PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee—(Nov. 3, 2026)—With Dollywood’s popular Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana underway, USA Today 10Best has once again nominated the festival for Best Theme Park Holiday Event, and Dollywood fans are asked to vote early and often to help the guest-favorite tradition earn the top spot. Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa is also nominated for Best Hotel for the Holidays.
Smoky Mountain Christmas has been a perennial favorite for this award. The USA Today contest, which now is live, runs through Monday, Nov. 30 at noon. Winners will be announced on Thursday, Dec. 3.
Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas (now-Jan. 3, 2027) ensures guests feel the holiday spirit throughout the park thanks to awe-inspiring displays located around every corner. It is this dedication to creating the industry’s best Christmas event that led the Golden Ticket Awards to name the event a “legend” after 15 consecutive “best of” wins. From award-winning stage productions to delicious culinary masterpieces and 6 million twinkling lights, there is something festive in store for every family member. At Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, every corner is adorned with colorful holiday décor. Guests can gather around the breathtaking two-story Christmas tree that brightens both levels of the lobby or enjoy the beautiful Christmas Tree Show on the resort’s pool deck.
A page with a link to the voting page can be found at www.dollywood.com/vote. Anyone is eligible to vote and may do so once per day, per device. Nominees for all categories are chosen by a panel of relevant experts, which includes a combination of editors from USA Today, editors from 10Best.com, theme park contributors and more.
Dollywood’s beloved entertainment shines on both indoor and outdoor stages, and these holiday performances are nothing short of spectacular. The festival’s family-favorite headline show, “Christmas in the Smokies,” returns to Celebrity Theater and delights guests as it has every year since its debut in 1990. Also back is “Heidi Parton’s A Christmas To Remember” in the Dreamsong Theater, where Dolly’s niece, Heidi, shares songs and stories from her family’s Christmas traditions. Other Dollywood Christmas classics return including “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas,” “Christmas with the Kingdom Heirs,” “O’ Holy Night,” “Appalachian Christmas with the Smoky Mountain String Band” and more.
Glacier Ridge returns to fill Dollywood’s Timber Canyon, Wildwood Grove, Wilderness Pass and Upper Craftsman’s Valley with an expansive and vibrant arctic display sure to inspire, dazzle and delight guests. The Christmas Reflections light in Rivertown offer a glow as night descends, where the pond shines brightly as five brilliantly decorated trees shimmer to life with their lights reflecting onto the water below. Country Fair has transformed into a sweet treat as Peppermint Valley features sparkling red and white candy cane lights that will delight kids and kids at heart with their colorful display.
For more information about Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas, please visit Dollywood.com or download the Dollywood app.
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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 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) 428-9486, (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