🔶📆 Dollywood's 2026 Operating Calendar and more! 📆🔶

 October 28, 2025

Dollywood has released their 2026 Operating Calendar and Festival Information - Let's dig in to it!

Things I noticed...

• Dollywood is open for 280 Operating Days in 2026/Jan '27!
• This 2026 Calendar looks pretty consistent with what we saw in 2025's calendar.
• I'm hearing Passholder Preview Day is not happening in 2026, which is a good idea in my opinion.  It has felt like a chaotic mess the past few years.
• NightFlight Expedition Grand Opening - Date To Be Determined
• Harvest Festival will feature a NEW Great Pumpkin LumiNights and Dance Party!
• Open on Halloween proper, October 31, 2026.  Will we see anything special???
• Not mentioned on the calendar, but the Run Dollywood Race Weekend is April 24-26, 2026.
• Inaugural race event featuring a 1-mile kids' run, 5k, 10k, and a half marathon course running through the park and surrounding community.


NightFlight Expedition - This will open in the spring (I think) of 2026!  I haven't seen any updates to the planned opening date.




Above, you will find my video comparing NightFlight Expedition to the world's only other Mack Rocking Boat ride, Mission Bermuda at Futoroscope Park in SW France.


I also have a blog post with lots of details as well.  Click Here for that post.


🏃🏼‍➡️Run Dollywood Race Weekend🏃🏼
Race Schedule-
Dollywood.com/RunDollywood.


Friday, April 24:
Bib Pick Up and Expo: Held in the ballroom at Dollywood's HeartSong Lodge & Resort from 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM. Note: There will be no race day pickup.

Saturday, April 25 (7:00 AM Start):
1-Mile Kids Fun Run (Ages 4–12)
5K
10K
These events are chip-timed and run on scenic routes through Dollywood's park rides and attractions.

Sunday, April 26 (6:30 AM Start):
Half Marathon
This headline event begins and ends at Dollywood's Splash Country and includes a scenic journey that runs through the Dollywood Theme Park.



• All participants will enjoy:
• Exclusive inaugural race medals.
• An event-specific T-shirt and race bib.
• Live music and festive on-course entertainment.
• Post-race food and refreshments (for the Half Marathon).
• The opportunity to spend the rest of the day enjoying the park.

Registration is expected to open soon on the dedicated event page:
Dollywood.com/RunDollywood.

SPLASH COUNTRY'S 2026 CALENDAR

Link to SC Calendar:  https://hfe.widen.net/s/rrrswjffvf/dsc26_general_operatingcalendar

According to this article from WATE...

For the first time, Dollywood’s Splash Country will also be having Neon Nights during the upcoming season. The separately ticketed high-energy, glow-themed event featuring a live DJ, vibrant neon vibes, and unlimited access to select attractions.

2026 Season Pass Information

Blog Post - Click Here

🔵Blog Posts and other Helpful Trip Planning information - 

• Dollywood's 2026 Ride - Hidden Hollow Aviation - 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 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

🔴🔴Night Flight - DOLLYWOOD'S NEW INDOOR ADVENTURE RIDE FOR 2026🔴🔴

Hi Everyone,

Today is the big day that we learn all the details about Hidden Hollow Aviation NightFlight Expedition!  We've all been waiting for months and months.  We've been teased to death, Dollywood managed to keep this secret pretty tight to their chests....which is difficult to do.  

All of this information comes from the great folks at Dollywood...

https://www.dollywood.com/themepark/rides/nightflight-expedition/

Video

What is it?

Where is it?  

Here's some images I've used in previous content...

1. The large teal rectangle is where the building is in Wildwood Grove.  Earlier this summer, I super-imposed Blazing Fury over the construction area to compare the size of the two rides.  It appears as though NightFlight Expedition is almost TWICE as large as Blazing Fury.   
2. The 2nd image is the most up-to-date satellite map image that I could find...so it's more up to date.  Note that it does include the large earth mound below the building - and that mound is featured in the latest Video Teaser from Dollywood, so it appears to be connected in some type of way.  It's to the immediate right of the yellow-unrelated-arrow.
3. The Third image is a screengrab of the earthen mound from the teaser video.
4. The Fourth image is a wider view of the NightFlight Expedition site and rest of the park.

a Wider View of NightFlight Expedition - formerly known as Hidden Hollow Aviation - inside Dollywood

What kind of ride is this?

It is an indoor hybrid roller coaster and water ride.  It's not exactly the first of it's kind.  Mission Bermuda (See video below) opened in France earlier in 2025.  Please note that NightFlight Expedition will not look anything like M.B.  NightFlight Expedition will be utilizing much of the same EQUIPMENT.  NightFlight Expedition will be entirely indoors and will feature ''flight'' and a lake, and some river rapids, using over 500k gallons of water!  Pretty Cool!

Here's Mission Bermudes Video.  Again, NightFlight Expedition will use the same EQUIPMENT.  The ride experiences will of course be different at Dollywood.  We may see new things on NightFlight Expedition that we're not seeing here, so this is exciting!

What does this compare to?

I have made a comparison video of NightFlight and Mission Bermuda, the only other Mack Rocking Boat attraction in operation.  I hope this helps explain what we'll see at Dollywood as there are both similarities and differences in this other attraction - mainly NightFlight will be contained inside the 44sq ft. building.

Will I get wet?  

Maybe a little bit - a few drops and some mist perhaps, but you won't be dripping wet at the end of the ride.

Additional Media Coverage from September 17, 2025

🔷

🔷

🔷KnoxNews/USA Today...Click Here

🔷WATE-TV - ABC Affiliate in Knoxville - Click Here

🔷WVLT-TV - CBS Affiliate in Knoxville - Click Here

🔷WBIR-TV - NBC Affilate in Knoxville - Click Here (more details in this article compared to others)

I will continue to add to this post as new information becomes available to me!

🔵Blog Posts and other Helpful Trip Planning information - 

• 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.
• 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 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.

🌷🌺Photo Trip Report/Vlogs/Blog - Dollywood's Flower + Food Festival for 2025🌺🌷

Hi Everyone!

This article includes all of my visit to Flower + Food Festival AND A Photo Trip Report that include some of the pics from my visit.  I want to try and include a Photo Trip report in my blog for every visit this season!

Let's start with the videos, and below that the Photo Trip Report!

If they were put the videos in chronological order, they would go this way....

TRIP REPORT PHOTOS FROM PART ONE VIDEO

Click any pic to see a bigger version.

UMBRELLA SKY

UMBRELLA TOPIARY

DOLLY'S MOM MAKING THE COAT OF MANY COLORS

RACOON FAMILY TOPIARIES

RACOON

DOLLY'S TENNESSEE MOUNTAIN HOME

'DOLLYWOOD' SIGN UP ON HILLSIDE

TURTLE TOPIARY

TURTLE AND FROG TOPIARIES

BLACK BEAR FAMILY TOPIARIES

DOLLYWOOD EXPRESS PASSING BY

SMOKY MOUNTAIN RIVER RAMPAGE

SMOKY MOUNTAIN RIVER RAMPAGE

SMOKY MOUNTAIN RIVER RAMPAGE

SMOKY MOUNTAIN RIVER RAMPAGE

SMOKY MOUNTAIN RIVER RAMPAGE

SMOKY MOUNTAIN RIVER RAMPAGE

RIDING DOLLYWOOD EXPRESS

RIDING DOLLYWOOD EXPRESS

RIDING DOLLYWOOD EXPRESS -UPPER LOOP

RIDING DOLLYWOOD EXPRESS - WILDWOOD GROVE

RIDING DOLLYWOOD EXPRESS - PROJECT 2026

Link to my Blog Post about "Hidden Hollow Aviation" - Some Guesses and other details!  Click Here.

AKA - 'HIDDEN HOLLOW AVIATION'

RIDING DOLLYWOOD EXPRESS

RIDING DOLLYWOOD EXPRESS - GRIST MILL

NEW SIGN

PULLING INTO THE DEPOT

AWESOME JOB!

#70 CINDERELLA

#70 CINDERELLA

TRIP REPORT PHOTOS FROM PART TWO VIDEO

Click any pic to see a bigger version.

SKY OF MANY COLORS - FOR SUMMER FESTIVAL

GRIST MILL

DUCK TOPIARY

WATER WHEEL AND PRETTY LANDSCAPING

PRETTY LANDSCAPING IN C.VALLEY

PORK RINDS

BLACKSMITH SHOP

DAREDEVIL FALLS

DAREDEVIL FALLS

DAREDEVIL FALLS

DAREDEVIL FALLS

DAREDEVIL FALLS

TENNESSEE TORNADO

LOOKING BACK AT 'ADVENTURE MOUNTAIN', WHERE
FIRECHASER NOW SITS

LOOKING BACK AT 'ADVENTURE MOUNTAIN', WHERE
FIRECHASER NOW SITS

LOOKING BACK AT 'ADVENTURE MOUNTAIN', WHERE
FIRECHASER NOW SITS

FIRECHASER EXPRESS

FIRECHASER EXPRESS

NEW WILDERNESS PASS RESTAURANT

NEW WILDERNESS PASS RESTAURANT

NEW WILDERNESS PASS RESTAURANT

PROJECT 2026 - 'HIDDEN HOLLOW AVIATION', AS SEEN FROM WILDWOOD GROVE/BBM.

WILDWOOD CREEK

DUCKS IN THE FOUNTAIN

SHOWSTREET

UMBRELLA SKY W GREAT LIGHTING

NEW TOPIARY

COMMON SNAPPING TURTLE IN RIVERTOWN LAKE

EMPORIUM MERCH

EMPORIUM MERCH

EMPORIUM MERCH

EMPORIUM MERCH

🔵Blog Posts and other Helpful Trip Planning information - 

• 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.
• 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 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.