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Park Queue TimesPQT

Knott's Berry Farm
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Knott's Berry Farm queues less: about 19 minutes a ride against 23 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 4 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.

Knott's Berry Farm and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKnott's Berry FarmUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 19 min (best of the two)23 min
Rides with recorded waits 1734 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue GhostRider57 minFast & Furious: Hollywood Drift96 min
Shortest typical queue Supreme Scream8 minTerror Tram featuring Art the Clown – Last Tram5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running93% (best of the two)44%

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 Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right nowKnott's Berry FarmUnited StatesUniversal 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 Knott's Berry Farm queues less: about 19 minutes a ride against 23 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 4 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 23 at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Knott's Berry Farm's rides run 93% of opening hours against 44% at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • 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 Studios Hollywood if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 23 minutes a ride here against 19 at Knott's Berry Farm - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Knott's Berry Farm does not
  • You want more to do: 34 rides here have recorded wait data against 17 at Knott's Berry Farm
  • Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 96 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.

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 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

Knott's Berry Farm or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Knott's Berry Farm or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Knott's Berry Farm: it averages about 19 minutes a ride on a typical day against 23 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 4 minutes back on every queue you join. Knott's Berry Farm has 17 rides with recorded waits against 34 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Knott's Berry Farm also runs its rides more reliably - 93% of opening hours against 44%.

Which has shorter queues, Knott's Berry Farm or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Knott's Berry Farm, by about 4 minutes a ride. On a typical day Knott's Berry Farm averages 19 minutes against 23 at Universal Studios Hollywood. 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 Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Knott's Berry Farm bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 34 rides against 17. 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 Studios Hollywood calendarCompare other parks