Four-month special event brings winter activity to Smoky Mountains resort town
PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (October 2012) – Pigeon Forge, Tenn., will launch its 23rd annual Winterfest celebration Nov. 6 with festivities in Patriot Park that conclude with the illumination of five million Winterfest lights throughout the city and a fireworks display.
The lead-up to the evening’s activities will be the city’s second annual Salute to Veterans Parade on the Parkway.
Pigeon Forge Winterfest is a mixture of holiday celebrations, themed special events and millions of decorative lights. That combination created a new visitor season for Pigeon Forge when Winterfest started in 1990.
After the Winterfest Kickoff, businesses throughout the city offer special activities, theaters add a Christmas flair to their shows for two months and the city itself presents two major special events in January and February – Wilderness Wildlife Week and Saddle Up.
Pigeon Forge Winterfest continues through Feb. 28, 2013, offering winter activity throughout this gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Among the events on the calendar:
- Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas (Nov. 10-Dec. 30), with seasonal shows that include Dollywood’s Christmas on Ice and another four million holiday lights;
- A gigantic fireworks display on Nov. 22 marking the end of the Titanic Museum Attraction’ centennial celebration, plus snowfall from the ship’s bow every Saturday from Thanksgiving weekend through Dec. 29;
- Wilderness Wildlife Week (Jan. 12-19, 2013), a city-sponsored week of special programs about Great Smoky Mountains National Park and numerous other outdoor topics;
- The second annual Pigeon Forge Professional Ice Carving Competition at the Titanic Museum Attraction (Jan. 19, 2013), featuring celebrated ice sculptors working with 250-pound blocks of ice;
- Saddle Up! (Feb. 21-24), a city-sponsored celebration of cowboy poetry, western music and the American West, including entertainers Waddie Mitchell, the Quebe Sisters Band and Wylie & the Wild West.
Complete visitor information about Pigeon Forge is available online at www.MyPigeonForge.com or by calling 1-800-251-9100.
Tom Adkinson, APR
615-341-8796