Are you excited about the fun offerings coming with the new Camp Snoopy expansion? Will you visit the immersive land at Knott’s Berry Farm once it opens? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments below!