Dollywood - Festivals

Festivals

Enjoy five of the south's largest festivals between March and December at Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. Each festival offers family entertainment and guarantees special events all season long.

Dollywood's Festival of Nations offers five weeks of cultural events by performers from around the world. Join your kids for a fun-filled day at Kidsfest, the South's largest children's festival. Come hungry to the Barbeque & Bluegrass, featuring the biggest names in bluegrass music while you savor the country’s tastiest barbeque. Southern gospel music takes center stage while master craftsmen demonstrate their skills at the National Southern Gospel & Harvest Celebration. Bring the entire family and spend the holidays with us. Moments become memories at Dollywood's Smoky Mountain Christmas.

Throughout the operating season Dollywood hosts six different festivals:

• Festival of Nations

March 24 – April 30, 2012: Dollywood's Festival of Nations presents the most captivating entertainment from around the world during this month long celebration of music, dance, food and art.

• Barbeque & Bluegrass

May 26 - June 10, 2012: Come hungry to the Barbeque & Bluegrass, Dollywood’s free concert series featuring the biggest names in bluegrass music while you savor the country’s tastiest barbeque. Together, Barbeque & Bluegrass makes the beginning of summer in the Great Smoky Mountains a finger-lickin’, toe-tappin’ good time!

• Kidsfest

June 22 - July 29, 2012: Join your kids for a fun-filled day at KidsFest, the South's largest children's festival.

• Dollywood Nights

July 30 - August 12, 2012: Two weeks of extended park hours! Bring the whole family and ride into the night. The teens will love riding the coasters in the dark while the kids enjoy Country Fair! The park is open from 10am - 10pm with a special $25 ticket after 5pm.

• National Southern Gospel and Harvest Celebration

October 3 - November 3, 2012: Fall at Dollywood will lift you up with the biggest Southern gospel festival in the Smokies—four weeks featuring FREE concerts! (All concerts included with Dollywood admission.) Watch visiting crafters at work throughout the park as the country’s most talented artisans showcase their artistry with up-close demonstrations. Handmade treasures for the home, unique collectibles and stunning artwork create an impressive craft exhibit you won’t find anywhere else. Special dishes, all prepared with a taste of fall, showcase some of the harvest season’s most celebrated recipes, including a booth devoted to Dollywood’s signature fried green tomatoes.

• Smoky Mountain Christmas

November 10 - December 30, 2012: See the Smokies’ most spectacular light display and a lineup of live Christmas shows that celebrate the true meaning of Christmas, all at Dollywood. 4 million lights drape the park in holiday splendor, casting a warm glow that sets the scene for a winter wonderland like no other. Create a family tradition at Dollywood’s sensational shows, including the triumphant return of perennial favorite Christmas in the Smokies. Let the heartwarming sounds of the season set the stage for a Christmas the entire family will enjoy. Don’t miss Santa’s Workshop, where larger-than-life-sized toys and an 18-foot-tall Christmas tree fill guests of all ages with wide-eyed wonder as they discover a giant wagon, sailboat, dollhouse and more amid the hustle and bustle as Santa and his helpers ready for their big night! Santa’s also the star of the Parade of Lights, along with a cast of brightly lit floats and colorful characters. This festival has been named the world's best Christmas event four times, (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011).