2009 Gatlinburg Area Events

WINTER

Event Name: Trolley Ride of Lights  
Date(s): November 4, 2008 - January 30, 2009
Season: Winter
Category: Entertainment
Description: Enjoy a guided trolley ride of the spectacular Gatlinburg Winter Magic lighting displays.
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Contact Info: (865) 436-0535
Admission: $5.00
 
Event Name: Smoky Mountain Winterfest  
Date(s): November 5, 2008 - February 28, 2009
Season: Winter
Category: Arts, Entertainment, Parades
Description: The City of Gatlinburg magically lights up the winter nights with millions of spectacular lights and lighted displays from November through February.
Location: Throughout Gatlinburg
 
Event Name: Gatlinburg Winter Magic  
Date(s): November 5, 2008 - February 28, 2009
Season: Winter
Category: Entertainment
Description: Enjoy more than three million twinkling lights, illuminated forests and animated displays up to 40 feet tall.
Location: Throughout Gatlinburg
 
Event Name: Tennessee Winter Special Olympics  
Date(s): January 26 - 27
Season: Winter
Category: Entertainment
Description: Watch and cheer as Special Olympics athletes compete for the gold in their annual Winter Olympics day.
Location: Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort
 
Event Name: Southern Exposure Competitions  
Date(s): February 6
Season: Winter
Category: Entertainment
Description: Watch or compete as skiiers and snowboarders take to the slopes for an afternoon of competition!
Location: Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort

SPRING

Event Name: Celebrate Santa  
Date(s): March 16 - 18
Season: Spring
Category: Entertainment
Description: Santa Claus is coming to Gatlinburg! And Mrs. Claus, and the reindeer, too. It's the biggest convention of jolly old elves you can imagine!
Location: Gatlinburg Convention Center
Contact Info: (865) 244-5231
Admission: Yes
 
Event Name: Mountain Man March  
Date(s): April 4
Season: Spring
Category:
Description: The Second Annual Mountain Man March is a 26.2-mile march in the Smoky Mountains as a tribute to our men and women in uniform. The Mountain Man March begins at 7 a.m. on Saturday, April 4 in downtown Gatlinburg and proceeds up Hwy. 321 to Pittman Center. The marathon course includes stretches of highway and rural road in addition to rugged terrain and mountain slopes.
Location: Gatlinburg
Contact Info: 865-974-8858
 
Event Name: Arts & Crafts Community Show  
Date(s): April 8 - 11
Season: Spring
Category: Arts, Entertainment, History
Description: Unique handcrafted gifts made by members of the Great Smoky Arts & Crafts Community as they host their annual show at the Gatlinburg Convention Center.
Location: Gatlinburg Convention Center
Admission: Free
 
Event Name: Ribfest & Wings  
Date(s): April 23
Season: Spring
Category: Entertainment, Fundraiser, Food
Description: One of Gatlinburg's rites of spring is this street party with live entertainment and finger-lickin' ribs & wings!
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Admission: Yes
 
Event Name: 59th Annual Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage  
Date(s): April 22 - 26
Season: Spring
Category:
Description: Enjoy the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with over 150 different programs, including hiking tours, motorcades, demonstrations & classroom lectures. “It is a rare opportunity for those with a personal love of flowers to have the same access to leaders in the field as researchers”, said Ken McFarland, a botanist and professor at the University of Tennessee.
Location: W.L. Mills Conference Center & various venues
Contact Info: 865-436-7318
 
Event Name: Gatlinburg Scottish Festival & Games  
Date(s): May 15 - 17
Season: Spring
Category: Entertainment, Food, History, Parades
Description: 28th Annual Scottish clans meeting featuring Highland athletics, bagpipe competitions, Highland dancing, border collie demonstrations, haggis hurling, entertainment, whiskey tasting, food & merchandise vendors.
Location: Mills Park
Admission: daily fee
 
Event Name: Gatlinburg Fine Arts Festival  
Date(s): May 16 - 17
Season: Spring
Category: Arts, Entertainment, Food
Description: A family oriented fine arts festival featuring juried artists from around the country, delicious cuisine and music on Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies Plaza and River Road.
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Admission: FREE
 
Event Name: Gatlinburg SpringFest  
Date(s): March 11 - June 7
Season: Spring
Category: Arts, Entertainment, Food, History
Description: Ahhh...Springtime in the Smokies! There's no better time to enjoy nature and festivals of all types.
Location: Throughout Gatlinburg
 
Event Name: Holly and Shamrock Parade - St. Nicholas Meets St. Patrick  
Date(s): March 17
Season: Spring
Category: Entertainment, Parades
Description: St. Nicholas & St. Patrick – Together At Last! For the first time these two Saints will meet and march together in the first Holly & Shamrock Parade in the nation. And what would a parade be without bands? And we have a great one. The All Santa Band will be playing for your entertainment, as well as high school bands, pipe and drum corps and some very unique musical groups. And talk about sleighs! The parade will have everything from carriages to the famous Cyber Sleigh! As with all of Santa’s parades there will be lots of floats from some of the biggest entertainment venues and resorts in Gatlinburg. See holly with shamrocks, elves and leprechauns, winter saying hello to spring, and of course, red and green everywhere as you have never seen it before!
Location: Downtown
Admission: Free
 
Event Name: Easter Sunrise at Ober  
Date(s): April 12
Season: Spring
Category:
Description: Soak up Easter Sunday sunrise from the top of Mt. Harrison at Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort during this service sponsored by the Gatlinburg Ministerial Association.
Location: Ober Gatlinburg Ski Resort
Contact Info:
Top of Mt. Harrison
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Admission: Free
 
Event Name: Gatlinburg MountainFest  
Date(s): April 24 - 25
Season: Spring
Category: Arts, Entertainment, Food, History
Description: Life in the Mountains was hard work in olden days, which made festivities all the more special. Join in two days of mountain-style entertainment, food and crafts!
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Admission: Free
 
Event Name: Gatlinburg Screenfest  
Date(s): March 13 - 15
Season: Spring
Category: Arts, Entertainment
Description: Gatlinburg Screenfest, the city of Gatlinburg’s first annual film festival, will feature independent films and filmmakers from all over the nation.
Location: River Terrace Resort
Contact Info: 865/809-4106
Admission: Yes
 
Event Name: Gatlinburg Gateway Triathlon  
Date(s): March 28
Season: Spring
Category: Entertainment
Description: The third annual triathlon at the Community Center starts at 8:15 a.m. and is open to anyone 15 years and older capable of swimming one-half mile, biking twenty kilometers, and running five kilometers consecutively.
Location: Gatlinburg Community Center
Contact Info: 865/436-4990
Admission: Entry Fee
 
Event Name: Nashville Suzuki Players  
Date(s): March 19
Season: Spring
Category: Arts, Entertainment
Description: Under the direction of Thornton Hill, the Nashville Suzuki Players will perform two free concerts on Gatlinburg on Thursday, March 19 – at noon at Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, and at 7 p.m. at W.L. Mills Auditorium
Location: W.L. Mills Auditorium
Contact Info: 865-430-4148
Admission: Free

SUMMER

Event Name: Living History Civil War Reenactment  
Date(s): June 19 - 20
Season: Summer
Category: Entertainment, History
Description: The recreation of the “Battle of Burg Hill” highlights this living history exhibition which includes public demonstration and a camp setting with plenty of history and heritage.
Location: Mills Park
Admission: Free

Event Name: "Stand Here" Fireworks Finale  
Date(s): July 4
Season: Summer
Category: Entertainment
Description: Finish off the 4th in style with a magnificent fireworks show visible from the downtown streets of Gatlinburg!
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Admission: Free

Event Name: Midnight Independence Day Parade  
Date(s): July 3 - 4
Season: Summer
Category: Entertainment, Parades
Description: The first 4th of July Parade in the good ol' U.S.A. happens in Gatlinburg. Join us for a fun-packed Holiday when the celebration of our nation's birthday begins at 12:01 a.m. in Downtown.
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Admission: Free

Event Name: Gatlinburg's River Raft Regatta  
Date(s): July 4
Season: Summer
Category: Entertainment
Description: Gatlinburg’s popular River Raft Regatta takes place at noon on Friday, July 4th, on the Little Pigeon River in Downtown Gatlinburg.
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Admission: Free

Event Name: Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair  
Date(s): July 17 - 26
Season: Summer
Category: Arts, Entertainment
Description: Art, crafts and music lovers can find almost 200 booths featuring some of the nation's finest work. Artisans and craftspeople are on hand to demonstrate their skills, answer questions and offer their unique art for sale. Live Country & Bluegrass entertainment. Open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: Gatlinburg Convention Center
Contact Info: 865/436-7479
Admission: Yes

Event Name: Smoky Mountain Tunes and Tales  
Date(s): June 12 - August 8
Season: Summer
Category: Arts, Entertainment, History
Description: All summer long hear tales, mountain music, and learn the lore of the Smoky Mountains on the sidewalks of downtown Gatlinburg. Fourteen acts nightly. 5 - 10 p.m.
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Admission: Free

Event Name: Gatlinburg Old Timer's Day - The Park was our Home  
Date(s): June 6
Season: Summer
Category: History
Description: Residents gather to reminisce about the days before the establishment of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Location: Gatlinburg Inn
Contact Info: 865/436-0500
Admission: No

FALL

Event Name: Gatlinburg Craftsmen's Fair  
Date(s): October 8 - 25
Season: Fall
Category: Arts, Entertainment
Description: More than 200 booths featuring some of the nation's finest work. Artists demonstrating on site, selling art. Live music.
Location: Gatlinburg Convention Center
Admission: $5.00

Event Name: Smoky Mountain Harvest Festival  
Date(s): September 18 - October 31
Season: Fall
Category: Arts, Entertainment, History
Description: Fall decorations, old fashioned hayrides, events, entertainment, and local craft exhibits.
Location: throughout Gatlinburg
Admission: FREE

Event Name: Fall Foliage in the Smokies  
Date(s): September 15 - November 15
Season: Fall
Category: Entertainment
Description: The notion that peak color season in Great Smoky Mountains National Park happens in mid-October is a misconception. The marvelous colors of autumn actually light up the Smokies for seven weeks or more as the peak elevations move down the mountainsides from the highest elevations to the foothills.
Location: Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Admission: Free

Event Name: A Taste of Autumn  
Date(s): September 24
Season: Fall
Category: Fundraiser, Food
Description: Sample signature dishes from the area's finest restaurants. Enjoy live entertainment, live auction with a cash bar. Proceeds benefit United Way of Sevier County.
Location: Gatlinburg Convention Center
Admission: Yes

Event Name: Winter Magic Kickoff & Chili Cookoff  
Date(s): November 4
Season: Fall
Category: Entertainment, Fundraiser, Food
Description: Gatlinburg lights up the city with millions of winter lights, an award winning chili contest and live entertainment. Come join us!
Location: Downtown Gatlinburg
Admission: Yes