The Knott’s Berry Farm Boysenberry Festival starts on March 29, 2019 and runs through April 28, 2019 – just under one month of Boysenberry-flavored fun. Recently, we were invited to Knott’s Berry Farm for a tasting event to sample the various Boysenberry goods guests will encounter once the festival begins. We arrived at the park just prior to our check in time and got escorted to the Wilderness Dance Hall (which is often the home to various goodies for their seasonal events). It also used to be the home of some great Knott’s Scary Farm mazes, but I digress… We walked into the Wilderness Dance Hall and found a variety of food and drink stations, while in the center of the hall sat a table with everything laid out for photographs.
The two feet long hot dog
I was absolutely blown away by the various items for sampling. All were very tasty and I didn’t find one “dud” among them. The boysenberry sausage and elote were amazing while the boysenberry-infused jambalaya was spicy yet-sweet. I even liked the boysenberry boba drink which I initially thought would be too sweet. In addition, Yogurtland has teamed up with Knott’s to host a boysenberry frozen yogurt flavor – talk about synergy! I tried the vanilla/boysenberry swirl flavor and absolutely loved it. Boysenberry can be rather strong on its own and is often best served along with something else. Vanilla is great as it adds an overall smoothness to the coupling. Along with the various good offerings, there were a number of wineries and breweries on-hand, allowing media to sample their wares which they thought paired best with the food at their station.
Boysenberry Elote
There were a couple items on display that we did not get a chance to taste – things like the two feet long hot dog and “The Berry Beast”, a sandwich with pork loin, bacon, onions, and boysenberry. Both items looked amazing and I am anxious to try them on the full Boysenberry Festival media day later this month. It was an absolutely gigantic sandwich that I can only pray will fit in my belly! Unlike past years, I could not find ONE item I disliked. Everything was at least “good”, with many being what I would call “very good”. I was craving more of that jambalaya for the rest of the night.
The Berry Beast on Display
Aside from the food and drink stations, the tasting event had a table with the various Boysenberry Festival merchandise that will be sold during the event. Pins, socks, shirts, patches, and more all too center stage at this table. I was especially interested in the commemorative pin and patch set – although I could see myself wearing some Boysenberry Festival socks to work… We shall see how much I spend on merchandise for the media day. There was also a small tasting area on this table for boysenberry fudge which was amazing. It was located at this table because, technically, it will be made at the candy shop in the park’s Ghost Town area.
Overall, the food and drink options of the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival will be sure to delight and satiate hungry guests once it opens its doors on March 29th. You can find ticket information, park hours, and more over at the Knott’s Berry Farm website.
