Boysenberry Festival trots out new flavors Silver Bullet Booth

The annual event gets an extra week this year, running through April 24

The Knott’s Boysenberry Festival will once again pay tribute to the little berry that started it all at the Buena Park theme park, with a lineup of new food items and live shows — all with a boysenberry twist.

This year’s edition starts today and will run an extra week through April 24 at Knott’s Berry Farm.

Knott’s chefs will introduce more than two dozen new food and drink items to the festival’s menu. Among the selections:

• Boysenberry-filled doughnut open-face chicken sandwich with aioli drizzle

• Crab sushi roll with boysenberry aioli

• Chicken dumplings with boysenberry wonton and teriyaki dipping sauce

• Chicken Cordon Bleu with boysenberry cheese sauce

• Trio of sausage with peppers and onions on boysenberry polenta

• Spring Fling salad with shrimp and a boysenberry vinaigrette

• Boysenberry rocky road brownie

• Boysenberry pie bars

• Deconstructed lemonade with blackberries, loganberries and red raspberries

• Boysenberry horchata

• Boysenberry slushy mudslide (alcoholic)

• Boysenberry seltzer

• Prosecco with hibiscus and boysenberry

• Boysenberry sweet tea with vodka Knott’s will again offer a $50 tasting card ($45 for season pass holders) good for six tastings from a selection of more than two dozen boysenberryinspired dishes and drinks at nine food booths. The tasting card menu lineup includes:

Boysenberry Lane booth

• All-beef meatballs in a boysenberry barbecue sauce on mashers

• Trio of sausage with peppers and onions on boysenberry polenta

• Crab sushi mini-roll with boysenberry aioli

• Boysenberry pie bars

• Boysenberry slushy mudslide (alcoholic)

Wagon Wheel Pizza booth

• Crab sushi mini-roll with a boysenberry aioli

• Boysenberry barbecue chicken pizza

• Chicken Cordon Bleu with a boysenberry cheese sauce

• Boysenberry and pomegranate smoothie

Ghost Town Bakery

• Boysenberry rocky road brownie

• Boysenberry mousse chocolate cake

• Boysenberry pie bars

• Boysenberry horchata

Spurs Chophouse

• Pozole with a boysenberry garnish and tortilla chips

• Boysenberry and sweet tea with vodka

• Chicken dumplings in a boysenberry wonton with rice pilaf and teriyaki dipping sauce

• Spring fling salad with shrimp and a boysenberry vinaigrette

• Boysenberry slushy mudslide (alcoholic)

• Boysenberry cowboy chili with mac and cheese and a frito garnish

• Boysenberry rocky road brownie

Judge Roy Bean booth

• All-beef meatballs in a boysenberry barbecue sauce on mashers

• Prosecco with hibiscus and boysenberry juice

Chow House Booth

• Trio of sausage with peppers and onions on boysenberry polenta

• Elote with a boysenberry butter, mayo and cotija cheese

Wilderness Broiler booth

• Boysenberry-filled doughnut open-face breaded chicken sandwich topped with bacon jam and arugula

• Deconstructed lemonade with blackberries, loganberries and red raspberries

• Boysenberry and sweet tea with vodka

Wilderness Dance Hall Patio booth

• Boysenberry cowboy chili with mac and cheese and a frito garnish

• Prosecco with hibiscus and boysenberry juice

Boysenberry beer, wine, sangria, seltzer and cider are also available at several booths with the tasting card.

Also new this year, Knott’s will offer take-home packaged foods like boysenberry microbrew barbecue sauce, boysenberry crème brûlée coffee, boysenberry brownie cookies, boysenberry pepper bacon spread and boysenberry balsamic grilling glaze.

This year’s fest brings the new “Riverboat Revenge” comedy melodrama to the Bird Cage Theatre.

Returning shows include “Snoopy’s Boysenberry Jamboree” on the Calico Mine Stage, Mariachi Angelitas on the Fiesta Village stage and Knott’s Totally Tubular ’80s Dance Party in the Boardwalk Ballroom.

PAUL RODRIGUEZ — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Boysenberry wine is one of the beverages available at the fest.