The 2018 Dolly Parade in Pigeon Forge, TN was formally known as the Annual Dolly’s Homecoming Parade where Dolly Parton serves as the grand marshal. Some also called it the Dollywood Parade. The Dolly Parade 2018 has been renamed “Music in the Mountains Spring Parade” and Dolly Parton is no longer the Grand Marshall. We have full details on this announcement in a separate article. The parade will take place on May 4 and begin around 6pm on the Pigeon Forge Parkway. The parade traditionally features numerous floats, marching bands, entertainers from area shows, baton twirlers, horses, etc. The annual Pigeon Forge parade is arguably the largest parade in the region as it draws more that 50,000 visitors lining the parkway of Pigeon Forge, TN.
The Pigeon Forge parade route takes place at 6pm (eastern time) on the main parkway in Pigeon Forge beginning near traffic light #6 and heads northbound (toward Sevierville) to traffic light #3 (at The Track). The parade takes up the entire northbound lanes, so all regular traffic is bottlenecked into the southbound lane. The 2018 Pigeon Forge parade begins around 6pm so please keep this in mind if you are planning to arrive in Pigeon Forge anywhere between 5pm and 8pm as traffic will be abnormally congested during that time.
Dolly Parton typically makes an appearance at Dollywood on Friday at 4pm and can be seen touring through the park from Heartsong Theater (near the train depot) to Showstreet Theater (near the entrance) and then again on Saturday at 4pm going from Showstreet to Heartsong. Typically, her park tour consists of a horse drawn carriage ride through the park. Park officials begin roping off the path about 20 minutes prior to her tour, so when you see the ropes make sure to grab a good spot for pictures! This is of course dependent on weather, her tour schedule, etc so this is not “guaranteed”.
Be sure to check out our ultimate guide of Dollywood coupons and discount tickets to save money when visiting Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN. Also check out our guide of Pigeon Forge coupons for other discounts on Pigeon Forge restaurants, attractions, lodging, and more!