PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. — (Aug. 24, 2026) — Dollywood’s Harvest Festival presented by Humana has once again been nominated for the USA Today 10Best Award for Best Theme Park Halloween Event.
The Harvest Festival—which features the wildly popular Great Pumpkin LumiNights—has been a perennial favorite for the award. The USA Today contest, which now is live, runs through Monday, Sept. 21 at 11:59 a.m. Winners will be announced on Sept. 30.
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, relevant expert contributors and more.
Dollywood’s Harvest Festival (Sept. 14- Oct. 31) provides fabulous fall family fun, with Great Pumpkin LumiNights serving as a great glowing end to the evening. Dollywood stays open late every night (until 9 p.m.) during the festival, allowing families more time to enjoy 12,000 carved pumpkins throughout the park. Guests can enjoy extended park hours (9 a.m.- 11 p.m.) from Oct. 3-15.
Harvey’s Boo Bash, Dollywood theme park’s very first separately-ticketed, after-hours special event, is set to carve out a new fall tradition this year, serving up a harvest of family-friendly fun and festivities after dark.
Harvey’s Boo Bash takes place on Oct. 16, 23 and 30 after Dollywood’s Harvest Festival presented by Humana closes to regular park guests at 9 p.m. The event takes place from 9 p.m. until midnight, providing guests the opportunity to enjoy Great Pumpkin LumiNights as well as several exclusive activities and offerings just for them. Among the fun are a number of candy collecting stations and access to many of Dollywood’s award-winning attractions, including the all-new NightFlight Expedition.
A limited number of tickets will be sold each evening, meaning those who attend have more opportunities to ride Dollywood’s available attractions and collect enough free candy to satisfy even the largest sweet tooth. In addition, guests will get to enjoy meet & greets with all of Dollywood’s favorite harvesttime characters, while two dance parties also take place during the evening, one at 9:30 p.m. to kick off all the festive fun and another at 11 p.m. for a late-night celebration!
For more information about Dollywood’s Harvest Festival, Great Pumpkin LumiNights or Harvey’s Boo Bash, 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 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) 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-Roo