What's new at SoCal theme parks this summer — from lively night shows to 'Jaws' doughnuts

Summer successful SoCal doesn’t conscionable mean beaches oregon bleachers. It’s an ideal, albeit crowded, clip to sojourn 1 of our galore taxable parks.

No substance which parkland you choose, there’s a h2o thrust oregon 2 to chill you disconnected and a big of amusement options. The Disneyland Resort is successful the midst of a large anniversary, and Knott’s Berry Farm brings backmost a favourite must-see — oregon must-play, alternatively — summertime staple. Six Flags Magic Mountain is introducing much theatrics, and Universal Studios Hollywood has made immoderate refreshing tweaks to 1 of its classical attractions (hint: bring a poncho).

Here’s a look astatine the summertime highlights astatine each park.

“Tapestry of Happiness” taps into Disneyland nostalgia via projections connected the facade of It’s a Small World.

(Christian Thompson / Disneyland Resort)

The Disneyland Resort is celebrating a large day this July 17, though the enactment started aboriginal successful May. Much of the cardinal amusement happens successful the evening. The caller “World of Color Happiness!” astatine Disney California Adventure brings water-based projection effects to the park’s lagoon, alongside a storyline centered connected the characters of “Inside Out.” Disneyland has brought backmost the lively, LED-driven parade that is “Paint the Night,” an upbeat and festive jolt of vigor that serves arsenic an exclamation constituent connected a time astatine the park.

If fireworks are much to your liking, “Wondrous Journeys” illuminates the skies supra Walt Disney’s archetypal Magic Kingdom via a amusement that serves arsenic an ode to the company’s period of animation achievements. Nostalgia is ever an invited impermanent astatine a Disneyland party, and those who privation to relive memories of years spent astatine the parkland should not miss “Tapestry of Happiness,” a five-minute emotion missive to Disneyland that uses the facade of It’s a Small World arsenic a canvas portion nodding to the artistry of Mary Blair, the Disney fable liable for overmuch of the look and code of the thrust whose gathering the amusement graces.

And coming July 17 volition beryllium a amusement that resurrects Disney arsenic an audio-animatronic, temporarily displacing “Great Moments of Mr. Lincoln” astatine the Main Street Opera House. Disney artisans committedness that the robotic fig volition beryllium 1 of its astir lifelike to date. There are treats galore and adjacent nutrient offerings that motion to Disneyland’s past (look for the decadent pome pancake rolls). The day festivities tally into adjacent year, though immoderate offerings volition intermission for Halloween and vacation programming.

Dustin Kennedy performing arsenic Flint Staholkof of the Knott’s Berry Farm “Ghost Town Alive!” past summer. The day-long amusement has returned for 2025.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

No substance the park, the cardinal touchstones of large taxable parkland theatrics are similar. Expect a pun oregon 2 and immoderate heightened emotions — and don’t beryllium amazed if there’s tinge of hokeyness. But successful a bully way. Like an histrion approaching you with a bucket of h2o and asking, politely, if you would similar it dumped connected your head. Or different excitedly talking you into having a curly mustache painted connected your face. Knott’s Berry Farm’s now-annual summertime offering “Ghost Town Alive!” turns each of the park’s ol’ West country into a stage, and it’s a hoot.

“Ghost Town Alive!” is designed to beryllium played. Approach, for instance, the station bureau successful the fictional municipality of Calico, and you whitethorn beryllium handed a bundle to present — lone present you’re caught up successful randomly weird storyline. The communicative has immoderate cardinal beats, but regular shenanigans are often improv-based, and you whitethorn find yourself robbing a bank, moving arsenic a matchmaker oregon taking portion successful a facial hairsbreadth contest. Every time successful “Ghost Town Alive!” is simply a small different. If you’re consenting to enactment yourself retired there, don’t beryllium amazed if you hide determination are coasters to ride, arsenic “Ghost Town Alive!” is simply a gateway to an alternate world wherever wackiness reigns.

While successful Calico, don’t miss the summertime amusement “Miss Cameo Kate’s Western Burle-Q- Revue” astatine the Bird Cage Theatre. It’s a 20-minute cabaret-style performance, implicit with a torch opus and a cancan finale, the second conscionable a tad risqué. In the evening, Knott’s Summer Nights programming brings unrecorded euphony to an assortment of lands. While acts whitethorn vary, expect an accent connected acoustic, rockabilly and Western stylings dispersed crossed six stages, turning the parkland into a mini unrecorded euphony venue.

Guests volition beryllium asked to prime a broadside astatine Six Flags Magic Mountain’s “DC Heroes and Villains” fest.

(Six Flags Magic Mountain)

The Valencia coaster parkland this summertime is leaning into superhero properties. The likes of Batman, Superman, Catwoman, the Joker and much are taking portion successful an evening amusement that marries creation parties, stunt shows and assemblage participation. Its “DC Heroes and Villains Fest” runs weekends passim the summertime opening June 20, with festivities starting astatine 5 p.m.

There’s a crippled each night, and it centers connected villains trying to spoil a statue dedication to Batman. Audiences are said to beryllium capable to align with heroes oregon villains to spot who has power of Gotham City each evening. Expect a stunt amusement decorativeness and plentifulness of silliness, specified arsenic a dada gag oregon spot contests. Dance events volition halfway connected Catwoman, the Joker and Harley Quinn, nonheroes who volition beryllium trying to woo guests with family-friendly entertainment.

While “DC Heroes and Villains Fest” had yet to statesman astatine the clip of writing, Magic Mountain is hoping for a theater-heavy experience.

“A batch of my squad comes from New York, the Broadway side,” Mike Ostrom, manager of amusement and events for the park, told immersive podcast No Proscenium. “So we’re trying to bring a batch of theatrical elements and communicative arc and each those things that impact the crowd, the participants, to truly get progressive successful what they’re seeing.”

Jurassic World — The Ride volition present apt get guests adjacent wetter.

(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)

Jurassic World — The Ride is already an attraction designed to get you soaked. This summer, however, Universal Studios has made the thrust adjacent wetter, acknowledgment to further dinosaurs and caller geysers. Look for 4 further Dilophosaurus figures — those mid-size dinos with ornate, skull-like fans surrounding their caput — passim the ride. Otherwise known arsenic “spitters,” they bash precisely that — spit h2o astatine guests successful boats. Additionally, erstwhile the vessel lands aft the ride’s 84-foot drop, guests volition beryllium welcomed with a large roar and an detonation of caller h2o geysers. Ponchos are recommended.

The additions are portion of what Universal is calling Mega Movie Summer. The lawsuit focuses connected treats themed to “Jaws,” “Back to the Future” and much — look for a elephantine doughnut with a shark wound taken retired of it, oregon unbend with a lobster rotation — arsenic good arsenic photograph opportunities and quality meet-and-greets. For example, a “Jaws” photograph spot features the instrumentality of the park’s hanging shark and a accidental to conscionable actors portraying shark huntsman Quint and Amity constabulary main Brody. A “Back to the Future” determination has the DeLorean clip instrumentality and actors inhabiting the roles of Marty McFly and Doc Brown arsenic good arsenic an quality from canine companion Einstein.

Once Universal extends its hours connected June 28, a projection amusement volition instrumentality implicit Hogwarts Castle successful the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Elsewhere, characters from “Wicked” proceed to conscionable guests, and Universal has introduced a 730-pound sculpted Toothless fig from “How to Train Your Dragon.”