Dollywood turns 40 with a host of fun events this spring and summer
- Cheré Dastugue Coen
- Apr 27
- 2 min read
Dolly Parton’s popular theme park celebrates its 40th anniversary season in East Tennessee. May 3 is the official anniversary day.
You really don't need a reason to visit Dollywood, Dolly Parton's amusement park in the Great Smoky Mountains near her Tennessee hometown. But this year the park turns 40 which means every attraction within and every event will have a special glow and addition. Here are the spring and summer festivals.
Flower & Food Festival (April 18-June 8)
The festival will feature more than 500,000 blooms and larger-than-life Mosiacultures, including a new scene featuring two pink butterflies in The Dolly Parton Experience. Another popular creation is the depiction of Dolly’s mother crafting the Coat of Many Colors.
Guests will spot a new roving painter who will paint iconic Dollywood elements live.
New culinary creations will be highlighted throughout the park that can be enjoyed alone or through at Flower & Food Festival Tasting Pass, allowing tastings of five festival foods at a discounted price. Items include things like a blueberry pie milkshake, wild berry cream cheese funnel cake, loaded street fries, Smoky Mountain grilled corn and a “Salad of Many Colors” – named after Dolly’s beloved song, “Coat of Many Colors.”
Imagination Playhouse, which features plays based on books from Dolly’s Imagination Library, will highlight a rotation of playhouse features including a new show based on the book “Something Wild,” from now through the end of September.
May 3 marks the official anniversary day of the park from when it opened 40 seasons ago in 1986…with a few surprises in store, including the debut of “Play On,” a new anniversary retrospective show featuring songs and scenes from many of the park’s iconic shows from years past.
A new restaurant, Wilderness Pass Restaurant, is slated to open within the park towards the end of April/early May, featuring BBQ favorites and rotisserie chicken.
Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration (June 14 – Aug. 3)
Introduction of an anniversary tribute drone and fireworks show each night with more drones than ever.
Return of favorite shows like “Gazillion Bubble Show: Evolution” and “Chris Perondi’s Stunt Dog Experience.”
Opportunities to see the new show, “Play On,” Imagination Playhouse features, dine at Wilderness Pass Restaurant and catch a remastered “Heartsong: The Movie” at Dreamsong Theater in The Dolly Parton Experience. The movie will run in the theater in conjunction with “Heidi Parton’s Kin & Friends.”
Beyond the Park, Dollywood’s Splash Country waterpark is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. It opened May 10. And the park's original resort, Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, is celebrating 10 years.
Weird, Wacky & Wild South is written by Cheré Dastugue Coen who loves visiting Dollywood as much as she adores the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. She and her husband Bruce visited in 2024 and got a chance to see one of their favorite people, Dolly Parton.
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