Knott’s Scary Farm transforms Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California into roughly 160 acres of haunted mazes, scare zones, and live shows every fall. What began in 1973 as a modest three-night experiment dreamed up by park marketing staffers George Condos and Martha Boyd, with help from Bill Hollingshead and Gary Salisbury, grew into a nightly sellout by its second year and has returned nearly every Halloween season since, with its only interruption coming in 2020, when the event was canceled statewide due to the COVID-19 pandemic before resuming in 2021.
Widely credited as the first major theme park Halloween event, Knott’s Scary Farm is regarded as the longest-running haunt of its kind and, by its 50th anniversary in 2023, was described as the largest Halloween event staged by any theme park. The event twice won Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award for Best Halloween Event, in 2005 and 2007, and continues to draw dedicated haunt fans back year after year.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California
- Operator: Six Flags (formerly Cedar Fair)
- Opened: 1973
- 2020 hiatus: Canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic; returned in 2021
- Event footprint: About 160 acres of the park
- 2026 run: Select nights, September 17 – October 31
- Mazes: About 10 haunted mazes
- Scare zones: About 5 scare zones plus live shows
The Haunt Experience
After dark, Knott’s Berry Farm’s regular rides and themed areas give way to roaming monsters, elaborate walk-through mazes, and multiple outdoor scare zones packed with actors. Ghost Town, the park’s original western-themed section, has anchored the event since its earliest nights in 1973, when performers simply wandered the streets to startle guests.
Each season rotates in new mazes alongside longtime favorites; the 2026 lineup added two new mazes, Inked and Unearthed, to returning crowd favorites like Eight Fingers Nine: The Boogeyman, Room 13, and Origins: The Curse of Calico, keeping the event fresh even after five decades.
A Halloween Institution
Knott’s Scary Farm’s staying power sets it apart in an industry where seasonal events come and go. Its 1973 debut predates most competing theme park haunts by years, and its long run has made it a template that other parks across the country have followed, surviving even a full-year shutdown in 2020 when California pandemic restrictions forced its cancellation.
The event’s ownership shifted when Cedar Fair merged with Six Flags on July 1, 2024, but Knott’s Scary Farm has kept its identity and its Halloween Haunt roots intact, continuing to headline the park’s fall calendar each year.
Explore more: Explore more seasonal theme park events.
Knott’s Scary Farm FAQs
When did Knott’s Scary Farm start?
It began in 1973 as a three-night event called Halloween Haunt, created by Knott’s Berry Farm marketing staffers George Condos and Martha Boyd along with Bill Hollingshead and Gary Salisbury.
Has Knott’s Scary Farm ever been canceled?
Yes. The event ran nearly every year after its 1973 debut but was canceled in 2020 due to California’s COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, then returned in 2021.
Where is Knott’s Scary Farm held?
It takes place at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California, covering about 160 acres of the park after dark.
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Photo: DTParker1000 / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.