Maintaining Brand Identity and Heritage in the Corporate Environment: The Case of Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival

Knott’s Berry Farm began in the 1920s as a roadside berry stand in Southern California, eventually expanding to a restaurant with small attractions and then a full theme park, one of the oldest in the United States. In the 1990s, it shifted from a family-owned business to a holding in a corporate portfolio. To garner revenue, visitation, and a renewed sense of the site’s unique history, leadership tried several approaches. This qualitative case study using participant observation examines one of those strategies, the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival. Eight core themes were revealed that relate to the festival’s purposes and the site’s orientation. The research extends the literature on theme park festivals and connects to key ideas such as brand identity, heritage, and the power of place. It provides lessons for theme park festival designers and managers as well as those trying to maintain differentiation within a corporate environment.