Knott’s Berry Farm Cancels Halloween Celebration Due to Coronavirus

Last month saw Universal Studios in both Hollywood and Orlando announce that this year’s Halloween Horror Night events had been cancelled, with Knott’s Berry Farm being the latest amusement park to scrap their plans for their beloved Halloween event. Located in Buena Park, California, Knott’s Berry Farm isn’t the only popular California attraction feeling the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, as Disneyland has also yet to begin any attempt at reopening, despite Walt Disney World in Orlando having already resumed operations with new protocols in hopes of ensuring the health and safety of guests. Due to the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in California, there’s no timeline for when amusement parks will be allowed to reopen.

“Regrettably, due to continued operating restrictions related to the pandemic we have had to make the very difficult decision to cancel our highly anticipated 2020 Knott’s Scary Farm event,” Knott’s officials shared in a statement, per Deadline. “We know that this news is disappointing, but we look forward with great enthusiasm to making 2021 Knott’s Scary Farm our best year ever.”

While fans are still standing by to see if Disney World offers guests a Halloween-themed experience or if the park will be too severely impacted by new protocols, various Six Flags locations claim they will be offering their annual Fright Fest but with some modifications.

“We are planning to have something out there that excites families and our guests to get out there and come to the parks,” Six Flags CEO Michael Spanos shared during an earnings call.

Making the cancellation of Halloween Horror Nights that much more disappointing for fans is that it’s the event’s 30th anniversary.

“Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Hollywood have made the difficult decision to not hold Halloween Horror Nights events this year,” the park shared in a statement. “Universal Orlando Resort will be focusing exclusively on operating its theme parks for daytime guests, using enhanced health and safety procedures already in place. Universal Studios Hollywood continues to face ongoing business restrictions and uncertainty around its opening timeframe. We know this decision will disappoint our fans and guests. We are disappointed, too. But we look forward to creating an amazing event in 2021.”

Stay tuned for details on the reopening of Knott’s Berry Farm.

Are you disappointed that the event won’t be held this year? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!