The Magic Castle is getting in on the theme park game.
The famed Hollywood institution is teaming up with Knott’s Berry Farm for its after-hours Halloween event, Knott’s Scary Farm, now in its 53rd year. The Magic Castle will supply the artists and show direction for a production that is expected to run nightly in the park’s recently refurbished Bird Cage Theatre.
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The theme park initially reached out to the Magic Castle last year, says Payden Adams, vice president of entertainment for Knott’s Berry Farm, but the castle was in the middle of a leadership reorganization at the time. With that completed, a partnership could finally begin.
“It is just astounding what they’ve done with the Bird Cage Theatre,” says Jessica Hopkins, granddaughter of castle pioneers Bill and Irene Larsen and the castle’s chief operating officer. “Magic Castle magicians have been performing in there for decades. It just felt right.”
The magic shows will take place at the park’s recently refurbished Bird Cage Theatre.
(Kyusung Gong / For The Times)
Curating Knott’s magic show will be Rudy Coby, a resident magician at the Magic Castle. Coby performed at Knott’s about 35 years ago and credits the park in helping him get his start. He says the new show, “Occultum,” will vary by week with different performers lined up throughout the Halloween season. Knott’s Scary Farm begins Sept. 17.
And yet, says Coby, “Not every magician is for this audience.” So what’s the differentiating factor for a Halloween magic show?
“It’s a little more edgy,” Coby says. “You really have to grab their attention. It’s the TikTok generation.”
Some of the illusions Coby says he will bring to Knott’s Scary Farm would be “too intense for the Magic Castle.”
“The ideas I’ve had, with chainsaws and cutting off my limbs, I couldn’t get away with at the Magic Castle,” he says.
“But you can here,” says Hopkins.
The Magic Castle-headlined show is not the only new addition to Scary Farm in 2026. Here are two other reasons I’m looking forward to the event.
Inked: A new maze with killer vintage cartoons
Concept art for the new Knott’s Scary Farm maze, Inked.
(Knott’s Berry Farm)
One of the two new mazes coming to Knott’s Scary Farm will rely heavily on black-and-white, vintage-style animation. Inked, as it’s called, will be set in the 1930s, and was introduced at a media event with a song-and-dance production that recalled Disney’s classic Silly Symphony “The Skeleton Dance.”
The story centers on Mortimer Morbid, a deadbeat, down-on-his-luck animator whose career changes — not necessarily for the better — when it’s discovered his blood can bring his drawings to life. Of course, cartoons infused with blood don’t have the most altruistic desires.
Inked designer Daniel Miller says the maze took two years to create, largely because Knott’s conceived the animation for the walk-through in-house with a team of four. Most every room in the haunted house is expected to feature original media, as the animated creations will be represented both in their cartoon form and as costumed characters.
And it’ll be gruesome.
“We kind of geared it around the notion that they’re bloodthirsty,” Miller says of the killer ‘toons. “We see all the animators in various stages of disembowelment.”
Expect the unexpected with ‘Voodoo: Bayou’s Edge’ and Unearthed
Concept art for Unearthed, a new Knott’s Scary Farm maze.
(Knott’s Berry Farm)
Knott’s Scary Farm, unlike its main SoCal competitor, doesn’t rely on known film and television properties. That means the event can generally get a little … weirder. You see that in its mazes, as noted above, as well as in its theatrical productions. Also new this year is a show titled “Voodoo: Bayou’s Edge,” which takes place on an outdoor stage. The production centers on a voodoo queen and the mysterious happenings in a cemetery. Knott’s is pitching it as a music, dance-focused show.
And while voodoo can potentially be a culturally sensitive subject to tackle in a theme park, the show comes from the mind of the respected Rovin Jay, who has long been closely involved in the park’s spectacular “Ghost Town Alive!” Expect “big dance numbers” and something “really sexy,” says Adams.
Another new maze, Unearthed, will be set in the present day but takes its cues from films such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “The Mummy” as it deals with a supernatural archaeological dig. Maze designer Jon Asperin says it will have numerous interactive elements, such as effects triggered by guests pulling a lever.
“Having the ability to come up with original stories lets us tap into the nerd in all of us,” says Asperin. “We don’t feel restricted by certain IP or things that may not be appropriate. We get a chance to challenge ourselves with trying out new things that some folks won’t take a risk on.”
This week in SoCal theme parks
The Disneyland attraction Mad Tea Party as it was under construction just months before the park opened. The image is from the documentary “Disneyland Handcrafted.”
(Disney+)
A must–see Disney history event. Nonprofit creative institution Ryman Arts, in partnership with Santa Ana’s Bowers Museum, will host a talk and cocktail reception centered around a screening of Leslie Iwerks’ documentary “Disneyland Handcrafted” on Sept. 27. It’s a charity event, and a good one, as the panel lineup is top notch. Historian and author Tim O’Day will moderate a talk that includes the film’s producer, Mark Catalena, former Imagineer-turned-historian Tom Morris and current Imagineer Emily “Emo” O’Brien, who oversees creative at Disneyland and is leading the team behind the just-announced makeover of Tomorrowland. Don’t expect any insights on the latter, of course, but do anticipate a lively talk on the evolution of Disneyland. Tickets start at $125 and are on sale now.
Exciting Disneyland construction news. Big changes are coming to Disneyland, and while many are years away, the positive sign is that the park is wasting no time in getting started. There are now indications of construction in Disneyland’s esplanade between its two parks. This will pave the way for a new parking garage, of which groundbreaking has just begun, as well an entrance experience on the eastern side of the resort. This is the first of many steps, but one that must be completed before Disney begins its wider expansion that could bring attractions such as “Avatar” to the resort.
Ride report
A photo of the Haunted Mansion’s new gingerbread house, as snapped from my ride vehicle.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
Merry Christmas! Yes, that’s right, as the Haunted Mansion has been given a Christmas-heavy makeover, as always focused on “Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.” (And yes, before the debate begins, it’s clearly a Christmas movie.) While I prefer the original Haunted Mansion, there are plenty of fun and clever details in the seasonal makeover that still make it a must-experience attraction. The attic scene, for instance, is full of clever nods to Disney history, including a Rolly Crump-inspired melting candelabra man. Each year I wonder if what I’m seeing is brand new, or was always there, such as what appeared to be a tiny bride figurine.
But one change is guaranteed: Each season Disneyland’s team concocts a new gingerbread house for the ballroom diorama. This year’s edition is a giant, candy-infused music box-like creation, which gradually opens as guests glide past it and a skeleton pops out. The concoction is designed in the shape of the Haunted Mansion itself, so it’s a little mansion-within-a-mansion. And, bonus, the room smells like gingerbread.
The best thing I ate at the parks this week
The delicious pumpkin cookie from Disneyland’s Harbour Galley.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
I love a cookie, and Disneyland’s Harbour Galley has the best one on the property this Halloween season with its pumpkin creation. They’re small-ish — three or four bites — but come in packs of 6 ($8.49) or 13 ($14.49). They’re soft, slightly chewy and addictive. I love it when I get a little brown sugar crystal in my mouthful. The pumpkin flavor isn’t overpowering. It’s closer to a ginger snap than it is a slice of pumpkin pie, meaning it has just the right balance of sugar and spice. It‘s also, it should be noted, one of the best values at the resort for a dessert item. I get a pack of 13 and have breakfast for a week.
Tell us your stories. Ask us your questions.
Have a theme park tale to share? Whether it was a good day or less-than-perfect day, I would love to hear about it. Have a question? A tip? A fun photo from the parks to share? Email me at todd.martens@latimes.com. I may feature your note in an upcoming newsletter.
Ride on,
Todd Martens
P.S.
The Walt Disney Co. stated that it will soon reimagine Disneyland’s Tomorrowland at its fan convention D23. The move has been one fans have long clamored for.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)
The topic consuming most Disneyland fans for the next few years will be the Tomorrowland reimagining. The project is just getting started, and I’ll refrain from offering a wishlist. Let the Imagineers do their work, I say, although I consider all of it, save for the monorail and Space Mountain, on the table. Gut it. Start over. But reader Peter La Barba of Long Beach wrote in with a request that I wouldn’t disapprove of.
“Whatever they do, I hope they restore the two Mary Blair murals that were in Tomorrowland,” La Barba wrote. “I’d like to see optimism restored to Tomorrowland. I was about 3 or 4 when we went to the park in August of 1955 and I wanted to live in that future. Not the incessant war future of ‘Star Wars.’”
Hear, hear. The murals of animator/fine artist Blair were a wonder, full of children of the world in celebration mode. Flying contraptions! Communication devices! Satellites! Planets! I don’t have an image safe to use, so head over to Disney history site Yesterland for a look. The two murals lasted until the ’80s and ’90s, and replacing them was a mistake that’s only looked more shortsighted over time. As Blair’s work continues to grow in stature, who needs another “Star Wars” painting?
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, had been in talks to return to acting when she and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, return to Britain. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo
Aug. 22 (UPI) — The casting of Meghan Markle to play a role in the Netflix series The Gentlemen has been withdrawn amid intense backlash in Britain, it was reported Saturday.
The Duchess of Sussex had been in talks to return to acting when she and Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, return to Britain after living in California for the past six years.
She had been hoping to join the third season of the Guy Ritchie show The Gentlemen on Netflix.
But the casting was reportedly withdrawn.
“The backlash in the UK was so intense, it became untenable to go forward,” wrote Tina Brown, the former editor in chief of Vanity Fair and the New Yorker, in her Substack.
Markle, who starred in seven seasons of the legal drama Suits, stepped back from acting in 2018 after marrying Prince Harry.
It was reported this week that the couple is planning on returning to Britain within days.
They plan on living in a private residence outside London with Prince Archie, 7, and Princes Lilibet, 5, and have reportedly enrolled the children in a British school for the fall term.
The Sussexes, who stepped away from royal duties in 2020, will return as private citizens and are not expected to resume their previous roles.
Met Office predicts ‘unprecedented’ sea surface temperature rise of 3C (5.4F) plus will heighten extreme weather risks.
Published On 21 Aug 202621 Aug 2026
The impact of this year’s El Nino event is expected to be the most intense in more than a century, United Kingdom forecasters have warned.
The effect of the event will drive the risk of drought, high temperatures, intense rainfall and other extreme weather effects, the Met Office said in a statement issued on Friday.
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Typically, El Nino leads sea surface temperatures to rise between 1-2 degrees Celsius (1.8-3.6 degrees Fahrenheit). However, forecasts for the 2026 version predict record values of more than 3C (5.4F) in the coming months, the forecasters said.
“We should be clear that this is an unprecedented event,” said Adam Scaife, head of the office’s long-range forecasting. “I have never seen an El Nino signal this intense in our forecasts.”
If the spike plays out as anticipated, “then 2026 will far exceed our recent experience of El Nino and its worldwide climate influences”, he added.
The chief forecaster separately told the BBC that the three-degree rise was “unheard-of in modern climate records”.
El Nino is triggered by unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, influencing global weather patterns.
Governments around the world are already grappling with historic climate events so far this year.
Wildfires have burned through more than 200,000 hectares (494,200 acres) in Indonesia and rampaged across southwestern Europe, forcing the displacement of at least 325,000 people in Spain and France. Other countries are dealing with severe droughts.
The Met Office said El Nino will spawn wetter, stormier conditions in northwestern Europe, including the UK, as autumn and winter arrive in the Northern Hemisphere.
Particularly strong effects are expected throughout the Tropics, Scaife said, “where we expect really severe droughts in places like South America, and the West Pacific”.
In mid-August, the UK recorded its hottest day of the year as the temperature in west London climbed to 38.1C (100.5F), beating the previous high of 38C (100.4F) in June.
Combined with the effects of human-induced climate change, the Met Office warned that the event is “very likely” to make 2027 the hottest year on record globally.
BBC cameras follow NHS staff dealing with everything from stabbings to car crashes
The new series follows teams working on the frontlines of emergency care(Image: BBC)
A new BBC series shows the stark realities of working in NHS emergency care.
The six-part docuseries comes from the makers of revered true crime show Murder 24/7, and follows a very similar format. However, rather than showing real-time investigations into crimes, it instead centres around staff dealing with a host of emergency cases at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.
From stabbings and third-degree burns through to car crashes, the talented teams within the emergency department are shown handling each case from the patient’s arrival through to diagnosis and treatment.
The season debut opened with the devastating case of two friends, Luke and Kieran, who were involved in a motorbike crash, leaving both with severe injuries. As the teams treat the pair, they fear irreversible damage to Luke’s nerves which could leave him unable to walk.
Viewers will have to tune in to episode one, now streaming on BBCiPlayer, to discover how the duo’s story played out. Meanwhile subsequent episodes of Emergency 24/7 air every Tuesday at 9pm on BBC Two.
Luke recently appeared on BBC Radio Bristol to discuss his story, sharing: “I don’t remember the actual accident itself.
“I remember picking my friend up and just going out for a ride on the bike.
“He was on the back, I was driving, and then the next thing I knew, I blinked, and about five or six days had gone by, and I was in Bristol ICU.”
Reactions to the new series have been positive so far, with one viewer writing: “I enjoyed it. Really rammed home how busy they are. Also highlighted the rubbish they have to deal with.”
A second shared: “It’s really well done, set over the time period of one shift and follows a couple of patients closely and then you get an update at the end with how they’re doing.
“They also give a good explanation of why hospitals do things like corridor care, what’s being shown on the scan, how the team works when there’s a major trauma, the impact abusive patients can have on the department as a whole by removing staff from other areas to deal with them etc.”
Meanwhile others reported being left in “awe” at the work of the teams featured. A third viewer show fan shared: “Watching #emergency 24/7 #emergency24 on BBC2. I’m in awe of the surgeon putting that spine back together, and all the staff in A and E.”
Emergency 24/7 airs weekly on Tuesdays at 9pm on BBC Two. Episodes are available to stream via BBC iPlayer after broadcast.
Despite signing a contract extension in November 2024, the series reveals how close Guardiola came to not renewing his deal.
In one scene, the manager reveals to director Kevin Macdonald that, after losing four games in a row in 2024, he told the club: “Maybe it’s over.”
In a separate scene, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak says that he was not sure he was going to be able to convince the legendary manager to stay at the club.
“You know the boy that cried wolf? He is the boy that cried wolf,” the Emirati said.
“I always convince him, but last year, I knew, this time he actually saw the wolf.”
Amid that, Guardiola’s personal life was in turmoil as he went through a divorce and there was media speculation about his mental state when the 55-year-old appeared with multiple scratches on his head and nose following a disappointing 3-3 Champions League draw with Feyenoord in November 2024.
While the coach does not admit to the idea that his personal struggles affected his ability to do his job, Manel Estiarte, a long-time member of Guardiola’s technical staff, speaks about how he had to address players who were worried by their manager’s behaviour.
“They were worried because Pep was anxious,” he says.
“He was sad. He was different. And only I knew the reason.
“And I said to the team, ‘please, you have to understand, you’re not playing with a coach who can be a bit impulsive, who can be a bit intense, who can be sometimes up and down. You’re seeing a human being. He’s getting a divorce’.”
Alongside scenes where Guardiola obsesses over tactics, there are many where he gives candid speeches and berates his team.
Following a defeat by Bayer Leverkusen in November 2025, he tells his squad: “I work for you and I leave my life, my divorce and my family is away and everything for all of you. And what do you give back?
“The performance you have done, all of you. It’s a disgrace guys.
“When I see that, I am exhausted, I’m drained, I want to quit. When you play like this, I feel alone.”
In some scenes, the Spaniard warns his team that they will “get a new manager” if performances do not improve.
In others, he speaks about using a knife to get into their hearts and insists on his squad hugging one another and himself before matches, even blaming poor performances on lukewarm goal celebrations.
Guardiola stepped down as City manager at the end of the 25-26 campaign after 10 years at the Etihad, during which time he won 20 trophies, including both the FA Cup and League Cup in his final season.
Speaking about his next steps, he says: “I don’t know even myself what I am going to do,” adding: “It will be difficult to come back. That’s my feeling today. I need to refresh many things that happened in my personal life.”
BBC’s hit thriller Vigil will soon be back on screens with a new trailer available to whet fans’ appetites
Vigil season three BBC trailer
TV fans won’t have long to wait for the return of Suranne Jones’ acclaimed BBC thriller.
A third series of Vigil is set to arrive over the bank holiday weekend, with the six-part drama premiering on BBCiPlayer and BBC One from Sunday, August 30.
The latest trailer offers a glimpse at the dangerous new case DCI Amy Silva and DI Kirsten Longacre must solve.
Played by Jones and Rose Leslie, the two detectives are once again at the centre of an investigation which takes them far from home. This time, they travel to a remote Arctic research station after a member of a secret British special forces operation is discovered dead from a gunshot wound.
What initially appears to be a murder investigation soon develops into a potentially explosive international situation. With nations increasingly competing for influence over the Arctic and its resources as the polar climate changes, Amy and Kirsten must work quickly to uncover the truth before tensions escalate.
Their investigation will not only put them up against a potentially dangerous killer but could also have serious consequences for their own careers and relationship. As events begin to spiral, the pair are forced to reconsider who they can rely on.
Alongside Jones and Leslie, Dominic Mafham will return as Sir Ian Downing, while Gary Lewis is back as DSU Robertson, who remains closely involved with Amy and Kirsten’s work.
The third series also brings a number of new faces to the drama. Jeppe Beck Laursen plays Henrick Becken, the Chief of Police in Svalbard, while Naomi Yang takes on the role of Shen Jia, a microbiologist.
Tornike Gogrichiani appears as Russian Colonel Fyodor, with Steven Miller and Benjamin Wainwright playing Special Boat Service operators Mark Cunningham and Oli Pickford.
Danusia Samal joins the cast as Jasmine Kelly, who works alongside Sir Ian Downing, while Eric Godon plays Mayor Korotayev and Amy Manson stars as geologist Lorna McCallister alongside a brilliant cast.
The latest instalment of Vigil consists of six 60-minute episodes and has been produced by World Productions in partnership with ITV Studios for the BBC. The production company is known for dramas including Line of Duty, Until I Kill You and Showtrial.
Filming for the new series took place in Svalbard and Scotland, helping to create the remote and unforgiving setting at the heart of the story.
The new trailer promises another tense chapter for Amy and Kirsten, with a murder in the Arctic setting the detectives on a dangerous path involving international rivalry, hidden agendas and a race to discover who can be trusted.
With their investigation carrying consequences that extend well beyond the murder itself, the third series looks set to deliver another high-stakes mystery when Vigil returns to screens.
Two episodes of Vigil will be available weekly on BBC iPlayer from Sunday 30th August, with the series airing Sunday and Monday nights at 9pm on BBC One from this date.
Heavy monsoon rains have inundated parts of Mumbai, India’s financial capital, causing widespread flooding, traffic congestion and disruption to daily life. The India Meteorological Department has forecast more heavy rainfall through the weekend.
Activists have used thermal cameras to show the extreme temperatures outdoor workers are facing during Europe’s summer heatwaves, with one construction worker shown enduring surface temperatures above 65°C.
Love Island viewers were gripped as tension spread throughout the villa as the bombshells made moves and a fiery challenge divided the group
Angelista and Ope had an intense conversation(Image: ITV)
Love Island viewers were left fuming after an islander branded another a “liar”. Ope suggested his former villa partner, Angelista, was a “liar” as the pair argued over her terrace antics.
Despite moving slowly with Ope, she wasted no time in kissing bombshell Simba. But while Ope was less than impressed, viewers at home were quick to call him out.
One user on X, formerly known as Twitter, said: “So Ope’s calling Angelista a liar and saying she didn’t care about his feelings when HE was the one who lied to her about being ok with the slow place and HE was the one who was rude about her on the dates. She had every right to get with Simba.”
Another added: “Ope said Angelista is a liar, does he not know what he has been doing in the villa?” And a third said: “Ope talks fast and breathes heavily, like a liar.”
Despite online users calling him out, Shakira came to his defence in Love Island: The Debrief. She said the moment was “humiliating” for Ope.
After Ope and Simba came to blows over Angelista, Priya received a text that sent shockwaves through the group. They were told that a challenge was ready to “test the waters” in a game of It’s Not That Deep.
The challenge saw the Islanders take on a slippery mini-slide, and after landing in a pool, they must grab a drink and uncover a juicy secret about one of their fellow Islanders of the opposite sex.
When they made their pick, they must swill the islander they believed the comment was about. With revelations like This boy has slept with 11 girls but can only recall 3 of their names, and ‘This boy’s friends would describe him as having a wandering eye, tension is quick to enter the villa.
And the spicy comments also come back as the boys learn more about the girls in the villa. Some of the boys become frustrated by some of the girls’ commentary around their guesses, with some calling out the “hypocrisy” on show.
Aidan was quick to pick up on the tension and told the group the atmosphere was frosty. And his thoughts were correct as the rift between the boys and the girls became increasingly apparent.
“The girls have no idea,” Sam said before Aidan said they were simply trying to “brush it off”. The group tried to put a block on the issue, but when Ope referred to some of the girls’ comments during the challenge, he said: “I feel like there’s some things that people said that don’t align with what we thought you aligned with.”
Aidan agreed, calling out the wandering eye comment. With tension rising, Yasmin and Jasmine decide to walk away from the conversation.
Love Island continues tomorrow at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX
