Dolly Parton attends Opening Day for Dollywood’s 2026 season

by: Hope McAlee

Posted: Mar 13, 2026 / 07:12 AM EDT

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (WATE) — Friday is opening day at Dollywood, and East Tennessee icon Dolly Parton was in attendance for the first day of the park’s 41st season.

The park opened for the first day of the 2026 season and the I Will Always Love You Music Festival Friday at 10 a.m.

Parton, the park’s “Dreamer in Chief,” was joined by Dollywood Parks and Resorts President Eugene Naughton and started off the exclusive press and season ticket holder event by jokingly addressing that she has not been dating or gotten remarried since the death of her husband, Carl Dean, approximately a year ago.

She also shared that she’s been working on a variety of different projects, including re-releasing her song “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” the construction of a new hotel in Nashville, and a musical based on her life. Parton said she’s also been praying, writing, and getting ready for “a lot of new stuff,” adding that she “ain’t near done.”Behind the scenes: How to make Dollywood’s famous cinnamon bread

For the 2026 season, there are several changes that guests may notice at the park. One of the highly anticipated things happening this season is the opening of NightFlight Expedition, a $50 million first-of-its-kind mixed coaster and whitewater raft ride that will take guests on a five-and-a-half-minute journey. It is estimated that NighFlight Expedition will be able to serve 1,200 park visitors per hour.

Naughton said NightFlight Expedition is one of the most anticipated attractions in the theme park industry and it is the biggest thing they have done at Dollywood. The indoor coaster is also expected to add onto Dollywood’s Wildwood Grove story. The 11th coaster in the park will also be supported by a water tower that holds half a million gallons of water to feed the white water rapids portion of the ride.

“Y’all better hope and pray my water don’t break! That’s a lot of water! We won’t be having a baby, we’d be having a mess,” Parton jokes “That would wash Dollywood right off the map!”

Parton notoriously doesn’t ride Dollywood’s rollercoasters. Naughton added that he almost convinced Dolly to ride NightFlight Expedition until she saw the rapids portion of the coaster. Parton added that she doesn’t get get on the rides because she gets motion sickness and has too much to lose, including her hair.Second Dolly Parton-themed flight announced after first sold out

Another new thing Parton shared is that in honor of the United States’ 250th birthday, Dollywood will also be having a new light and drone show this year. Naughton also pointed out that the first race of the new Run Dollywood Race weekend already has 6,500 runners signed up.

In the short off season, the park has also been working to grow its infrastructure and improve the visitor experience. Dollywood has added more bathrooms for guests and also changed the steam engines in the Dollywood Express trains to oil-fueled, rather than coal.

Along with those changes, Dollywood and Dollywood’s Splash Country are also adding some after-hours events for the upcoming season. Every Friday and Saturday night from June 19 to August 1, Splash Country will be hosting “Neon Lights.” Dollywood will also be hosting “Harvey’s Boo Bash” on Oct. 16, 23, and 30 and “Great Pumpkin LumiNights” during the Harvest Festival.

Dollywood Parks and Resorts President Eugene Naughton previously shared that the park sees almost four million people yearly, with cars from 25 states or more present in the parking lot every day.