Skip to main content
Park Queue TimesPQT

Knott's Berry Farm
vs
Universal Epic Universe

On a typical day Knott's Berry Farm queues less: about 19 minutes a ride against 40 at Universal Epic Universe, a difference of roughly 21 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right nowCompare other parks

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.

Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Epic Universe compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKnott's Berry FarmUnited StatesUniversal Epic UniverseUnited States
Average wait per ride 19 min (best of the two)40 min
Rides with recorded waits 17 (best of the two)13
Longest typical queue GhostRider57 minHarry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry™101 min
Shortest typical queue Supreme Scream8 minBowser Jr. Challenge7 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running93% (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.

Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Epic Universe compared on live queue times
Right nowKnott's Berry FarmUnited StatesUniversal Epic UniverseUnited 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 Knott's Berry Farm queues less: about 19 minutes a ride against 40 at Universal Epic Universe, a difference of roughly 21 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 Knott's Berry Farm if…

  • You want shorter queues: Knott's Berry Farm averages 19 minutes a ride against 40 at Universal Epic Universe
  • You want more to do: 17 rides here have recorded wait data against 13 at Universal Epic Universe
  • GhostRider is on your list - it is Knott's Berry Farm's longest typical queue at about 57 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Knott's Berry Farm's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Epic Universe if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 40 minutes a ride here against 19 at Knott's Berry Farm - for what Universal Epic Universe has that Knott's Berry Farm does not
  • Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry™ is on your list - it is Universal Epic Universe's longest typical queue at about 101 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Universal Epic Universe's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Knott's 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.

Knott's Berry Farm live queue times

Universal Epic Universe

Universal Epic Universe opened in May 2025 as the third major park at Universal Orlando - the first large US theme park opening in decades. It's split into five worlds: Celestial Park (the central hub), Super Nintendo World, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Dark Universe, and How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk. Major rides include Stardust Racers, Mine-Cart Madness, and Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry.

As a brand-new park, Epic Universe has been drawing heavy crowds since opening, with queue times on Stardust Racers and Mario Kart-style attractions often topping two hours on weekends. Check live wait times the moment you enter, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek, off-peak date - the crowds settle noticeably on Tuesdays and Wednesdays outside US school holidays.

Universal Epic Universe live queue times

05 · Questions

Knott's Berry Farm or Universal Epic Universe?

Which is better, Knott's Berry Farm or Universal Epic Universe?

If you are judging on queues, Knott's Berry Farm: it averages about 19 minutes a ride on a typical day against 40 at Universal Epic Universe, roughly 21 minutes back on every queue you join. Knott's Berry Farm has 17 rides with recorded waits against 13 at Universal Epic Universe.

Which has shorter queues, Knott's Berry Farm or Universal Epic Universe?

Knott's Berry Farm, by about 21 minutes a ride. On a typical day Knott's Berry Farm averages 19 minutes against 40 at Universal Epic Universe. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Knott's Berry Farm best time to visit and Universal Epic Universe best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Epic Universe 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 Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Epic Universe for the full ride lists.

Is Knott's Berry Farm bigger than Universal Epic Universe?

By rides we track waits for, Knott's Berry Farm is the bigger day out: 17 rides against 13. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Knott's 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.

Knott's Berry Farm calendarUniversal Epic Universe calendarCompare other parks