Pigeon Forge’s Winterfest Celebration features new light displays, free activities and entertainment.
PIGEON FORGE, Tennessee (Nov. 29, 2023) –As 2023 comes to a close, Pigeon Forge (Tennessee) offers a full lineup of Winterfest lights, fun, shopping and entertainment. Visitors and locals alike can enjoy millions of holiday lights, beautiful seasonal decorations, and holiday shows throughout Pigeon Forge during the annual Smoky Mountain Winterfest Celebration.
The Wonders of Light walking trail, which opened in 2022, reveals five new light displays this year. Joining the trail are a fun fly fisherman with leaping trout, a span of woodland creatures, additional fireflies, and a 90-foot-wide section of colorful wildflowers, butterflies, flowers and mushrooms. Six deciduous trees are illuminated, too, increasing the walkway’s glow power.
The trail travels along the span of the Pigeon Forge’s Riverwalk that follows the Little Pigeon River between The Island in Pigeon Forge and the Old Mill. The flat, paved and pet-friendly trail is a free outdoor walk-thru experience and remains open through Feb. 18, 2024, when Pigeon Forge’s Winterfest Celebration concludes. Free parking is available in the city’s Municipal Lot just off Teaster Lane.
See a sampling below of more to discover this season in Pigeon Forge. Admission fees and reservations apply for some. Please contact individual businesses/events for more information.
Holiday Entertainment
- Christmas at Dolly Parton’s Stampede – through Jan. 5, 2024
- Comedy Barn Christmas show – through Jan. 5, 2024
- Hatfield & McCoy Christmas Dinner Feud – through Jan. 5, 2024
- Christmas at Array Variety Show – through Dec. 30
- Country Tonite Theatre Christmas Show – through Dec. 31
Free Wintertime Fun
- Winterfest Driving Tour of Lights – see more than five million lights with displays along the Parkway and Teaster Lane depicting the 12 days of Christmas, popular nursery rhymes and Smoky Mountain scenes.
- Winterfest Wonders of Light Walking Trail – set along Pigeon Forge’s Riverwalk between The Island and The Old Mill
- The Island in Pigeon Forge Show Fountain – along with holiday décor, Winterfest at The Island includes a free fountain show set to holiday music every 30 minutes.
- Mountain Mile—a variety of outdoor lawn games are available for all ages.
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park – open year-round to hikers for stunning winter hikes as well as scenic drives through the park. A nominal parking fee applies when parking inside the national park.
Santa Is Coming to Town
- The Island in Pigeon Forge – photos with Santa are available on select dates from now through Dec. 23 from 3 to 8 p.m.
- The Old Mill’s Breakfast with Santa – Pottery House Café Dec. 2 from 8:15 to 9:15 a.m.
- The Inn at Christmas Place – guests of the Inn can enjoy Santa visits, storytime with Santa, and singing Santa concerts along with other activities throughout the month of December
- Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas – photos with Santa at work in his workshop
- Candy Christmas at Crave Golf Club – free photos with Santa and the Christmas Grouch are available on Dec. 2 and 16 from 3 to 6 p.m. (Santa) and 6 to 9 p.m. (Christmas Grouch).
- The Christmas Place – photos with Santa are available in Santa’s Haus on select days and times throughout the week including special hours Dec. 23 and 24.
Indoor activities
- Christmas at TITANIC Museum Attraction –during TITANIC’s “Year of the Titanic Children” the museum has added red bears to the exquisite holiday decorations adorning the ship to honor the children aboard the RMS Titanic.
- Pigeon Forge Snow – snow tube and play in the snow pit no matter the weather at the year-round winter playground
Winter Pigeon Forge photos and video are available here.
Additional information about these and all other Pigeon Forge events and businesses is available at visit MyPigeonForge.com or by calling 800-251-9100.
#
About Pigeon Forge: Pigeon Forge is in East Tennessee, approximately 35 miles from Knoxville and McGhee-Tyson Airport. Two-thirds of the nation’s population east of the Mississippi River lives within a day’s drive, making it an easily accessible family vacation destination. The city’s neighbor is Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most-visited national park in the U.S. It also is home to Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park, Tennessee’s most-visited ticketed attraction. More information about all aspects of Pigeon Forge are available at MyPigeonForge.com or toll-free at 1-800-251-9100.