PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Despite the days getting shorter, Dollywood is gifting guests with even more fall fun—at night! Thanks to the new Great Pumpkin LumiNights, Dollywood’s Harvest Festival presented by Humana (Sept. 29 - Oct. 28) stays open until 9 p.m. every day.
This season marks the first time the Smoky Mountain theme park has opened every day—and stayed open after dark—during its family-favorite harvest event. The expanded operating schedule allows Dollywood to provide guests with additional autumn experiences designed to help them create cherished family memories.
The biggest names in Southern gospel take to stages every day throughout the park with more than 500 individual performances as part of the Southern Gospel Jubilee presented by Humana. Additionally, Great Pumpkin LumiNights offers whimsical, family-friendly activities that are sure to make this event a new harvest tradition.
“Fall truly is the most beautiful time of year here in the Smokies,” Dolly Parton explained. “I love coming home to see the amazing masterpiece God has painted across the mountains. Our folks at Dollywood always do a great job of making sure the park looks stunning with those fall colors as a backdrop. You also know that Southern gospel music holds a very special place close to my heart. I guess you could say my singing career really got started in that kind of music because our family would visit churches and sing about God’s love for us.
“This year we’re adding even more fun to the festival with Great Pumpkin LumiNights, and I know families are going to love all those glowing pumpkin displays up through Timber Canyon. I used to love sitting around with my brothers and sisters during the fall carving pumpkins and tellin’ stories, but I don’t think our pumpkins turned out quite the same as these though!”
Families will bask in the glow of thousands of intricately-carved pumpkins as they wander through immersive harvest-themed displays throughout Dollywood’s Timber Canyon and Wilderness Pass areas. Beyond the impressive displays, guests can find a number of exciting activities to create thrilling memories together. With so many carved pumpkins needed to create Great Pumpkin LumiNights, Dollywood has “pumpkin artists” who will host demonstrations to help guests learn how to produce the perfect pumpkin masterpiece.
Unique harvest games and attractions—including a glow maze—for kids, a nightly Pumpkin Boogie Dance Party, and friendly costume characters help add to the festive atmosphere. New themed food options and exclusive harvest-themed Coca-Cola products make Great Pumpkin LumiNights the place to be when the sun goes down in the Smokies.
Alongside Great Pumpkin LumiNights, Dollywood once again hosts the largest Southern gospel music event in America with the biggest names in the genre visiting the Southern Gospel Jubilee. Karen Peck & New River (Oct. 21-22), Guy Penrod (Oct. 23-24), The Isaacs (Oct. 12-13), The McKameys (Oct. 6-7), Gold City (Oct. 2-3) and many more provide inspirational music to fill the autumn air.
Dollywood’s own Kingdom Heirs perform throughout the festival, while Singing News and Praise 96.3 FM operate multiple stage locations featuring several up-and-coming and breakout artists.
Dollywood celebrates Smoky Mountain crafts all year with the park’s well-known master craftsman. During the Harvest Festival, however, more than 30 visiting artisans from across the country bring their wares and share their talents with Dollywood guests. Craft demonstrations include textile art, inspirational jewelry, loom weaving, paper marbling, bentwood boxes, rug hooking, fiddle making, dulcimer making, and much more.
Menus across the park change to reflect the offerings of a bountiful harvest, including fried green tomatoes, a fried green tomato BLT, succotash featuring grilled chicken, and a potatoes with chili and cheese cooked on the park’s famous BIG SKILLET. Those with a sweet tooth will enjoy the fried apple pies, apple turnovers, apple stack cakes and more.
For more information about Dollywood’s Harvest Festival featuring Southern Gospel Jubilee and Great Pumpkin LumiNights, please visit www.dollywood.com or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.
About The Dollywood Company: A highly-awarded and widely-recognized leader in the amusement industry, The Dollywood Company consists of the 150-acre Dollywood theme park; the 35-acre Dollywood’s Splash Country; Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort; and Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Cabins. As unique as its namesake and owner Dolly Parton, Dollywood is the 2010 Applause Award winner, the theme park industry’s highest accolade; winner of more than 30 Golden Ticket Awards; and recipient of 26 Brass Ring Awards for Live Entertainment (more than any other theme park in the world). In 2014, Dollywood was named a top three US theme park by USA Today and TripAdvisor recognized Dollywood as a top 20 worldwide theme park in 2015. Dollywood is open nine months a year (late March through early January) and offers rides and attractions, shows, and a dozen crafters authentic to the East Tennessee region. Dollywood’s Splash Country, recognized by the Travel Channel as one of the country’s most beautiful waterparks and named 2009’s Must-See Waterpark by the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions, operates from mid-May to Labor Day. The 300-room Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort provides guests spectacular mountain views and family-friendly amenities next door to Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Cabins offers luxurious cabin accommodations overlooking Dollywood. For more information, call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD or visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.
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