Knott’s Berry Farm is throwing a backyard barbecue party with a live music festival, picnic food booths and games for the kids and kids at heart as part of the new Knott’s Summer Nights event running all summer long.
Knott’s Summer Nights kicked off this weekend and runs through Sept. 5 at the Buena Park theme park with live music from 7 p.m. until closing time.
Knott’s hosted a media preview of the Summer Nights event on Saturday, May 21 with Hiatus on the Calico Mine Stage, Do-Wah Riders on the Calico Park Stage and DJ Lance Rock spinning dance music from atop the Surf Shop rooftop.
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Hiatus was a rock-solid dance pop cover band that played songs by Foreigner, Walk the Moon, Michael Jackson and Pink.
Do-Wah Riders played both kinds of music — country and western — with a set list that included favorites by Kenny Chesney, Dwight Yoakim, Jake Owens and Creedence Clearwater Revival with fiddle, accordion harmonica highlights.
DJ Lance Rock from Nick Jr.’s “Yo Gabba Gabba” — who hosts a new kids stage show at Knott’s — kept the party moving with dance tunes in between live music sets.
The bands and DJ took turns performing around the Charleston Fountain area of the park in a music festival-style setting that serves as the focal point for the Knott’s Summer Nights event.
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Hiatus and Do-Wah Riders will return on select nights throughout the summer. Other bands on the Summer Nights line-up include Tomasina, Suffragettes, Royal We, Urban Music Society, Flashback Heart Attack & 80’z All Stars, Zydeco Party and Island Reggae.
Knott’s musical standbys like the always-fun Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies (Wagon Camp stage), Bluegrass Duo (Fireman’s Barbecue stage) and Mariachi Angelitas (Fiesta Plaza stage) will perform throughout the park.
The Knott’s Summer Nights festival area is set up like a backyard barbecue on a large expanse of artifical grass with pub-style games like cornhole and ring a bull.
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Seven food booths offer everything from carnitas tacos to watermelon lemonade to peach and pineapple shaved ice. The most popular food booths offered Korean BBQ burgers, cowboy stew and fried chicken and waffle sliders. The makings for s’mores can be purchased and prepared over small open-flame fire pits in front of the main stage. Knott’s sells $50 tasting cards good for six food items at the Summer Nights food booths.