PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee –(June 26, 2026) – With 1,442 participants on Thursday, June 25, Dollywood’s Splash Country welcomed more participants than any other host location worldwide during the 2026 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, as well as the largest participation total in the water park’s 16-year history of hosting the event. The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson is a global event launched by the World Water Park Association in 2010 as a tool to prevent drownings and build awareness around the importance of knowing how to swim.
Dollywood’s Splash Country’s Senior Operations Manager Lauren Lowery says while she is proud of the accolade, she’s prouder of what it means for the families who participated.
“We are incredibly excited and honored to have had the largest number of participants worldwide for this year’s event because it means more than 1,400 people left our water park on Thursday with lifesaving tips they may not have had when they walked through our front gates,” said Lowery. “We want our guests to know how to be safe when they are here with us at Splash Country but also when they are out on the lake or in their own pools. The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson is just one more way we can help do that.”
The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson was part of an entire day dedicated to Water Safety at Splash Country. For the 16th season, the water park hosted its annual Water Safety Day presented by Blue Lizard Sunscreen, bringing people from across the Smoky Mountain area together to celebrate fun around water and to spread awareness around water responsibility.
For more information about Dollywood’s Splash Country, please visit www.dollywood.com or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.
–Dollywood2026–
About Dollywood Parks & Resorts: A highly awarded and widely recognized leader in the amusement industry, Dollywood Parks & Resorts consists of the 165-acre Dollywood theme park; the 35-acre Dollywood’s Splash Country; and two award-winning resort properties: Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, and Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort. As unique as its namesake and owner Dolly Parton, Dollywood opened in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on May 3, 1986, and earned the theme park industry’s highest accolade, the Applause Award, in 2010. Dollywood has earned 67 Golden Ticket Awards and 28 Brass Ring Awards for live entertainment. In 2022, 2024 and 2025, Dollywood was named by Tripadvisor as the #1 theme park in the country based on actual guest reviews. The park is located near Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has been recognized as a top U.S. theme park by USA Today on multiple occasions. Dollywood is open mid-March through early January and offers rides, attractions, shows and crafters inspired by and authentic to the East Tennessee region. Dollywood’s Splash Country, recognized by the Travel Channel and Tripadvisor as one of the country’s most beautiful water parks, operates from mid-May to mid-September. Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa as well as Dollywood’s HeartSong Lodge & Resort provide guests with spectacular mountain views and family-friendly amenities next door to Dollywood theme park and Dollywood’s Splash Country. For more information, visit dollywood.com. Operating days and hours vary.
Media Contacts:
Pete Owens: Vice President of Marketing and Public Relations, (865) 755-7972 or [email protected]
Wes Ramey: Public Relations Director, (865) 428-9484, (865) 640-3805 or [email protected]
Ellen Liston: Public Relations Manager, (865) 428-9629, (865) 919-7001 or [email protected]
Jennifer Webb: Sr. Publicist, (865) 428-9602, (865) 323-7584 or [email protected]
Sophia Nieves: Publicist, (865) 428-9456, (256) 631-5413 or [email protected]
For B-roll, photography and more information, visit the Dollywood Media Room at http://www.dollywood.com/Media/Media-Room