Dollywood Kicks Off Smoky Mountain Christmas 2019

The holidays are just around the corner, which means Dollywood will soon kick off its annual, award-winning Smoky Mountain Christmas event.

Running Nov. 9, 2019 – Jan. 4, 2020, Smoky Mountain Christmas offers guests more than 5 million lights, live entertainment, delicious food, decorations and much more.

The event has been voted the “Best Theme Park Christmas Event” in America for 12 consecutive years by Amusement Today as part of the Golden Ticket Awards.

Amusement Today contributors and voters bestowed the Best Theme Park Christmas Event award on Dollywood in 2008 when the award was first created. The park is now the 12-time—and only—winner of the award.

Below are some of the highlights of Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas event in 2019:

Glacier Ridge

Glacier Ridge, which debuted last year, will be expanded into the new-for-2019 Wildwood Grove area of the park.

Glacier Ridge offers guests holiday-themed activities, displays and dining options throughout the bright winter wonderland. It encompasses several areas of Dollywood, including Timber Canyon, Wildwood Grove, Wilderness Pass and the upper portion of Craftsman’s Valley.

The Plaza at Wilderness Pass transforms into a winter wonderland, complete with a 50-foot-tall animated tree centerpiece.

The Plaza comes to life every 30 minutes with a fully-synchronized light show complete with holiday musical hits.

For those entering Glacier Ridge from the Timber Canyon area, the Arctic Passage, a 130-foot-long programmable light tunnel, transports them into Glacier Ridge in a stunning array of light and color.

Finally, guests coming to Glacier Ridge through Craftsman’s Valley experience a one-of-a-kind light installation that mimics the natural phenomenon known as the aurora borealis.

Editor’s note: this is one of the most beautiful light displays I’ve seen in my life.

Parade of Many Colors

You’ll definitely want to stick around for the nightly Parade of Many Colors, which makes for a great way to close out a day at Smoky Mountain Christmas.

The parade is full of illuminated floats and characters.

The parade begins at 8:15 p.m. nightly on operating days. Be sure to claim your spot early, because the edges of the parade route fill up fast.

Family Fun, Food and More

In addition, families will have meet-and-greet opportunities with Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer and friends straight from the children’s holiday classic.

And of course, there are plenty of spots to sit down together to enjoy some spectacular holiday eats at many of the park’s restaurants and other dining locations.

Many Dollywood Rides are Open for the Holidays

Best of all? Most of Dollywood’s rides are open during Smoky Mountain Christmas, weather permitting. Seeing all of the twinkling lights from the peak of Wild Eagle is a truly breathtaking experience, especially when you factor in the chilly air.

And a pitch-black nighttime ride on Lightning Rod is worth the price of admission alone.

“There’s nothing like Christmas in the Smokies,” Dolly Parton said.

I’ve been a lot of places and seen a lot of things, but the feeling of being home with the people I love at Christmas really is one of the most special things in the world to me. It’s my hope that the people who come experience my Dollywood at Christmas make those same sweet memories they’ll be able to share forever. I also hope we’re able to help them start some brand new Christmas traditions right here!

As cliche as it sounds, photos do Smoky Mountain Christmas no justice.

I highly recommend making the trip to Dollywood to see the lights, watch the shows, listen to the music and eat the delicious food. The earlier you go the better, though. The park gets significantly more crowded the closer you get to the major holidays. I recommend mid-November and the first couple of weekends after Thanksgiving.