A Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood

While you glance away from the symphonies of lights gliding past on caravans of Christmas floats, the faint chimes of “Silent Night” drift through the air as if carried by falling snowflakes. Like tiny stars, the parade lights reflect in your little one’s eyes, whose big heart reminds you why millions of lights are hung, enormous parades are held, and families gather around fireplaces to bless one another through time and giving. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas in Pigeon Forge brings the many facets of yuletide festivities together to encourage friends and family to dive into the Christmas spirit and indulge in all the joyous holiday season’s traditions.

Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas 
Dollywood Theme Park
2700 Dollywood Parks Blvd.
Pigeon Forge, TN 37863

Stroll through this Christmas wonderland come to life, filled with extravagant Christmas trees, sweet smells of holiday treats, and hilarious, mischievous elves-on-the-loose! Window shop and explore the shops for some yuletide inspiration and souvenirs to commemorate the most special Christmas season yet. The kids will believe you have brought the North Pole to Tennessee as they spot Rudolph, Frosty, and all of Santa’s friends!

Dixieland’s personality shines through in all the holiday extravaganza, with the plucking of guitars, water mills illuminated in lights, and enormous floats dedicated to country Christmas in the Smoky Mountains. Of course, all the classic theme park rides available in the park are even more exciting as you whip past hundreds of lights and catch breathtaking glimpses of the holiday wonderland right before the coaster plunges downward!

Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood keeps expanding, with more holiday shows and added excitement each year! Whether you’ve had the opportunity to celebrate Smoky Mountain Christmas at Dollywood or want to experience the extravagant festivities for the first time, now there are even more lights, tinsel, singing, dancing, and classic winter characters! From new attractions to old favorites, these festive family events will be waiting this holiday season with a warm welcome!

NEW for 2020 | Christmas Fireworks!

Christmas 2020 brings something new...Christmas fireworks! Their "Merry & Bright" fireworks will be each Friday and Saturday, and are sure to bring plenty of fun for the whole family!

    • Parade of Many Colors 
      Do the kids beg daily to be driven past houses done up in lights and inflatables during December? A classic holiday tradition is brought right to you and your family’s feet on the streets of Dollywood each night as the Parade of Many Colors! Grab your spot along the marked parade path before 8 p.m., and get ready for an incredible holiday lights display. Watch as holiday floats – covered in thousands of sparkling lights – glide past with the North Pole’s most famous residents, images that Dolly holds dear to her heart, and more!
    • Rudolph and Friends
      Want to spend some quality time with your favorite Christmas characters? Stop by Rudolph’s Holly Jolly Junction for opportunities to meet all of Santa’s friends! Watch the little ones meet and hug the North Pole gang with wide eyes and ear-to-ear smiles. Snap pictures, laugh, and discuss their brand-new friends for an experience the kids will remember long after the holidays have passed.
    • Timber Canyon Lights
      Watch the Timber Canyon stage transform into a magical, alluring Christmas dreamland as lights and music synchronize into a one-of-a-kind florescent exposition of holiday cheer! Watch fountains and trees flash in an array of colors to the sound of Christmas songs for a show the whole family will cherish.
    • It’s A Wonderful Life 
      Dollywood has many musical shows to be dazzled by during your winter visit, but the newest addition is the abiding holiday classic, “It’s A Wonderful Life.” Share and revisit this old tale with your kids live and in color! Other season spectacles of original and timeless tales include:

'Twas the Night Before Christmas at Pines Theater
It’s a little added mystery for a Christmas tale with suspense, miracles, and some unexpected help from a bearded visitor…

Christmas in the Smokies at DP’s Celebrity Theater
Hear all your yuletide favorites and share them with the kids in Dollywood’s longstanding holiday display of musical tradition.

Appalachian Christmas at the Back Porch Theater
Let your heart be warmed by the alluring sounds of a country string quartet playing all the Christmas classics.

O’ Holy Night at the Valley Theater
Watch the soul-stirring tale that is the reason for the season for many as a young, scared mother-to-be searches for an angel – and a nativity forms in front of your eyes.

Christmas with the Kingdom Heirs at Pines Theater
Kingdom Heirs spreads the joy and excitement of Christmas through boisterous Southern gospel seasonal sounds.

Mistletones
If you and your kids love a cappella music (thanks to the movie Pitch Perfect), you are sure to love this 4-woman group as they perform Christmas songs like you have never seen before under the lights of the Showstreet Gazebo!

  • Dolly’s Christmas Chapel
    If you are making a Sunday visit and don’t want to miss your worship time, Dolly Parton established the in-park Robert F. Thomas Chapel for just this reason. Join in for the 5:30 p.m. worship services held every Sunday during the Smoky Mountain Christmas season at Dollywood.
  • So Much More!
    Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas has received Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket Award for Best Christmas Event for a consecutive 9 years! The Pigeon Forge park annually lights up with over 4 million lights for a Christmas you won’t soon forget. Indulge in delicious holiday treats inside any of the numerous restaurants and food venues. The experience of a Dixieland holiday delight will inspire joy and appreciation for the season of giving you’ll want to share with family and friends for years to come.

Deck the Mountains

Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas is not the only reason to bring your holiday time with the family and friends to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, because the entire Smoky Mountain area is decked out for the Christmas season! Take a ride through The Old Mill District and by the Smoky Mountain Opry as part of Pigeon Forge’s Winterfest held annually from early November through February.

Witness Christmas light depictions of the kids’ favorite fairytales, testaments to historic moments of America, and “wildlife” native to the Smoky Mountain region. Sevierville also offers a high-tech lights tour in the Tennessee Smokies Baseball Stadium as Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland! Visit the Gatlinburg Welcome Center and take the Trolley Ride of Lights to witness over $1 million in LED Christmas lights for one of the area’s favorite holiday displays through beautiful Gatlinburg scenery. Visit Santa Claus, listen to carolers, and experience the Tree Lighting Ceremony at The Island in downtown Pigeon Forge!

A Home for the Holidays

Get into the Christmas spirit like never before with family when you visit Pigeon Forge during the most wonderful time of the year! Bring along your favorite holiday recipes, pack the car with holiday gifts, and remember to bring your favorite holiday movies to one of our cozy Pigeon Forge cabins. Perfect for the holidays, they feature everything from full kitchens and wood-burning fireplaces to hot tubs and snow-covered-mountain views. Our Gatlinburg cabins are just a bit farther down the road, near dozens of restaurants, shops, attractions, and seasonal events. Both beautiful mountain towns are full of holiday cheer during Christmas!

And be sure to keep up with our blog, where you’ll find holiday recipes, travel tips, and plenty of up-to-date information about upcoming events and area attractions! While you indulge in all the holiday festivities, share in this memorable Christmas experience with all the loved ones that make this time of year the most special, every year.