Dollywood is on a hiring spree for 2026 with seven events scheduled in January and February, and honestly the timing is interesting considering their historic steam train just went down indefinitely right in the middle of Christmas season.
The park announced back on December 20 that the Dollywood Express closed for “unscheduled maintenance” with no reopening date. That’s theme park speak for “something broke and we don’t know when it’ll be fixed.” The train has been operating since 1961, so yeah, stuff happens with vintage equipment. But closing during Smoky Mountain Christmas, one of their busiest periods? That’s rough.
Now they’re ramping up to hire hundreds of people for next season, including a ton of positions for their new indoor ride NightFlight Expedition. Plus they’re throwing around some pretty solid perks like 100 percent free tuition and free lunch every shift.
The Hiring Event Blitz
Positions go live on dollywoodjobs.com January 5, and the first big hiring event is January 17 at Sevier County High School from 9 AM to 3 PM. Then they’re hitting up multiple locations throughout the region:
- Morristown Landing: January 24
- Jefferson County High School: January 31
- Newport Community Center: February 7
- Sevierville Civic Center: February 14
- Seymour High School: February 21
Most events run 9 AM to 3 PM except Newport which ends at 2 PM. Dollywood says most people get hired on the spot, so if you show up with your paperwork ready, you could walk out with a job at the park, Splash Country, or one of their resort properties.
They’re recommending people hit the earliest event possible for the best selection of jobs, which is code for “all the good positions will be gone by February.”
What They’re Actually Hiring For
Pretty much everything across all their properties. The main park needs ride operators, culinary staff, merchandise teams, ticketing, transportation, and maintenance. Splash Country wants lifeguards, food service, and grounds crew. The resorts are looking for front desk, housekeeping, valet, and food and beverage staff.
The big deal is NightFlight Expedition, their new ride opening next season. Dollywood’s calling it “the most anticipated new ride in Dollywood’s history,” which is a bold claim but whatever, marketing gonna market. The indoor temperature-controlled design means it can operate year-round, so those positions aren’t just seasonal summer gigs.
You can work the full season or just peak periods like summer or Christmas. Minimum age is 14, which means high school kids can apply. Technical support will be at the events if you need help with the online application.
The Benefits Are Actually Good
Here’s where Dollywood stands out from typical theme park jobs. They’re offering 100 percent free tuition through Herschend’s GROW U program. That’s not partial reimbursement or scholarship eligibility, that’s fully covered education. For students working their way through college, that’s potentially worth tens of thousands of dollars.
Free lunch every working shift means you’re not spending your paycheck on overpriced theme park food. Complimentary park admission for family and friends is standard theme park stuff, but it’s nice. The Park Perks program gets you discounts at other regional attractions too.
Access to the Dollywood Family Healthcare Center is convenient for employees who need medical care. They also cover part of childcare costs if you use Upwards-affiliated providers, which is huge for parents because childcare is expensive.
Full-time employees get medical, dental, and vision coverage. There’s an apprenticeship program with Walters State Community College for people interested in leadership development and moving up within the company.
The Train Situation
It was originally Rebel Railroad, became Gold Rush Junction in 1966, then the main attraction for Silver Dollar City Tennessee starting in 1976. When Dolly took over, everything got rebranded including the train.
The Express went through scheduled maintenance in summer 2025, but apparently whatever they fixed then isn’t related to why it’s down now. Or maybe it is and the repairs didn’t hold. Either way, it’s been closed since December 20 with no announced reopening date.
Closing a signature attraction during peak season creates operational headaches. Staff has to redirect guests, answer questions about when it’s reopening (which they don’t know), and manage disappointed visitors who specifically wanted to ride the historic train.
The fact that this happened right before Dollywood launches their biggest hiring push suggests they need bodies to handle these kinds of situations when things go sideways operationally.
What This All Means
Dollywood is clearly not slowing down despite recent operational issues. They’re pushing forward with NightFlight Expedition, maintaining aggressive hiring targets, and offering benefits that actually compete with non-theme park employment.
The free tuition alone makes this attractive for anyone pursuing education while working. The childcare assistance and healthcare access matter for families. Full-time positions with benefits and advancement opportunities through leadership programs create career pathways beyond just seasonal work.
Whether the Dollywood Express reopens before the 2026 season starts remains unclear. The park hasn’t provided updates beyond the initial “unscheduled maintenance” announcement. But they’re moving forward with hiring regardless, suggesting one broken-down train isn’t derailing their expansion plans.
If you’re in the Smoky Mountain region and looking for work, the January hiring events are worth checking out. Just maybe don’t specifically apply to operate the Dollywood Express since it’s currently not operating and nobody knows when it’ll run again.
