1. Saddle Up!
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (865) 453-8574, (800) 251-9100
Description: This event, which debuted in 2001, has caught on right-quick-like and built up as much momentum as a cattle stampede. If you’re a cowboy (or cowgirl) or have ever just fantasized about being one, Pigeon Forge is the place to be in February during this four-day immersion into all things western. Among the daily activities featured are chuck wagon cook-offs, a cowboy symphony, a western swing dance, and performances by cowboy poets and storytellers. Saddle Up! concerts feature musical acts steeped in the classic sounds of the American West. Most of the events are free except for the chuck wagon lunches ($5), the western swing dance ($5), and the Saddle Up! concerts (between $15 and $20).
2. A Mountain Quiltfest
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (865) 453-8574, (800) 251-9100
Description: At this free show you’ll find exhibits of another time-honored form of mountain arts and crafts. The centerpiece of the event is a juried show with more than 300 quilts on display and for sale. Festivalgoers can also sign up for more than 80 classes and seminars (for which there is a fee) to help hone their skills. A Mountain Quiltfest takes place over a five-day period in mid-March.
3. Ribfest & Wings
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (800) 568-4748
Description: This festival on the outdoor plaza of Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies has quickly become a local’s favorite. In addition to live music and children’s activities, including face painting, local restaurants cook up their best ribs and wings and compete for awards in six categories. The most coveted is the People’s Choice Award (chosen, as you might assume, by popular vote). In order to do the careful research necessary in order to cast an informed ballot, you can sample all the ribs and wings you want for the price of an armband ($12). Otherwise, you can buy by the bite ($1 for one rib or for two wings).
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
5. Dolly’S Parade
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (865) 453-8574, (800) 251-9100
Description: Sevier County’s most famous offspring marshals this annual parade in Pigeon Forge. The bands strike up and the floats start rolling down the Parkway as crowds line the streets, waiting to catch a glimpse of Dolly Parton. In past parades Ms. Parton has brought some of her friends along to help celebrate—stars like Burt Reynolds and Lily Tomlin. Around 6 p.m., the caravan starts on River Road, makes its way north along the Parkway, and winds up at the Wears Valley Road intersection. This parade used to be held in early April, but starting in 2009, it moved to the Friday before Mother’s Day.
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
10. Smoky Mountain Tunes & Tales
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (800) 568-4748
Description: Each evening around 5 p.m. from early June through early August, a horse-drawn wagon totes at least a dozen colorfully costumed folks through the streets of downtown Gatlinburg and drops them off in various places to perform for whomever gathers to watch. Offerings include clogging (a type of mountain dancing), dulcimer music (from a string instrument originating in the mountains), and storytelling, in addition to information about local wildlife and plants.
11. 4Th Of July Midnight Parade
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (865) 436-4178
Description: This event has the distinction of being the nation’s first Independence Day parade each year. Just after the stroke of midnight on the 4th, the long procession of floats and marching bands winds its way down the Parkway. Naturally, there’s no charge for watching.
12. Patriot Festival
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (865) 453-8574, (800) 251-9100
Description: Join nearly 30,000 revelers to observe Independence Day. Things get under way at 1 p.m. with an arts-and-crafts exhibition. Children’s games and live entertainment begin at 3 p.m. and continue until 7:30 p.m., when the headline music act takes the stage. Headliners in recent years have included stars as well known as the Charlie Daniels Band. At 9:30 p.m., get ready for a spectacle of fireworks. The event is free, but due to the limited amount of on-site parking, spectators are asked to park elsewhere and take a trolley to Patriot Park (see Getting Here, Getting Around). Be sure to bring blankets and chairs to sit on for the fireworks.
13. Stringtime In The Smokies
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (865) 453-8574, (800) 251-9100
Description: Bluegrass performers strum their stuff at the Old Mill in Pigeon Forge at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Bring your own instruments and join in at Jammin’ at the Old Mill from 2 to 9 p.m. Bring chairs and blankets to sit on for the evening concerts on both Friday and Saturday nights from 6 to 10 p.m. All events are free.
14. Old-Fashioned Wagon Rides
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals
Telephone: (865) 436-3897
Description: From September 1 through the end of October, the city offers wagon rides through the streets of Gatlinburg. The departure point is traffic light #6 at Mountain Mall. The rides run Sunday through Thursday (excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas), and the cost is $4 per ride.
City: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN
Category: Annual Events & Festivals