Knotts Berry Farm
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Knotts Berry Farm queues less: about 24 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 12 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now Compare 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.

Knotts Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Knotts Berry FarmUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	24 min (best of the two)	36 min
Rides with recorded waits	16 (best of the two)	15
Longest typical queue	GhostRider64 min	Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge88 min
Shortest typical queue	Los Voladores7 min	Bowser Jr. Challenge5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	90% (best of the two)	80%

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.

Knotts Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right now	Knotts Berry FarmUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited 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 24 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 12 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 Knotts Berry Farm if…

You want shorter queues: Knotts Berry Farm averages 24 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood
You want more to do: 16 rides here have recorded wait data against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood
You would rather not find rides shut: Knotts Berry Farm's rides run 90% of opening hours against 80% at Universal Studios Hollywood
GhostRider is on your list - it is Knotts Berry Farm's longest typical queue at about 64 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Knotts Berry Farm's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

You will accept a longer queue - 36 minutes a ride here against 24 at Knotts Berry Farm - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Knotts Berry Farm does not
Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 88 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Universal Studios Hollywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

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

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood sits in Universal City, California, combining a working film studio with a full theme park. The famous Studio Tour trams run through real backlots, while the park's themed rides include Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Jurassic World – The Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers, and the newer Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge in Super Nintendo World.

LA and Southern California visitor patterns keep Universal Hollywood busy much of the year, with US summer school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas driving the peak. Mid-January and early September are the quietest periods. Check live queue times before committing to long waits, and use our crowd calendar to pick a weekday outside California school breaks for shorter lines.

Universal Studios Hollywood live queue times

05 · Questions

Knotts Berry Farm or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Knotts Berry Farm or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Knotts Berry Farm: it averages about 24 minutes a ride on a typical day against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 12 minutes back on every queue you join. Knotts Berry Farm has 16 rides with recorded waits against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Knotts Berry Farm also runs its rides more reliably - 90% of opening hours against 80%.

Which has shorter queues, Knotts Berry Farm or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Knotts Berry Farm, by about 12 minutes a ride. On a typical day Knotts Berry Farm averages 24 minutes against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Knotts Berry Farm best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Knotts Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood 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 Knotts Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Knotts Berry Farm bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Knotts Berry Farm is the bigger day out: 16 rides against 15. 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.

Knotts Berry Farm calendar Universal Studios Hollywood calendar Compare other parks