Trip Review: Snoopy and pals take over Knott’s Berry Farm for the Peanuts Celebration

By Victoria Lim

The Peanuts-themed fun starts right at the turnstiles, which are adorned with bright yellow Charlie Brown shirt-style design bunting and fun comics-style photo opportunities.

Guests can channel their inner Lucy by grabbing the football from poor Charlie Brown (sorry, Charlie!) and hang out in Woodstock’s nest.

Like Charlie’s favorite kite, we flew swiftly to our first stop (and the newest addition to the Celebration), the Franklin Exhibit at Calico’s Town Hall, which celebrates Charles Schulz’s iconic character and its groundbreaking place in American history and pop culture.

Reproductions of Franklin’s 1968 debut, meeting Charlie Brown at the beach while both families were on vacation, are captured in comic strips from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Homage is also paid to Harriett Glickman, the school teacher who wrote to Schulz shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asking him to “integrate” the comic strip. His letter previewing that he created the character Franklin is also on display. In tributes, Schulz has called Glickman his “hero.”

While readers’ responses to Franklin were mixed (the exhibit shares that newspapers in the South were particularly upset when Franklin appeared with Peppermint Patty at school), the power of friendship prevailed.

For those inspired by Franklin and experiencing a spark of creativity, there’s a station in the middle of the exhibit with paper and pencils to create their own story.

Our next stop was Ghost Town and the Livery Stables to PigPen’s Pig Pen. We were welcomed by the messy pal, who was a gracious host and proud to show off adorable piglets Bullet, Ryder, Petunia, and Calico.

After hanging out with PigPen we were excited to see more characters and headed to the Mystery Lodge Entrance where everyone’s favorite beagle, Snoopy, dressed in his camping finest gave out hugs and kisses. What a charmer!

Riding in style, Charlie Brown, Lucy and Sally greeted fans during the “Peanuts on the Go” Cavalcade at Charleston Circle. But this wasn’t just a quick caravan drive by. They hopped out of their cars and showed off their best dance moves, inviting guests to join them. The big finale: the Charleston, of course.

Since the Peanuts Celebration is about friendships, it seems fitting that the Calico Mine Stage featured “It’s Your Life, Charlie Brown.” A musical quiz show was nostalgic, especially if you’ve followed the gang and through the comic strips and TV specials. Charlie Brown was challenged to match a memory with the friend he shared that moment with. Of course, Snoopy was the most anticipated and crowd favorite character to join his best friend.

In the evenings, indie band The Jelly of the Month Club joins Snoopy’s Legendary Rooftop Concert, with the vibe of a high-energy dance party. Guests can also test their Peanuts knowledge with Charlie Brown’s Trivia Challenge at the Bird Cage Theater, the same location as Peanuts Sketch School.

Throughout the park’s Boardwalk area, metal statues of the gang are colorful and fun photo opportunities.

Not to mention getting kissed by Snoopy…

…and through the magical rotation of your camera, “dragged” by him as he tries to run away with Linus’ blanket.

Even though no special activities are taking place within Camp Snoopy, touches of the Celebration are throughout, with pictures of the gang and some of their famous sayings like “Good Grief” and “Curse you Red Baron!”

There’s more than just the popcorn and candy from the Peanuts Thanksgiving TV special. The star of the Celebration is macaroni and cheese, which is in all the special dishes. We tried the Snoopy’s Mac and Cheeseburger (but skipped the Burger Sauce that comes with it, which is thousand island dressing) and Linus’ Mac and Cheese Bites over French Fries, served with a Spicy Aioli (though we enjoyed the latter much more).

Other Peanuts character-themed food includes:

• Schroeder’s Fluffy Breakfast Mac and Cheese Pancake with Bacon and Syrup
• Jose Peterson’s Swedish Meatballs on top of Mac and Cheese and French Fries
• PigPen’s Ham and Mac and Cheese Loaf
• Lucy Van Pel’s Mac and Cheese Waffle Cone with Pulled Pork
• Marci’s Alfredo Pasta Pinwheel
• Franklin’s Mac and Cheesy Noodle Cheddar and Broccoli Soup
• Woodstock’s Cheesecake Dessert

The family fun with lots of characters, music, games and food specials has visitors criss-crossing the entire theme park, which gives those who might typically focus on Camp Snoopy for their Peanuts fix a chance to explore rides and experiences they might not otherwise try.

Knott’s Peanuts Celebration runs daily through Feb. 25, 2024. Click here for details.