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Park Queue TimesPQT

Kennywood
vs
Knotts Berry Farm

On a typical day Knotts Berry Farm queues less: about 17 minutes a ride against 34 at Kennywood, a difference of roughly 17 minutes on every queue you join.

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01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Kennywood and Knotts Berry Farm compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKennywoodUnited StatesKnotts Berry FarmUnited States
Average wait per ride 34 min17 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 1217 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Exterminator70 minGhostRider44 min
Shortest typical queue Aero 36013 minSol Spin8 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running95% (best of the two)92%

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Kennywood and Knotts Berry Farm compared on live queue times
Right nowKennywoodUnited StatesKnotts Berry FarmUnited States
Average wait right now --
Rides open --
Opening hours today --
Longest queue --
Shortest queue --

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Knotts Berry Farm queues less: about 17 minutes a ride against 34 at Kennywood, a difference of roughly 17 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Kennywood if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 34 minutes a ride here against 17 at Knotts Berry Farm - for what Kennywood has that Knotts Berry Farm does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Kennywood's rides run 95% of opening hours against 92% at Knotts Berry Farm
  • Exterminator is on your list - it is Kennywood's longest typical queue at about 70 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kennywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Knotts Berry Farm if…

  • You want shorter queues: Knotts Berry Farm averages 17 minutes a ride against 34 at Kennywood
  • You want more to do: 17 rides here have recorded wait data against 12 at Kennywood
  • GhostRider is on your list - it is Knotts Berry Farm's longest typical queue at about 44 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Knotts Berry Farm's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Kennywood

Kennywood is a historic traditional amusement park in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, just outside Pittsburgh. It has been running since 1898 and is a US National Historic Landmark - home to three classic wooden coasters (Thunderbolt, Jack Rabbit, Racer) alongside modern additions like Phantom's Revenge (a steel coaster known for a near-400 ft second drop) and Steel Curtain (part of a Steelers-themed area).

Kennywood's season runs roughly May to October, with peak crowds concentrated on summer weekends, July 4th, and during the Phantom Fright Nights event. Weekdays in June and September stay noticeably calmer. Check live queue times before committing to Phantom's Revenge or Steel Curtain, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter day if you want plenty of re-rides.

Kennywood live queue times

Knotts Berry Farm

Knott's Berry Farm sits in Buena Park, Orange County, California, with a long history dating back to Walter Knott's original berry farm and boysenberry jam stand from the 1920s. It's now a full theme park famous for its coaster line-up: HangTime, Silver Bullet, Xcelerator (a hydraulic launch coaster), GhostRider (a large wooden coaster), and the classic Timber Mountain Log Ride.

Southern California locals keep Knott's busy all year round, but peak crowds align with US school holidays, the extremely popular Scary Farm Halloween event, and Knott's Merry Farm at Christmas. Check live wait times for Xcelerator and HangTime on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a weekday outside local school breaks for shorter queues.

Knotts Berry Farm live queue times

05 · Questions

Kennywood or Knotts Berry Farm?

Which is better, Kennywood or Knotts Berry Farm?

If you are judging on queues, Knotts Berry Farm: it averages about 17 minutes a ride on a typical day against 34 at Kennywood, roughly 17 minutes back on every queue you join. Kennywood has 12 rides with recorded waits against 17 at Knotts Berry Farm. Kennywood also runs its rides more reliably - 95% of opening hours against 92%.

Which has shorter queues, Kennywood or Knotts Berry Farm?

Knotts Berry Farm, by about 17 minutes a ride. On a typical day Knotts Berry Farm averages 17 minutes against 34 at Kennywood. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Kennywood best time to visit and Knotts Berry Farm best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Kennywood and Knotts Berry Farm in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United States, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Kennywood and Knotts Berry Farm for the full ride lists.

Is Kennywood bigger than Knotts Berry Farm?

By rides we track waits for, Knotts Berry Farm is the bigger day out: 17 rides against 12. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Knotts Berry Farm is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Kennywood calendarKnotts Berry Farm calendarCompare other parks