Knott's Coaster Delayed as Fiesta Village Sets Return Date

May 9, 2023, 1:35 PM · The reimagined Fiesta Village will debut at Knott's Berry Farm on May 26, even though its signature attraction will not reopen this summer, the park announced today.

"Due to construction delays, MonteZOOMa: The Forbidden Fortress will not open with Fiesta Village this summer. An opening date has not been scheduled at this time," Knott's said in its press release announcing Fiesta Village's opening date. Known for its flywheel launch, the Schwarzkopf Shuttle Loop Coaster formerly was called Montezooma's Revenge.

Meanwhile, the new Fiesta Village this summer will feature a nighttime street party called Calle Celebración on select nights. The show will feature music, dancing and giant colorful puppets.

Knott's has revamped the food offerings in Fiesta Village, as well. Casa California will serve burritos, birria quesadillas, tamales, while drinks will be on the menu at Cantina Del Sur. Baja Taqueria will offer fish tacos, with a variety of topped fries, including carne asada fries at Papas Mexicanas.

The park's Flavors of Summer food festival will expand into Fiesta Village, too, with "Sabor de Fiesta" booths serving items such as potato and chorizo tacos, micheladas, and elotes.

Also on May 26, Ghost Town Alive will return for the summer season on select dates, along with Knott's Summer Nights.

For discounted tickets starting at $67, please visit our partner's Knott's Berry Farm tickets page.

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Replies (4)

May 9, 2023 at 6:28 PM

Was looking forward to riding "Zooma this summer. With no opening date, guessing next year is more likely.

May 10, 2023 at 9:07 AM

I'm sure Cedar Fair will blame the rain, but I'm curious if the old Scwarzkopf coaster has been a bit more tricky to upgrade than they initially thought. It's pretty telling that it's been down for over a year (went SBNO in February 2022), and is not likely to reopen until at least late August (minimum 18 months). For a coaster that has just 800 feet of track, it makes you wonder why they bothered investing in renovating the attraction in the first place.

May 10, 2023 at 11:36 AM

It’s such a limited footprint that they don’t have many other options unless they want to loose one on the coaster count. That said, I happily would sacrifice this along with Jaguar for one better mid-range coaster.

May 10, 2023 at 6:33 PM

The rumor I've heard is something happened on the manufacturing side for the Montezooma project that has resulted in at least a six month delay to the timeline. If true, I wouldn't be surprised if it becomes the park's new for 2024 attraction. It's a real shame, as with Xcelerator still out of commission the park is facing a second summer with only three major coasters, which just isn't sufficient for the demand they've been having lately. However, if I'm going to pick a year off from having a pass, seems like I picked a good one.

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