The Sights and Tastes of Dollywood’s Inaugural Flower & Food Festival

Dollywood reopened last week following an extended closure due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (read more about the changes the park has implemented here).

The park’s inaugural Food & Flower Festival was originally slated to run May 8-June 14, but the event has been extended through next month so guests can enjoy the beautiful flower and art installations as well as the scrumptious food offerings. The new event is part of the park’s 35th anniversary season.

According to the Dollywood website, the Flower & Food Festival features three main components that allow guests to:

  • explore larger-than-life plant sculptures adorned in half-a-million colorful flower blooms,
  • dance under a picturesque Umbrella Sky and
  • indulge in garden-fresh flavors from Dollywood chefs.

So let’s take a look at each of those three:

The World-Famous Umbrella Sky Art Installation

As you enter the park and traverse through the Showstreet area, you’ll soon see “Umbrella Sky,” a breathtaking canopy of colorful, translucent umbrellas. Mary Poppins would be proud.

The Umbrella Sky Project originated in Águeda, Portugal and was first assembled in 2012. Since then, similar installations have popped up across the globe — and now at Dollywood.

However, COVID-19 travel restrictions prevented the Portuguese artists from making the trek to Dollywood to assemble the installation.

But the great minds at Dollywood didn’t let that rain on their parade (sorry, I couldn’t help myself). Park employees managed to hang the umbrellas on their own. Now that’s what I call perseverance.

I consider the Umbrella Sky Project to be the springtime cousin of the aurora borealis lights on display at Dollywood’s popular Smoky Mountain Christmas event:

 

The two are similarly striking and nearly impossible to pass without stopping to photograph.

The display was practically made for Instagram.

Additionally, the look and feel of the translucent umbrellas changes throughout the day as the sun rises and falls.

But don’t expect it to shield you from an afternoon thunderstorm (possibly speaking from experience).

Dollywood is a breathtakingly beautiful place, but this display was one of the most jaw-dropping sights I’ve ever seen at the park.


The Flowers of Flower & Food Festival

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Flower & Food Festival without some flowers. But these aren’t just some potted plants and gardens.

To bring this colorful art to Tennessee, Dollywood teamed with Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal. Mosaiculture is the “horticultural art of creating larger-than-life plant sculptures using thousands of plants used to cover a steel frame.”

The green and flowery sculptures you’ll find along Showstreet and Rivertown Junction are simply amazing. And you’d never know that there was a steel frame underneath the greenery.

Naturally, it wouldn’t be a Dollywood festival without a butterfly sculpture.

One of the most complex is a sculpture of Dolly Parton’s mother sewing the famous “Coat of Many Colors.”

She was fittingly assisted by a few colorful butterflies.

The black bear sculpture was one of my favorites — a cute tribute to the bears that call the Smoky Mountains home.

The turtles were adorable.

The contrast in colors throughout the festival was very eye-catching.

These mischievous raccoons seemed like a barrel of fun.

The precision necessary to give these sculptures so much personality and depth is astonishing.

The festival space is sprinkled with flower carts displaying potted plants and uplifting quotes by Dolly. The world could certainly use some of those right now.

If the festival “leafs” you with a green thumb (again, couldn’t help myself), you can stop by the festival shop on Showstreet to pick up some flowers and plants to take home with you.


The Food at Flower & Food Festival

Last but certainly not least — the food.

Dollywood never disappoints in the culinary department for special events, and the Flower & Food Festival is no exception.

Like Festival of Nations, there are booths set up throughout Showstreet and Rivertown Junction, each serving a combination of appetizers, entrees, desserts and drinks.

Unfortunately, a midday thunderstorm put a damper on my plans to graze (the booths close early), but that didn’t stop me from salivating over the menu boards.

My one wish with food festivals at Dollywood would be a sampler option. As someone who is overwhelmed by multiple food selections, I’d like the option to sample a little bit from multiple booths.

The chicken stir fry seems to be a fan favorite and was on the top of my list.

I hope to go back to the park soon and look forward to digging into some of these dishes.

If you’ve been to the festival and have tried any of the culinary offerings, please leave a comment below and let us know what you thought.

The official Dollywood blog has a great rundown of the tastes offered at the Flower & Food Festival.


The event doesn’t have a set end date, but I’d head to the park as soon as you can — definitely by mid-July. Many of the flowers are seasonal and won’t be able to withstand the intense summer heat.

Have you visited Dollywood’s Flower & Food Festival yet? Share your thoughts about the event in the comments section below.

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