Dollywood's Great Pumpkin LumiNights nominated for USA Today Award for the Best Theme Park Halloween Event

Update:  The results are in and Dollywood came in 6th place.  Here's the full list of winners.

The top 10 winners in the category Best Theme Park Halloween Event are as follows:

1. Halloween Haunt at Kings Island - Mason, Ohio
2. Fright Fest at Six Flags - Multiple Locations
3. Howl-O-Scream at SeaWorld - Multiple Locations
4. Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens - Multiple Locations
5. Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios - Multiple Locations
6. Great Pumpkin LumiNights at Dollywood - Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
7. Harvest Festival at Silver Dollar City - Branson, Missouri
8. Hallo-Fun at Knoebels - Elysburg, Pennsylvania
9. Brick-or-Treat at Legoland - Multiple Locations
10. Halloween Haunt at Kings Dominion - Doswell, Virginia

Congratulations to all these winners! 

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Hi everyone,

Dollywood is a contender in the USA Today's -The Best Theme Park Halloween Event. You can vote once a day (per device) to get Dollywood to the top of the leaderboard.  As of this publishing, they are ranked at #6.

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Looking for a more friendly scare this Halloween? Theme parks across the country host ghoulish events to celebrate the season, and the whole family is invited. We asked a panel of experts to pick their favorite Halloween events, and now we need your help selecting the 10 best. Vote for your favorite once per day until Monday, September 12 at noon ET. The winning events will be announced on Friday, September 23. 

The Voting Period Has Ended.

Go here to vote--> Click Here

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Let's take a look back at Dollywood's 2021 Great Pumpkin LumiNights and Harvest Festival and I'll tell you about what Dollywood has said will be included in this year's GPL&HF!

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New for 2022

Dollywood has some new stuff planned for GPL&HF.  Here's what they've said about it...

NEW Hoot Owl Hollow

image courtesy of Dollywood

Experience a Smoky Mountain fall during Dollywood’s Harvest Festival (Sept. 23 - Oct. 29, 2022), voted America’s #1 Fall Family Event by USA Today Readers. Soak in mountain majesty as the hills come alive with vivid color, the smells of apple and pumpkin treats waft through the streets and the sounds of our award-winning rides fill the air with adventure. As the sun sets, you'll be wrapped in a whimsical warming glow as the park transforms into an enchanting display of illuminated carved pumpkins and shimmering pumpkin icons. Don't miss a minute of Smoky Mountain splendor—visit today before it glows away! (source)

Award-winning Great Pumpkin LumiNights returns to light up the night with thousands of creatively carved pumpkins and larger-than-life pumpkin icons. This year, discover the NEW Hoot Owl Hollow, an enchanting hideaway for a gigantic, glowing owl and her dozens of friendly siblings roosting in the trees, atop buildings and across the hillside. Explore a world of not-so-spooky nighttime fun when you stroll through a forest of shimmering sunflowers, see a family of glowing frogs, and be enchanted by our towering Pumpkin Tree.

Dollywood also mentions that they will have new performances during this festival as well. I noticed during the Flower Festival in the spring that there were noticeably more roaming musicians in the park, which I loved randomly running into and taking time to listen to them play - and watching others doing the same. It was pretty cool, so I am eager to see how Dollywood pulls that together for this years festival.

Last year they did have an Owl themed area in between Thunderhead and the Main Gate area, so it sounds as though a big expansion of the Owl theme is in the works. I'm wondering if it will be in the same general area or move somewhere else?

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Are you planning to go to this years Great Pumpkin LumiNights & Harvest Festival at Dollywood?  What are you looking forward to the most?  Let me know in the comments.   Be Sure To Vote For Dollywood - Often!!  Maybe I will see you at the park!  Until next time - Jeff