Knott’s Berry Farm unexpectedly closed on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, citing inclement weather, leaving hundreds of guests with unused tickets and disrupted holiday plans. The park announced the closure via Instagram, stating that tickets dated for December 24 could be used on any public operating day through December 31, 2025, but made no mention of refunds for the canceled day.
For many families, this extended validity offers little practical value. Out-of-town visitors who traveled specifically for a Christmas Eve park experience cannot easily return. Local guests who choose December 24 due of holiday time off from work or school face the challenge of finding an alternative day that works with their schedules. The closure transformed what should have been a festive holiday outing into a frustrating situation where guests paid for experiences they could not access as intended.
Knott’s Weather Justification
Knott’s cited inclement weather as the reason for closing, but Southern California rarely experiences conditions severe enough to warrant complete theme park shutdowns. The park operates numerous indoor attractions and covered areas that theoretically could function during rain, making the decision to close entirely rather than operate with limited capacity seem like a conservative operational choice rather than absolute necessity.
For guests who made Christmas Eve plans around visiting Knott’s, the weather explanation provides little consolation. Travel expenses already incurred, coordinated family schedules, and holiday traditions built around the park visit cannot be recovered simply because the weather made operations challenging. The question becomes whether operational difficulty justifies leaving paying customers without recourse beyond extended ticket validity that may offer no practical benefit.
Knott’s No-Refund Policy VS. State Law
Knott’s Berry Farm maintains a strict no-refund policy, as prominently displayed in its ticketing terms and conditions. The policy states that all sales are final with no refunds or exchanges under any circumstances. This language creates the impression that guests have zero options when the park closes or circumstances change beyond their control.
However, California law provides consumer protections that supersede company refund policies in specific situations. California Business and Professions Code Section 22507 explicitly requires ticket sellers to issue full refunds within 30 calendar days when an event is canceled, regardless of the seller’s stated policies. This law exists to protect consumers from situations where they pay for services that the seller fails to provide.
The critical question is whether Knott’s Christmas Eve weather closure constitutes an event cancellation that triggers mandatory refund obligations under Section 22507. The park closed completely for the day rather than postponing opening hours or modifying operations, which arguably meets the definition of cancellation covered by the statute.
Pattern of Operational Disruptions
The Christmas Eve closure continues a troubling pattern at Knott’s Berry Farm where the park makes unexpected operational changes affecting guests who already purchased tickets for specific dates. During the 2025 Scary Farm season, Knott’s quietly removed Wednesday night events on October 22 and October 29 from the calendar after initially advertising and selling tickets for those dates.
Guests affected by those Scary Farm cancellations reported similar difficulties obtaining refunds. Some succeeded after escalating complaints to management or involving their credit card companies for chargebacks. Others were told their only option was using tickets on different dates despite having purchased tickets for the canceled dates for specific reasons that made other dates unsuitable.
This recurring pattern of advertising dates then removing them from schedules, or announcing closures with minimal advance notice, undermines the reliability guests should be able to expect when planning visits and purchasing tickets.
What Affected Guests Should Do
If you purchased tickets for Knott’s Berry Farm’s December 24 date and the extended validity through December 31, 2025 provides no practical value, you should pursue a refund rather than accepting the park’s initial response. Here are the steps to take:
Immediate Actions:
- Document everything including your ticket purchase confirmation, the closure announcement from Knott’s, and any communication you’ve had with the park
- Save screenshots of the Instagram closure announcement and any emails or messages you received
- Keep records of any travel expenses incurred specifically for the December 24 visit
Contact Knott’s Directly:
- Call guest services at 714-220-5200 (press option 9 to reach a representative)
- Clearly state you are requesting a refund, not just extended validity
- Reference California Business and Professions Code Section 22507, which requires refunds for canceled events
- Ask to speak with a supervisor if the initial representative refuses the refund
- Follow up in writing via email documenting your phone conversation and refund request
Escalate If Refused:
- File a complaint with the California Department of Consumer Affairs
- Submit a report to the Better Business Bureau
- Contact the California Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division
- Dispute the charge with your credit card company, explaining that the service was not provided as purchased
- Consider small claims court for particularly egregious situations, though this may not be practical for smaller ticket amounts
Know Your Rights:
- California law requires refunds for canceled events regardless of seller policies
- “All sales final” language cannot override statutory consumer protections
- You have 30 days from the cancellation to request your refund
- Document all refusal communications as evidence if you pursue formal complaints
Why This Matters
Theme parks operate on trust that advertised schedules will be honored and that guests can plan visits with confidence. When parks make unexpected changes that disrupt those plans, particularly during major holidays, they damage that trust and create real costs for families beyond just ticket prices.
Extended ticket validity represents inadequate remedy when the specific date mattered for reasons the park cannot recreate. California consumer protection law recognizes this reality by requiring refunds for canceled events. Guests affected by Knott’s Christmas Eve closure should understand their legal rights and pursue refunds when extended validity offers no meaningful solution to their disrupted plans.
Good for you for educating people on the laws and their rights! Too many people just take no for an answer and feel defeated with all the law verbage that’s so tricky to understand. Super cool of you!
“Local guests who choose December 24 due of holiday time off from work…”
Speak English much? The phrase is “due to”, not “due of”. Educate yourself.
We’re in the middle of a flash flood. It doesn’t matter that it could “theoretically, handle rain when the it’s in an evacuation zone. Are you really picking a theme park over your life?
What a dumb article. Written as if inclement weather was a decision Knott’s chose for the closure. Theme parks don’t operate on Trust dumbass. They operate under policy and procedure.