After 40 Years, Dolly Parton Confirms Closure of Dollywood Theme Park
Dolly Parton’s signature theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, has officially closed its doors following a historic 40th anniversary season. Dollywood confirmed the closure on social media after welcoming its last guests on January 4, 2026, marking the end of a year-long celebration honoring four decades of Smoky Mountain entertainment.
Instagram Announcement Confirms Shutdown
Dollywood posted a farewell message to Instagram after Sunday’s final day of operations, thanking visitors for participating in the milestone season. The post read:
We’ve loved making memories worth repeating with you! 🦋 Thank you for making our 40th anniversary season unforgettable.
View this post on Instagram
The closure takes effect January 5, 2026, shutting down all rides, attractions, and entertainment at the Tennessee vacation destination.
Technical Troubles Mar Anniversary Year
Despite celebrating 40 years of operation, Dollywood’s anniversary season encountered several operational setbacks. The Dollywood Express steam train shut down unexpectedly in December after experiencing technical difficulties. The closure came as a surprise, as the attraction had been refurbished earlier in the year, specifically for its anniversary celebration.
Guest comments on Dollywood’s Instagram post reveal that the beloved steam train never resumed operations before the park closed for the season on January 4, disappointing visitors who had hoped to ride the classic attraction one last time.
Beverage Restrictions Anger Guests
Dollywood stirred controversy in the final days of its 40th season by installing computerized fountain drink machines. The high-tech dispensers monitor exactly how much soda and other self-serve beverages each guest pours, automatically cutting off access after one refill.
Social media users expressed frustration with the new system, viewing the refill limitation as an unwelcome change to the Dollywood experience.
Reopening Scheduled
Luckily, Dollywood’s closure is only temporary. Dolly Parton’s theme park will reopen to guests on Friday, March 13, 2026, marking the launch of its 41st season of operation.
The I Will Always Love You Music Festival kicks off the new season, running from March 13 through April 12. Dollywood will then cycle through its established seasonal programming—the Flower & Food Festival in spring, Smoky Mountain Summer during peak vacation months, and Harvest Festival in fall, featuring Great Pumpkin LumiNights.
New Halloween Experience Announced
Dollywood plans to introduce Harvey’s Boo Bash in 2026, marking the park’s first after-hours Halloween event that requires separate ticket purchases. The special nighttime experience will take over the Smoky Mountain theme park on select evenings throughout the Halloween season.
The separately ticketed format mirrors hard-ticketed Halloween events at other major theme parks, like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Walt Disney World Resort and Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland Resort.
Have you ever visited Dollywood? Share your favorite memories with Disney Dining in the comments!
Dollywood is NOT closing at this time. Bad information
Re opening in March. Whenever they have a closure here it’s always bad information. Abruptly closing as reported on here – actually abruptly closing due to weather which they fail to mention everytime
Jerk article. I was preparing to call and cancel hotel reservations that my wife and I were going to use when we took our granddaughter to Dollywood this summer! That article is almost criminal!
Oh my ❤️ dropped at this news, but should have known media would screw it up! Closing temporarily until March reopen. I rode the steam engine at least twice each visit!! Hope it’s back in service in March. Dolly you’re the best!! I love the Pirates Dinner Theater.
Stupid BS article.
NOT closing. Stop reporting misguided information and get new reporters.
They do this every year. What a stupid article. Removing this service from my accepted list of news providers.
This article is extremely misleading, mostly inaccurate, and should be removed. Dollywood temporarily closes every year from January to March due to off season tourism. The train can be heard all around the Smokies throughout most of the year.
This article has a misleading title that should be changed immediately. That all these comments state that and you have decided to keep the title tells me you are a poor news site and unworthy of any future clicks.
61 years old and I’ve been to Dollywood ever since it opened but I went there younger when it was smoking out in railroad and something like else about years ago. No stupid don’t know those things. I wish they had a little more about that at Dollywood. You know, would show some older pictures of it. I always had a great time so have my kids and my grandkids .