Dollywood Flower & Food Festival Ready to Bloom Again
For a third year, Dollywood’s Flower & Food Festival (April 22 – June 5) presented by Covenant Health blossoms against a Smoky Mountain backdrop to deliver brilliant floral hues to guests. During this year’s installment of the festival, guests can appreciate the vibrant beauty of more than a million blooms, explore the fresh flavors of spring with an immersive tasting pass and delight in entertainment offerings.
In 2021, the Flower & Food Festival in Pigeon Forge, Tenn., was honored with the inaugural Brass Ring Award for “Best New Food and Beverage Festival or Special Event” by the International Association for Amusement Parks and Attractions. The festival features elaborate floral installations that emerge throughout the park to translate nature into living art, each coming together to create a breathtaking display of more than a million blooms in total. In fact, the Flower & Food Festival grows by 30 percent, thanks to new displays, entertainment and interactive elements.
Mosaiculture icons include a peacock, a beekeeper tending to a hive and a mallard duck. These whimsical new additions join a lineup of beloved displays: the signature butterfly umbrella, woodland animal friends and the touching depiction of Dolly’s mother crafting the Coat of Many Colors. These sculptures are designed in partnership with Mosaicultures International, a Montreal-based company that specializes in the art of elaborate floral decorations.
“Spring has always been so wonderful to me, because the flowers start growing, the sun shines for a little longer, and the birds start singing a new song,” Dolly Parton said. “When I was little and the weather started warming up, all us kids would gather on the porch in the afternoon and enjoy lemonade that Mama brought out for us. That’s springtime to me – getting to make memories with my family and taking in the beautiful colors everywhere.”
“I hope that when families come to Dollywood during our festival, they get those same feelings of joy. This year, our guests can take a walk in my special butterfly garden and even see my Mama making my coat of many colors. I think the festival will continue to bloom even bigger and brighter right here in these beautiful mountains.”
While admiring the vivid colors blooming throughout the park, guests can explore a menu crafted with inspiration from fresh spring flavors and Smoky Mountain flair. Returning for this year is the tasting pass, which allows guests to partake in multiple food items at different festival locations.
The tasting pass, which can be purchased in the park or online, is $34.99 plus tax or $31.99 plus tax for gold and diamond passholders. With this pass, guests can sample five food offerings at any Flower & Food Festival culinary location. This year’s festival menu features a Cuban sandwich with mojo sauce, Reuben spring roll, chicken and andouille skillet, beef bulgogi nachos, seafood mac and cheese, berry and honey funnel cakes and hand-decorated flower-themed cookies and cupcakes among many other tasty spring dishes.
A highlight of the festival this year is entertainment, including “Dolly’s Butterfly Garden” and the return of a former guest favorite to the park. Dolly’s Butterfly Garden is an immersive experience that allows guests to interact with nature elements in a new way. Created by Montreal, Canada’s Moment Factory, this exhibit will take place in Adventures in Imagination throughout the festival. Performers from Australia combine theatrical elements and acrobatics for a thrilling new show called “Bloom!” that takes place high above ground while performers are situated atop sway poles.
Dollywood’s streets are filled with music during the Flower & Food Festival. The Hall Sisters, an energetic quartet of country pop performers, will set the stage in Craftsman’s Valley. A returning favorite show, “A Brighter Day,” features five daily performances at the Back Porch Theater. All shows are included with park admission. A full schedule of live performances is available at Dollywood.com.
Back to provide shade along Showstreet is the mesmerizing Umbrella Sky, which brings together hundreds of colorful umbrellas in a brilliant, suspended arrangement that makes for an “Instagram-worthy” background. Guests looking to capture picture-perfect memories at Dollywood can stop by several locations in the park for an amazing photo. These include the Hillside Carpet Display that brings a florally crafted sunset to Rivertown Junction, the pathways of Adventures in Imagination that are decorated with creative chalk art portraits, and Dolly’s Butterfly Garden exhibit in Adventures in Imagination.
Festival elements carry over into Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, where guests find festive décor and stunning floral accents. Daily mocktails and cocktails will be served in The Lounge at Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa, each drawing inspiration from the essence of springtime. Families can enjoy live entertainment in the lobby atrium, festival-inspired cuisine at Song & Hearth: A Southern Eatery and festival-themed activities at Camp DW. Dollywood’s DreamMore Resort and Spa hosts a Winemaker’s Dinner for guests on May 21 inside Song & Hearth: A Southern Eatery. This unique dining experience pairs festival-inspired culinary creations with exemplary wines. Reservations for the dinner can be made by calling (865) 868-1246.
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