Pigeon Forge’s 21st Annual Winterfest may not formally kick off until November 9, 2010, but Pigeon Forge, Tennessee townies are already gearing up for this spectacular four-month celebration- and, so too are the tourists who look forward to this event year after year.
If you’ve never experienced Pigeon Forge’s Annual Winterfest, you should definitely make it a point to go this year.
The quaint, old mountain style towns of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg twinkle from head to toe during Winterfest, displaying an array of beautifully strung colored lights (over five million!). At first glimpse, it looks as if you’ve walked straight into an issue of Southern Living (Magazine) with a Christmas themed twist.
Winterfest isn’t all about aesthetics, however; it also boasts a large number of special events, live entertainment, fireworks, and free food.
FYI, if you want to be the first to see the splendiferous lights illuminate the whole town, and you don’t want to miss the fireworks, live entertainment, and free food, you’ll want to be there for the kickoff on November 9th. As a bonus, Sevierville’s Winterfest Kick Off on November 8th, which is aptly titled, “Music, Lights, and Magic,” will be in 3-D this year! Visitors can pick up the glasses at the Sevierville Visitor Center on Hwy 66 (while supplies last).
The number of special events scheduled to occur during the four-month long festival is far too long to list, but, we will be glad to share a choice few, for the purposes of inducing some excitation.
The Winterfest Trolley Tour of Lights is likely the easiest way to enjoy the Winterfest, since the trolley operators know where all of the light displays are located. The trolley tours will follow the kick off, starting November 10th, continuing through January 29, 2011.
The World’s Largest Titanic Museum will host “Christmas in a Winter Wonderland” from November 13 – January 1 and will run Friday and Saturday evenings at 7 pm. The show is FREE, so be sure to bring your camera’s, because it will snow- yes, really snow- at the Titanic. A follow-up to their “Christmas in a Winter Wonderland,” the Titanic Pigeon Forge will host its first ever professional ice carving competition on January 22, 2011 from 9 am – 3 pm. Again, this is a FREE family event, so come on down to the Titanic’s outdoor staging center, and watch both amateur and professional sculptors mold ice into fantastic pieces of art.
Of course, you can’t have a proper Winterfest without a parade. On December 4, Sevierville’s 48th Annual Christmas Parade will take place. This is a traditional hometown parade, complete with all things parade-like including baton twirlers, pageant winners, marching bands, and floats. Following the day time parade, will be Gatlinburg’s Fantasy of Lights Parade, which will begin at 7:30 pm. This parade will also have marching bands, as well as giant helium balloons, and a string of shimmering lights to keep the night sky sparkling as bright as day.
Take it from us, this is one festival you don’t want to miss, and here at iTrip.net, we have the ideal Pigeon Forge cabin rental to match your winter wonderland vacation. After spending the day out in the chilly weather, you’ll certainly want to snuggle up by a cozy fireplace, or take a dip in a hot jacuzzi.
To see a full list of events, and other related information, visit the official Pigeon Forge Winterfest website.
