{"id":1018,"date":"2022-10-18T10:08:26","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T14:08:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/?p=1018"},"modified":"2022-10-18T10:10:57","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T14:10:57","slug":"anticipation-builds-for-big-2023-season-at-dollywood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/2022\/10\/anticipation-builds-for-big-2023-season-at-dollywood\/","title":{"rendered":"Anticipation Builds for &#8220;BIG&#8221; 2023 Season at Dollywood"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (Monday, October 17, 2022)<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2014&nbsp;Things certainly are going to be \u201cBIG\u201d at Dollywood in 2023. The Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, park is gearing up for a season that includes the debut of Big Bear Mountain, the longest roller coaster in the park\u2019s history, a new celebration of one of Dolly\u2019s most iconic songs, as well as 15 additional park operating days throughout the year. With so much big fun in 2023, a Dollywood season pass should be on everyone\u2019s wish list. The park opens to the general public on Saturday, March 11.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Set to open in the spring, Dollywood\u2019s Big Bear Mountain is the single largest attraction investment in the company\u2019s history. The $25 million roller coaster is nearly 4,000 ft. long, features on-board audio and promises guests a thrilling adventure through the hills bordering Wildwood Grove. This expansion of Wildwood Grove\u2014named the industry\u2019s Best Kids\u2019 Area for three years\u2014takes guests through three separate launches, multiple airtime hills, high-speed carousel turns and tunnels. Big Bear Mountain\u2019s 39\u201d inch height requirement allows even younger adventurers to come along for the ride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not only do the rides get bigger in 2023, so does the operating calendar. Dollywood guests and season passholders can enjoy an additional 15 days of fun in the Smoky Mountains next season when compared to the 2022 calendar. The additional days come throughout the year, meaning guests can enjoy more of everything the 2023 season has to offer. The park opens at 10 a.m. every operating day through the Harvest Festival. Operation begins at 11 a.m. during Smoky Mountain Christmas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>New in 2023, guests will be able to celebrate what has arguably become one of Dolly\u2019s biggest hits,&nbsp;<em>I Will Always Love You<\/em>. To observe the 50<sup>th<\/sup>&nbsp;anniversary of this monumental song, the I Will Always Love You Celebration takes place March 11-April 8, kicking off the season with a festive event commemorating the art of songwriting and the stories behind the songs. In addition to honoring Dolly\u2019s iconic status as a songwriter, the event will recognize a number of noted singer\/songwriters with headline performances throughout the festival. Additionally, the Songwriters\u2019 Showcase in Showstreet Palace Theater places the spotlight on a number of up-and-coming songwriters, allowing Dollywood guests the opportunity to enjoy their incredible talents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dollywood\u2019s Flower &amp; Food Festival presented by Covenant Health (April 21-June 4) blooms bright with iconic Mosaiculture displays throughout the park. Vivid larger-than-life flower sculptures create an immersive atmosphere for park guests as they make their way through more than half-a-million blooms during this stunning festival. In addition, Dollywood\u2019s culinary team showcases their world-class abilities with a menu full of delicacies that highlight the tastes of spring in the Smokies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dollywood\u2019s Sweet Summer Nights drone and fireworks show has become a guest highlight, and it again takes to the skies above Dollywood in 2023 as part of Dollywood\u2019s Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration (June 17-August 6). Another favorite\u2014&#8221;Gazillion Bubble Show Aurora\u201d\u2014returns to deliver a mesmerizing burst of excitement to guests in DP\u2019s Celebrity Theater. The show provides many moments where guests will be enveloped by \u201cgazillions\u201d of bubbles for a fun and unpredictable experience that captivates the entire family. Liquid Beats, Hydro Jive Junction and the Bubble Foam Zone all return in 2023 after their popular debuts during this year\u2019s festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A family tradition for many, Dollywood\u2019s Harvest Festival presented by Humana (Sept. 22- Nov. 4) celebrates the beauty of fall with thousands of carved pumpkins, spirited performances from talented singers and the fun of Great Pumpkin LumiNights presented by Covenant Health. Great Pumpkin LumiNights, which previously has been named the best theme park harvest event in the world, features elaborate displays that are fun for every member of the family. Creative culinary items, accomplished artisans, and fall fun in the Smokies make this a picture-perfect time to enjoy Dollywood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The industry\u2019s Best Theme Park Christmas event\u2014Dollywood\u2019s Smoky Mountain Christmas presented by Humana (Nov. 11- Jan. 6)\u2014concludes the park\u2019s 2023 season with five million lights, festive holiday shows, and the warm Christmas atmosphere guests have come to expect during this joyous time of year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dollywood\u2019s 2023 season is so big, guests should consider a season pass to ensure they can experience all of the fun! Three season pass levels\u2014Diamond, Gold and Silver\u2014provide great options for every guest, while the popular Pre-K Imagination Season Pass offers free admission all season long to any child born in 2018 or 2019. Passes are on sale now with reduced pricing until Oct. 30 for current Dollywood season passholders and those who pre-registered for this special offer. On Oct. 31, season passes go on sale to the general public.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dollywood Diamond Season Passes provide a premium experience for guests. In addition to admission all season long, Diamond passholders receive Saturday Early Ride Time, four Bring-A-Friend Free tickets, free general parking, the largest discounts on dining, merchandise and lodging, an all-season unlimited refill mug per pass, as well as discounts on TimeSaver passes, VIP tours and preferred parking. In addition, Diamond Season Passes provide the passholder season access to Dollywood\u2019s Splash Country.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Gold Pass represents a tremendous value for guests thanks to Saturday Early Ride Time for the passholder, two Bring-A-Friend Free tickets, free general parking, a one-day unlimited refill mug per pass, as well as discounts on dining, merchandise, and lodging. Both Diamond and Gold passholders also receive access to special \u201cGolden Events,\u201d exclusive events and activities just for them. Only the named passholder can receive the perks associated with each pass type.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Gold and Diamond passholders also can take advantage of another great perk, daily \u201cGolden Hours.\u201d During the first hour of every operating day, Gold and Diamond Season Passes operate just like TimeSaver passes, allowing the named passholder expedited boarding on Dollywood\u2019s world-class rides and attractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Silver Season Passes also are available and include two Bring-a-Friend Free tickets and a discount on Dollywood lodging. Select blackout dates apply to Silver Season Passes and Silver Bring-a-Friend Free tickets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about Dollywood\u2019s 2023 season or season passes, please visit Dollywood.com or download the Dollywood app.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Press Release from Dollywood<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1020,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"quote","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[109],"tags":[28],"class_list":["post-1018","post","type-post","status-publish","format-quote","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-press-releases","tag-dollywood","post_format-post-format-quote"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1018"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1021,"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018\/revisions\/1021"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.themeparkarchive.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}