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Dollywood 2026: Flower & Food Festival - April 17th - June 7th.
Dollywood is now open for its 41st season, and I’m excited to share everything I’ve learned about the Flower & Food Festival — including tasting pass details, entertainment, transportation tips, park tours, and more.
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(Continue scrolling for the full guide...)
Festival Overview
At Dollywood's Flower and Food Festival, Spring splendor blooms around every corner. Celebrate the beauty of the season amongst larger-than-life mosaicultures and half a million vibrant flowers. Awaken your tastebuds with mouthwatering, festival-exclusive fresh flavors. Soak in the spirit of song and story at engaging new shows and returning fan-favorites. Dance and play in a rainbow wonderland under Umbrella Sky, a dazzling art installation that dapples Dollywood in a kaleidoscope of color. Feel Dollywood burst to life from April 18 - June 7 at the Flower and Food Festival!
Tasting Pass & Festival Menu
The Dollywood app is your best friend during festival season. It shows where each specialty food item is located, and in some cases allows mobile ordering.
Tasting Pass Details:
- Includes 5 festival food items
- Shareable between guests
- Valid for the entire festival — no need to use all punches in one visit
- Gold & Diamond Passholders save $3
- Price: $39.99 for Passholders, $42.99 for everyone else
Menu items and locations are available on the Dollywood website and app.
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| Your view in the Dollywood App |
What’s New Around the Park in 2026
- Timber Canyon Restrooms: Renovated, enlarged and refreshed.
- Wilderness Pass Restaurant: New covered seating area. Menu includes rotisserie chicken, fish, collard greens, and more.
- Till & Harvest Menu: Cheeseburger/fries, Chicken Tenders/fries, Smoky Mountain Nachos, Wildwood Grove Rice Bowl & White Bean Queso Dip. See pic....
- Cinnamon Bread Price: $12.99. They may have rearranged the entrance/exit situation again. It currently begins and ends at the water tower. Not great pic, but notice Exit/Enter signs.
Ride Updates
- Daredevil Falls: New boats with updated colors!
- Mystery Mine: Behind‑the‑scenes upgrades including new control systems. Now Open!
- Dollywood Express: Converted from coal to oil — safer, cleaner, and able to operate in more weather conditions. Now Open!
Nightflight Expedition
The new hybrid coaster + river rapids attraction continues construction in Wildwood Grove. As of 4/17/2026, the park suggests a possible mid‑June opening. A soft‑opening is planned for select passholder tiers.
Many people online are skeptical of this opening date given the appearance of the construction site. Once construction concludes, the ride will undergo a commissioning process. The timeframe depends on a lot of variables. The park is still saying ''spring'' which technically goes until mid-June - So We Will Seeeee! Stay tuned to my channels as I will report on any updates from the park.
Check out my video for a closer look at the only other existing Mack Rocking Boat attraction in operation - Mission Bermuda! The next video, below, is my progress update from March 25, 2026.
Shows & Entertainment
Many guest‑favorite shows return for the festival....
Returning Favorites
- From The Heart: Dolly’s musical journey (DP Celebrity Theater)
- Dreamsong
- Heidi Parton’s Kin & Friends (Dreamsong Theater)
- Heartsong (Dreamsong Theater)
- Forever Country (Valley Theater)
- Kingdom Heirs (Showstreet Theater)
- Smoky Mountain String Band (Back Porch Theater)
- Imagination Playhouse (Imagination Playhouse Theater)
- The Little Engine That Could
- Something Wild
- Coat of Many Colors
- Wings of America Birds of Prey (Craftsman’s Valley Theater)
- The Dolly Parton Experience (multiple buildings)
- Jessica Horton (Robert F. Thomas Chapel Steps - April 18 to 26) HIGHLY RECOMMEND! See why below!
Operating Calendar
The park is not open every day during the Flower & Food Festival, but it does have consistent hours:
- 10 AM – 8 PM
- Note those FOUR days the park is closed! 4/21, 23, 28 & 30!
Flower & Festival Tour
Trolley to Dollywood
Taking the trolley to Dollywood is easier than you think! When the park is very busy and grid-locked around the entrance, then consider taking the trolley - ESPECIALLY if your hotel is on the trolley route.
Pro Tip: If Dolly is expected to be at the park, consider taking the Pigeon Forge Trolley instead of driving. It drops you off right at the front gate and can save a lot of stress. The closer to Christmas, the busier the park gets for the holiday season - take the trolley and avoid traffic and parking!
Check out my blog post HERE, or watch the video guide below....
Dollywood's Transportation Names and Explained
- Parking Lot Tram: Pickup and Dropoff of guests from the parking lots to the Front Gate. Also, specially marked Trams run Gate-to-Gate between Dollywood and Splash Country, when the water park is open from May to September.
- Resort Trolleys: Shuttles guests between the resorts and both parks. Great perk of staying at the resorts.
- Pigeon Forge & Gatlinburg Trolleys: Public transit systems serving major tourist areas. Hub for Pigeon Forge is at Patriot Park....with overflow parking near The Island, off of Teaster Lane.
Fun Facts & Quiz
Dollywood opened in 1986 — that was Season One. In 2026, the park is in its 41st season, and Dolly turns 80.
Quiz: In 2056… How old will Dolly be? What season will Dollywood be celebrating? What year of operation will it be?
Quiz: Prior to the 1991 Season, Where in the park was the front gate?
Answers: Scroll and highlight ---> Dolly will be 100. Front gate was at the Market Square...where you buy skillet meals.
Videos from previous Flower & Food Festival visits....
Helpful Trip‑Planning Resources
Explore more guides, videos, and planning tools:
- Dollywood's 2026 Ride - Nightflight Expedition - Updates, Photos, Videos of it Under Construction.
- Getting To Dollywood by Plane
- Hotels with High Ratings in Pigeon Forge. I have created a spreadsheet that incorporates ratings from different reliable sources and ranked hotels in the area. I've listed out columns for things like indoor pools, hot tubs and more on the spreadsheet. Very helpful if you, or someone in your group is looking for a specific amenity.
- Top Breakfast Restaurants in Pigeon Forge. I have created a list of the best Breakfast restaurants in Pigeon Forge using ratings from various reliable sources and ranked them in my blog post.
- 30 Great Places to Eat In Pigeon Forge that are open after 2pm! A list of highly rated establishments that are open past 2pm.
- Guide To Mountain Coasters - A look at all the types of mountain coasters in Sevier County.
- Dollywood's 2025 Operating Calendar +MORE - speculation, guesses on future projects, etc.
- Dollywood's 2026 Operating Calendar +MORE - Calendar + Much More!
- Exclusive Ride Time, Golden Hours, Golden Events - What's the difference??
- Navigating to Dollywood from North Carolina post-Hurricane Helene.
- 8 Things to do at Dollywood if you don't care for rides - There's a lot to do!
- Pigeon Forge Trolley Info You'll Want to Know!
- Trip Advisors Top 10 Budget Friendly Hotels in Pigeon Forge.
- Tons of YouTube videos - I have so many YouTube videos of Dollywood including every festival and lots of general park updates as well as Big Bear Mountain footage.
- Check out my 2025 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2025.
- Check out my 2024 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2024.
- Check out my 2023 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2023.
- Check out my 2022 End of Year Recap to see all of my Dollywood videos from 2022.
- 2024-2025 School Break Calendar - includes Fall, Christmas & Spring Breaks for regional schools.
- Link to Dollywood's TimeSaver Info Page - click Here.
- GrayLine Day-Long Tours from downtown Nashville to Dollywood and back to Nashville - click here
Have a wonderful 2026 season at Dollywood!
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