Investment in guest immersion and updated themes has been a top priority for local amusement park Knott’s Berry Farm.
The 100-year park in Buena Park recently wrapped up renovations on its Fiesta Village area, Knott’s Berry Farm’s first expansion following the opening of its original Ghost Town.
Fiesta Village reopened in late May following an over three-year effort of updating the Mexican and Mesoamerican influences and look of the square.
Pasadena-based design firm THG partnered with Knott’s parent Cedar Fair LP (NYSE: FUN), its Experience Design Studio, and park consultants as the lead creative team for the Fiesta Village project. The team looked to overhaul the retail stores, revamp the restaurant spaces and menus, update attractions and add other environmental elements.
THG’s Senior Director of Design William Alton Ortega said that the priority of these updates was to make the guests stay longer and “to bring new life” to the area.
Ortega and his team had walked through the site in late 2019 prior to starting on the redesign.
“It was not as immersive as it could be,” Ortega told the Business Journal. He added that the retail stores and game booths were lacking traffic, park views were being blocked and concrete was showing through fading paint.
“The experience economy is a growing economy,” Ortega said. “And we’re well versed in experience design.”
THG, with 47 employees, is a recurring partner with Universal Studios in both of its Florida and Los Angeles parks and has also worked with DreamWorks and Paramount studios on international attractions in London and Spain. Its most recent project was designing the renovation of the Dodger Stadium’s center field plaza.
Making People Stay
THG developed the creative intent and design for Fiesta Village’s rides, food and beverage venues, retail, shows and environment.
All seven rides in that sector were given a makeover while entranceways were updated, and additional seating was included.
Ortega and his team designed new live entertainment and nighttime events, along with the renovations of the former arcade into a new marketplace to better utilize the space.
The updated restaurant has a new menu under the name Casa California.
The cost of the renovations was undisclosed.
To be thematically immersive, design influences were taken from Ortega’s own time living in Mexico and historic spots like Los Angeles’ Olvera Street. Much of the décor was also created by Mexican artists.
“I made sure everything had a reference,” he said of developing a Mesoamerican and classic California look.
Cedar Fair was not only looking to better immerse visitors inside the park, it applied a similar strategy to the current $25 million renovation of the park’s 322-room Knott’s Berry Farm Hotel as well.
The resort will be renamed Knott’s Hotel and incorporate design influences from the original farm and park of the founding Knott family. Other spaces such as the hotel restaurant will now reference the park’s 103-year history. The project will wrap up this fall.
