Christmas in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is one of the best times to visit! There’s so much to see in do during the holidays in this cozy, mountain town. From celebrating Winterfest at the Island, Christmas at the Old Mill District, and Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas to attending a famous Christmas dinner show, experiencing Christmas at the Titanic Museum, seeing Christmas lights at Patriot Park, or even staying in a Christmas-themed hotel at the Christmas Place, these are the absolute best places to visit and things to do to celebrate Christmas in Pigeon Forge in 2022:
1. Winterfest at the Island in Pigeon Forge
The Island in Pigeon Forge is a 23-acre playground that features shopping, restaurants, entertainment, and even a hotel. During Christmas, it hosts the Pigeon Forge Winterfest celebration and comes alive with millions of Christmas lights at night. The iconic, 200-foot-tall Ferris wheel–also known as The Great Smoky Mountain Wheel–glows in alternating combinations of green and red to celebrate the holidays. If you choose to ride during the daytime, you’ll be able to experience breathtaking views of the Great Smoky Mountains from the comfortable seat of an all-glass gondola. The Pigeon Forge Island Show Fountain is another must-see attraction that defines Winterfest! It’s choreographed to holiday music during Christmas, projecting water 60 feet into the air in a show of dancing water and light. It’s one of our favorite shows in Pigeon Forge, and you can expect to see it play once every 30 minutes! New for the 2022 Winterfest at the Island in Pigeon Forge are 40-foot-high, choreographed, LED Christmas trees that will be featured as a part of the Island Fountain Show, with hourly performances every evening at 6, 7, 8, and 9 PM.
2. Christmas at the Old Mill District
The historic Old Mill District dates back to 1830, when the gristmill was first built along the river to grind corn for settlers in the region. The first post office would be placed inside the mill eleven years later, and the community of Pigeon Forge would officially be born then. Today, the Old Mill is still a functioning mill and has become one of the most beloved tourist spots in the entire town. It grinds 700,000 pounds of grains each year, and visitors are able to purchase bags to take home with them. These same grains are also used in an on-site restaurant to prepare fresh, family-style meals to over 1.3 million guests every year.
During Christmas in Pigeon Forge, you can have dinner at the Old Mill Restaurant and see the building’s exterior lit up in a soft holiday glow. Inside the General Store, you can also purchase little bags of food to feed the ducks outside. There’s also the Old Mill Candy Kitchen, and it’s the perfect spot to take home fresh-baked Christmas treats for the holidays. Even the Old Forge Distillery uses grains ground from the mill in the production of its award-winning spirits, so this is a unique shopping experience you won’t want to pass up.
The Old Mill District is also one of the stops on the Pigeon Forge Winterfest Lights Driving Tour, so be sure to drive underneath the bridge full of colorful Christmas lights while you’re in this area.
3. The Christmas Place
The Incredible Christmas Place is a year-round Christmas celebration and store located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. They’ve been in business for over 30 years and pride themselves on being the South’s largest Christmas shopping village. There’s a hotel on-site as well. If you’ve ever wanted to stay at a Christmas-themed hotel in Pigeon Forge, then The Inn at Christmas Place will make your holiday dreams come true.
4. Christmas Village at Patriot Park
Patriot Park is home to the largest collection of Christmas lights in Pigeon Forge with a distinctly American theme. There are multiple displays featured across the park, including a 40-foot tribute to America’s Armed forces, which features the American flag being raised at the historic Battle of Iwo Jima during World War Two.
The annual Pigeon Forge Winterfest Kickoff is held in Patriot Park as well, so if you’re able to attend on Thursday, November 10th, 2022, that’s the day when the holiday season officially begins in Pigeon Forge. This event is marked by a lighting ceremony that evening, as well as a craft fair that will run from 5 to 9 PM. Other events will be held in Patriot Park on November 10-13, 18-20, and Nov. 25-27 as a part of the Wonders of Winterfest Christmas Village at Patriot Park, with more details to be revealed later as it gets closer to Christmas.
5. Pigeon Forge Winterfest Lights Driving Tour
This is the best way to see Christmas lights in Pigeon Forge. Ever year, the small town hosts a drive-through Christmas light tour called the Winterfest Lights Driving Tour. It takes two full months for the town to finish putting all the lights up, and they start working on them in summer in order to be ready by November. Expect over five million Christmas lights in 2022, spread out across nearly 25 different drive-through spots located on the tour!
6. Pigeon Forge Christmas Dinner Shows
Christmas-themed dinner shows are another popular way to have a merry Pigeon Forge Christmas. This little town is full of dinner theater shows, but these are the two most popular that you must try if you get the chance:
Christmas at Dolly Parton’s Stampede
During Christmas at Dolly Parton’s Stampede, the popular, year-round, horse-themed, dinner show is transformed for the holidays into a magical production you can only experience at Christmastime. Watch as Elves from the North Pole and South Pole compete in the Stampede Arena while you dine on a four course feast. Expect exciting horse riding stunts, twinkling lights, spectacular special effects, festive Christmas décor, old-fashioned holiday costumes, and a special Christmas-themed soundtrack. The show runs throughout November and December, and you can purchase tickets on their website here. If you arrive early, you can take a stroll down their Horse Walk to meet the stars of the show–the beloved horses–and learn about their different breeds and personalities.
Hatfield & McCoy Christmas Disaster Dinner Feud
The Hatfield & McCoy Christmas dinner show features holiday-themed singing, dancing, stunts, comedy, and lots of silliness as it unfolds a tale of two feudin’ families brought together for a night of Christmas dinner and entertainment. You’ll be joining in the feasting as well, in southern barbecue style with fried chicken and pulled pork. For their full menu, or to purchase tickets, visit their website here.
7. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas
Over five million Christmas lights sparkle at Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas celebration, which runs from November through January every year at the iconic amusem*nt park. There will be holiday shows and even Christmas-themed menus, in addition to all the theme park rides you can stand! This is one of the most famous things to do for Christmas in Pigeon Forge, and people travel from all over the U.S. every winter just to experience it!
8. Pigeon Forge Christmas at the Titanic Museum
The Titanic Museum in Pigeon Forge gets extra festive for the holidays, spending over $100,000 each year to deck itself out in twinkling lights and Christmas decor. Experience what life was like aboard the Titanic in 1912, as well as what a voyage might have looked like during Christmas over a hundred years ago. The highlight of this unique experience is being able to walk an exact replica ofTitanic’sGrand Staircase, complete with the oak carvings and cherub statue from the original Harland & Wolff plans. You’ll also get the chance to try to stand on a recreation of the sinking ship’s sloping decks right before the Titanic plunged beneath the waves, feel an iceberg and 28 degree Fahrenheit water, learn how to send an SOS distress signal, receive a boarding pass replica of an actual passenger from the 1912 voyage, and then learn their fate in the TitanicMemorial Room.
9. 2022 Annual Christmas Parade
2022 Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade
If you’re hoping to see a Christmas parade in Pigeon Forge in 2022, you’ll have to head to neighboring small town, Gatlinburg, but it’s just a short, five-mile drive from Pigeon Forge and there will be so many other things to do in Gatlinburg while you’re there to make it well worth your time! In 2022, the annual Fantasy of Lights Christmas Parade will kickoff at 7:30 PM on Friday, December 2nd, and run along East Parkway from Baskins Creek Bypass to Traffic Light #10.
2022 Sevierville Christmas Parade
Alternatively, you can also attend the 2022 Sevierville Christmas Parade at 11:00 AM on Saturday, December 3rd. This small town is also nearby–just six miles away–and the parade will follow a loop connecting three streets: Forks of the River Parkway, Main Street, and Court Avenue.
