Pigeon Forge, Tenn.—Dolly Parton’s Great Smoky Mountains theme park will kick off its 40th anniversary season on March 15. It will include special events, new celebrations, and several returning favorite experiences for guests to relive.
“When we opened Dollywood, the main thing I wanted to do was to give families a fun place where they could enjoy time spent together,” says Dolly. “I’m so proud of all the people who have worked to make Dollywood what it is today, and I want to thank all the guests who have supported us and trusted us to help them create those days they’ll never forget.”
Planned for the anniversary season is a new opening ceremony at the beginning of each operating day; a new anniversary show, “Play On,” which will debut on Memorial Day and highlight moments from guest-favorite shows throughout the years, and anniversary-themed drone and fireworks shows throughout the summer. There will also be a rotation of favorite shows based on books from Dolly’s Imagination Library and the remastering of “Heartsong: The Movie.”
Visitors can look forward to new food items and more photo opportunities around the park. The Country Fair area of the park has been refreshed in time for the 2025 season, highlighting classic fun and family togetherness. Guests can also enjoy original attractions from when the park opened in 1986, including the Dollywood Express train, Smoky Mountain River Rampage, and Aunt Granny’s, a family-style restaurant bearing the name Dolly’s nieces and nephews call her. Additionally, the park will feature Dolly’s Tennessee Mountain Home, a replica of the two-room cabin where Dolly grew up; the Robert F. Thomas Chapel, named for the doctor who delivered Dolly in exchange for a bag of cornmeal; and the Grist Mill, where Dollywood’s signature cinnamon bread is baked fresh every day.
The anniversary celebration will kick off March 15 with the “I Will Always Love You” Music Festival and will run through April 13. The festival will welcome back last year’s show, “From the Heart – The Life & Music of Dolly Parton,” which showcases the story of Dolly leaving behind everything in Sevier County to move to Nashville in pursuit of her dreams.
