It’s time once again for another Peanuts Celebration down at Knott’s Berry Farm. Celebrating the classic Charles Schulz characters, Peanuts Celebration brings all your favorite characters to the forefront. With some shows, meet & greets, and food offerings, Charlie and the gang have plenty for you to do. Does this year bring the same smiles to the faces of children everywhere? The answer, of course, is yes! However, since we are several years into the celebration, the cracks are beginning to show.

Of course, the park is always decked out with some fun photo ops, and that is very apparent the moment you walk in. Not only is the iconic Knott’s windmill tower decorated for the event, but there are also four other great photo opportunities where you can get into the Peanuts comic strip itself. The really fun “text bubbles” also make an appearance in Camp Snoopy again, which are always great for cute photos.

Speaking of photos, you can also take your picture with all the core Peanuts characters throughout the park, some in new and unique photo locations. Truth be told, I never turn down an opportunity to snap one with Pig Pen in the Livery Stable…it just fits so perfectly!

Returning this year to the Celebration are many fan favorites, including the Sketch School, where you can learn to draw one of the classic Peanuts characters with a professional artist. If you want an activity that’s a little more passive, you have plenty of shows to choose from, including “It’s Your Life, Charlie Brown”, a retro look back at the titular character’s life on the Calico Mine Stage (and even a few years in, still entertaining). There’s also “Music Goes Round and Around” at the Camp Snoopy Theater, and though it is meant more for kids, it’s still a fun show. Additionally, you can rock out to the sounds of Krazy Kirk and the Hillbillies at the Wagon Camp and the James Street Trio at the Boardwalk BBQ.

“It’s Your Life, Charlie Brown”

“It’s Your Life, Charlie Brown”

“It’s Your Life, Charlie Brown”

“It’s Your Life, Charlie Brown”

“Music Goes Round and Around” at the Camp Snoopy Theater

New this year is “Snoopy’s Legendary Rooftop Concert”, which takes over the Calico Mine Stage in the evening hours. For those of you who remember Jelly of the Month, this is basically that but with higher production values and more laughs! And that’s not the only new thing this go-round. There’s also Charlie Brown’s Trivia Challenge, alternating times at the Birdcage Theater with Sketch School, where you can test your knowledge on all things Peanuts. Finally, there is an exhibit about Snoopy’s involvement with NASA and the moon, along with another photo opp, in the Town Hall.

The Celebration is supplemented with some special food offerings, as Knott’s often does, located all around the park. We tried a few things, which ranged from “meh” to “this is good!” First up, at Calico Tater Bites, we tried the Pepperoni Pizza Tater Bites…which essentially was just tater tots with marinara and pepperoni thrown on top. It was…fine. After, we ventured to Boardwalk BBQ for the Mashed Potato Casserole with Rotisserie Chicken (it was good!) and the Sesame Peanut Green Beans with Tofu (also good, but a little soggy). While they do have an incredible assortment of food, we’d recommend going to the Boardwalk BBQ for the good stuff.

Pepperoni Pizza Tater Bites

Mashed Potato Casserole with Rotisserie Chicken

Sesame Peanut Green Beans with Tofu

Overall, Peanuts Celebration is as fun as it always is, but after a few years of the same with minimal new offerings, we can see that this event is on the verge of getting stale. There’s no doubt about how delightful and fun it can be for families, but next year Knott’s would do well to add a bit more new flair to the event, just so it doesn’t become a carbon copy of itself. The trivia contest and NASA exhibit are good, albeit cheaper, options to help spice it up, so we hope that Knott’s really brings it with new offerings for next year.

Knott’s Peanuts Celebration runs daily through February 26th at Knott’s Berry Farm. For more information, check it out at www.knotts.com