Knott's Halloween Haunt Recipient
of Prestigious Golden Ticket Award

BUENA PARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2005--Amusement Today, a highly respected international amusement and water park newspaper, has named Knott's Berry Farm's Halloween Haunt as the "Best Halloween Event" in the world at its 8th Annual Golden Ticket award ceremony.

The Golden Ticket was established by Amusement Today to honor the "best of the best" in the amusement industry. Winners are determined through an international poll conducted by the publication. Surveys are sent to a database of experienced and well-traveled amusement park fans around the world. Respondents are asked to rate the "bests" in 22 categories including "Best Steel Coaster," "Best Water Ride" and "Best Halloween Event." By garnering the prestigious award, Knott's has been bestowed what would be akin to the "Super Bowl" or "Academy Awards" of the amusement industry. This year's Golden Ticket Award ceremony was held Aug. 27 at Six Flags Fiesta, San Antonio, Texas.

"We are extremely honored to receive the Golden Ticket Award for our Halloween Haunt event," said Gregg Picon, vice president and general manager of Knott's Berry Farm. "Knott's Halloween Haunt brings together the talents of so many people here at Knott's Berry Farm from the designers of our mazes, to the script writers of the shows, to the thousand of monsters who perform every night. It is truly an impressive creative venture by our entire staff."

Knott's Berry Farm's Halloween Haunt debuted on Halloween 1973 with a decorated Ghost Town and a few dozen live monsters lurking in the fog to scare unsuspecting guests. Today, the Haunt holds the distinction of being not only the first Halloween theme park event, but also the world's largest Halloween party and the largest annual event in the amusement/theme park industry. More than 5.8 million people have attended this special-ticket nighttime event since its debut.