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Spring music and mountain thrills at Dollywood
Celebrate Dolly-inspired songs, shows, and rides in the Smokies. Pair a park day with easy river walks, scenic drives, and family cabins nearby.
Event details
Dollywood’s I Will Always Love You Music Festival opens the park’s 2026 season on March 13 and runs through April 12, filling the Pigeon Forge theme park with live performances, themed food, art installations, and a full-park celebration of the songwriting craft that built Dolly Parton’s legacy.
The festival is included with standard Dollywood admission, making it one of the most generous value propositions in Tennessee’s spring tourism calendar. For adventure families arriving from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park corridor, the timing aligns perfectly with early spring hiking conditions on the park’s lower elevation trails before summer crowds arrive.
Shows, Performances, and the Heidi Parton Connection
The centerpiece production is “From The Heart: The Life and Music of Dolly Parton,” staged at Dollywood’s Celebrity Theater, which walks through Parton’s songwriting story in a way that resonates with kids and adults in very different but equally genuine ways.
Heidi Parton, Dolly’s niece, performs during the festival, bringing a family lineage to the stage that gives the whole event a personal warmth beyond typical theme park entertainment. Four distinct live productions run across the festival’s run, covering genres from country and gospel to folk and Americana, rotating through multiple performance venues across the park.
Celebration Sky, the LOVE Display, and Visual Atmosphere
The park’s visual identity during the festival is anchored by the “Celebration Sky” art installations and the signature “LOVE” display, both of which turn the spaces between rides into photo moments that families actually stop for.
Spring light in the Smokies hits the park’s hillside setting with a particular softness in March and early April, and the outdoor art installations are at their best in that morning window before midday clouds build over the ridgeline.
The Tasting Pass and Festival Food
A dedicated I Will Always Love You Tasting Pass lets guests sample multiple festival-specific menu items at a set price, rotating seasonal dishes that lean into spring flavors and Southern comfort.
Arriving early and hitting the Tasting Pass stations before the lunch rush means shorter waits and a better shot at the items that sell through by mid-afternoon.
Planning Your Visit: Timing and Smoky Mountain Logistics
March weekdays offer the lightest crowds and the most relaxed pace through both the shows and the rides. The park opens at 10:00 AM, and arriving at gate opening gives families the first hour almost entirely to themselves.
Pack layers. March mornings in the Smokies sit in the 40s Fahrenheit, and the park’s wooded hillside stays cool well into the afternoon.
Where to Stay Near Dollywood and the Smoky Mountain Lakes
Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg carry the bulk of the lodging options, with cabin rentals in Wears Valley offering the most privacy and mountain quiet. Douglas Lake, about 30 minutes north of Pigeon Forge, provides open water, fishing coves, and lakefront cabin rentals that give adventure families a genuine counterpoint to the park’s energy. Browse available waterfront properties on Lake.com to find a Smoky Mountain lake rental that grounds each park day in the stillness of an East Tennessee morning on the water.
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