Dollywood’s Harvest Festival to kick off soon, feature more than 13K pumpkins

SEVIER COUNTY, Tenn. (WVLT) - As the leaves begin to change and the temperature becomes cooler in East Tennessee, Dollywood is set to kick off its award-winning Harvest Festival, showcasing the beauty of the Smokies.

The festival will bring the park’s forests alive, fill the streets with smells of fall treats and feature one of Dollywood’s most popular attractions: Great Pumpkin LumniNights.

“I think everybody knows I believe every day in the Smoky Mountains is beautiful and truly a gift from God,” Dolly Parton said, “but I do feel like fall is when He really puts on a show for all of us to admire and enjoy. As the leaves change, the mountains transform into a patchwork of bright, vibrant colors that make them look as if they’ve come alive. The hot summer days start to fade and crisp, cool winds bring that fresh mountain air down into the valleys and right into my Dollywood. To me, this has to be the most beautiful theme park in the whole world, because no park in the world is built right in the middle of the Smokies!”

As the sun sets, guests can walk through immersive harvest-themed displays of “intricately-carved pumpkins” in Dollywood’s Timber Canyon, Wildwood Grove, Wilderness Pass and Craftsman’s Valley areas. New this year, guests will also be able to see the Hoot Owl Hollow displays, a spokesperson said.

“I just know folks are going to get a kick out of the new Hoot Owl Hollow,” Parton said. “And in ‘owl’ seriousness, I hope our guests make their own precious Smoky Mountain memories while they are here. As I look back on my favorite family memories, so many of them took place during this time of year, and I hope our guests leave with the those special moments they’ll share forever.”

Dollywood has also debuted new food and treats around the park as part of the season. Those include a pulled pork sandwich with pumpkin BBQ sauce, smoked sausage mac & cheese, wassail and maple, bacon and walnut funnel cake.

Dollywood will host the event from Sept. 23 to Oct. 29 and stay open until 9:00 p.m. each night, giving guests time to spot more than 13,000 carved pumpkins throughout the park. The park is closed on Tuesdays throughout the festival.

Additional details and tickets can be found here.