Dollywood 2027 Season Guide: Opening Day, Festivals, Hours and Passes

Dollywood has not announced an exact opening day for 2027 yet. The park's president has said Dollywood will reopen in March 2027, after the 2026 season ends on January 3, 2027 and the park takes its usual January break. For comparison, the 2026 season opened on Friday, March 13, 2026. As of September 27, 2026, 2027 festival dates and 2027 season pass prices had not been posted either, so this guide uses the 2026 calendar as the pattern to plan around.

Quick answer: Dollywood 2027 key dates

• 2026 season ends: January 3, 2027, the last day of Smoky Mountain Christmas.
• 2027 opening day: March 2027, per Dollywood's president. The exact date is not announced; watch the Dollywood calendar.
• 2026 opening day, for reference: Friday, March 13, 2026.
• 2027 festival dates: not announced. In 2026 the calendar ran I Will Always Love You Festival (March 13 to April 12), Flower & Food (April 18 to June 7), Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration (June 15 to August 2), Harvest Festival (September 14 to October 31) and Smoky Mountain Christmas (November 6 to January 3).
• 2027 season passes: not listed yet. Last year, 2026 passes were already on sale by September 17, 2025, so watch the season pass page this fall.
• Splash Country: a summer-only water park. In 2026 it opened May 16 and ran through September 20.

When does Dollywood open in 2027?

Dollywood has said only that it will open in March 2027. At the September 2, 2026 announcement of new tributes to Dolly Parton, park president Eugene Naughton said many of the additions would be ready "when we open in March 2027." That fits the usual pattern: the park closes in January after the Christmas season, then reopens in mid-March. Until Dollywood posts the date, avoid booking a trip around a specific early-March day. If your dates are flexible, the second half of March is the safer bet.

What's new at Dollywood in 2027

Dolly Parton died on August 25, 2026, at age 80. On September 2, 2026, Dollywood Parks & Resorts announced several additions to honor her:

• Robert F. Thomas Chapel: a new cascading waterfall outside the chapel steps and new stained-glass windows showing the seasons of the Smokies, inspired by Ecclesiastes 3:1.
• The Dream Maker: a new character coming to Wildwood Grove in 2027, with her Dream Wagon, stories and interactive experiences for kids, tied to Dolly Parton's Imagination Library.
• Tribute kiosks in Wildwood Grove, where guests can share how Dolly inspired them.
• A new entrance to The Dolly Parton Experience.
• A memorial already stands in the park's welcome plaza.

Outside the park, the Sevierville Chamber of Commerce is launching In Dolly's Footsteps, walking-tour markers at places in Sevierville that Dolly and her family went in her youth.

Dollywood festival calendar: what to expect in 2027

Dollywood runs a festival in every season. The 2027 dates will be posted on the park's festivals page; here is how 2026 ran.

1. I Will Always Love You Festival (March 13 to April 12, 2026): the season opener, built around music and songwriting.
2. Flower & Food Festival (April 18 to June 7, 2026): over a million flowers, giant plant sculptures called mosaicultures, the Umbrella Sky installation, festival-only food and new shows. A Tasting Pass lets you pick five festival dishes.
3. Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration (June 15 to August 2, 2026): extended hours and nightly fireworks, plus a drone show in 2026.
4. Harvest Festival (September 14 to October 31, 2026): fall food, Great Pumpkin LumiNights with more than 12,000 glowing pumpkins, and in 2026 a new limited-capacity evening event, Harvey's Boo Bash, on select October nights.
5. Smoky Mountain Christmas (November 6, 2026 to January 3, 2027): more than 6 million lights, holiday shows and visits with Santa. See the full Smoky Mountain Christmas event guide for exact dates and tickets.

If Flower & Food is your goal, the 2026 run started April 18 and lasted about seven weeks. Expect a similar mid-April to early-June window in 2027, but confirm before you book.

Dollywood hours: the usual pattern

Dollywood's hours change by day, so always check the official calendar for your date. Based on the 2026 calendar as summarized by PigeonForge.com:

• March to May: usually 10 a.m. to 7 or 8 p.m., with a few weekday closures in late April.
• Summer: 10 a.m. to as late as 9:30 p.m. from mid-June through early August.
• Harvest Festival: 10 a.m. to about 9 p.m. from mid-September through October 31, so the pumpkins are lit after dark.
• Christmas season: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. in November and December, closed on Thanksgiving and December 24 and 25.
• January: closed after January 3.

Season pass vs day tickets

For 2026, Dollywood's own pages list these adult prices, before tax:

• 1-day Pick-A-Day ticket: from $94.99 (from $99.99 for a flexible Good-Any-Day ticket).
• 2-day ticket: from $124.99.
• Silver Season Pass: $169.99, good March 13 to December 13, 2026, with up to 10% off dining and shopping.
• Gold Season Pass: $244.99, good for the full season through January 3, 2027, with up to 15% off, free general parking, first-hour TimeSaver access and more.

The math is simple: two single-day tickets at the starting price cost about $190, more than a Silver pass. If anyone in your group will visit twice in a year — a spring visit for Flower & Food and a Christmas visit, for example — a pass usually wins. For one short trip, a 2-day ticket is better. The Gold pass makes sense if you want the Christmas season or plan to park often. Child and senior prices are lower, and a 2026 pass does not renew into 2027 automatically. For the full break-even math, see our guide to whether a Dollywood season pass is worth it.

For your day in the park, our Dollywood day planning guide covers arrival, parking and pacing.

Dollywood's Splash Country season

Splash Country is a separate water park next to Dollywood and runs only in warm weather. In 2026 it opened for the weekend of May 16 and 17, ran daily from May 23 through August 8, then switched to reduced days until its final day on September 20. Expect a similar late-May to late-September season in 2027, and check the Dollywood calendar before you plan a water-park day.

Planning tips for a 2027 Dollywood trip

• Spring: book once the 2027 calendar is out; Flower & Food weekends are busy.
• Summer: pair Dollywood with a Splash Country day and a slower day at The Island in Pigeon Forge.
• Fall and Christmas: plan to stay after dark for LumiNights or the lights. Our things to do in Pigeon Forge guide has ideas for the other days.
• Multi-generation trips: if you're folding a Dollywood day into a longer gathering, see our guide to planning a Smoky Mountains family reunion.

Where to stay for a Dollywood trip

Tula & Oak House is in Sevierville, about 22 minutes from Dollywood by the owner's estimate. It sleeps 14 across 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms, with parking for up to 5 vehicles, so a multi-generation group can do a park day and come back to a private indoor heated pool, a hot tub, a theater room, an arcade and playroom, and a full kitchen. Check your dates and book direct.