This summer, Dolly Parton is embarking on a 60-city tour throughout the United States and Canada and she is making a special stop in Pigeon Forge, TN. On Nov. 15, Dolly will return to her hometown for a special concert which will benefit her Imagination Library.
Dolly's set list during the tour includes a number of hit songs, with a few new offerings from her double-disc album "Pure & Simple with Dolly’s Biggest Hits." She will also perform a number of hits that have not been heard live by some fans in decades.
Tickets go on sale to Dollywood season passholders on June 15 and to the general public on July 1. The concert is set for Nov. 15 at LeConte Center in Pigeon Forge, TN.
UPDATE July 5: SOLD OUT
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is a book gifting organization which began in Sevier County, TN. The program, inspired by Dolly's father, has sent over 77 million free books to children in Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and the United States.
View Dolly Parton's Pure & Simple Tour Schedule.
Dollywood will kick off the park's 31st season on March 19, with Festival of Nations presented by Humana. Now in its 16th season, the annual festival features two popular returning acts as well as several all-new performances.
Representing Ecuador, Atahualpa combines native Incan instruments with contemporary backups to celebrate the history and culture of the Andes Mountains. Vadim Kolpakov leads Via Romen in presenting traditional and modern European and Russian-Romani (Gypsy) music. Celtic Coast features original music and traditional tunes inspired by the diverse musical heritage of Nova Scotia, Canada. Other artists appearing hail from Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, China and many more. Dolly said,
“Festival of Nations truly is a special time of year at my Dollywood. I’ve been lucky enough to experience the great entertainment and cultures of countries all over the world. I’m so proud to bring these amazing performers to Dollywood so they can share their tremendous talents with all our guests.”
Returning acts include park favorites Mother Africa and Los Pampas Gauchos from Argentina.
In addition to world-class entertainment offered to guests of Festival of Nations, Dollywood has cooked up some of the most diverse dishes from around the world. A myriad of exotic recipes, available throughout the park, sends guests’ taste buds on a trip during each visit to Dollywood’s award-winning food locations.
Guests can find hibachi teriyaki chicken and vegetables from Japan, beef lo mein and egg noodles from China, classic flatbreads from Greece and Italy, tacos with Colombian pork or Mexican shredded beef and much more. For those with a sweet tooth, delectable delights from around the world are available, including various crepes from France, England and Belgium.
Purchase tickets and see the entertainment schedule at Dollywood.com.
Photos courtesy of Curtis Hilbun
Talk show and radio host, Andy Cohen visited Dollywood for a SiriusXM Town Hall featuring Dolly Parton. Before the candid interview, he toured Dolly's Chasing Rainbows museum inside the park and shared a photo on Instagram of his favorite Dolly costumes. He also presented Dolly with two baskets filled with books to honor her book gifting organization, Imagination Library.
Andy helped field questions from the audience and chatted with Dolly about her husband, upcoming tour, movies and a variety of other topics.
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Andy and Dolly recorded the show Live at Dollywood.
It will air on SiriusXM (channel 102), Friday, May 13, 2016, at 4 PM (EST).
Follow Andy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Sweet sounds from the biggest names in bluegrass and the tangy tastes of the greatest barbeque in the South create a perfect harmony for guests during Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass (May 13-22). Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, Blue Highway, Dailey & Vincent and The Willis Clan are just a small selection of the talented bluegrass pickers taking to the stage during Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass. Dolly Parton said,
“It always is a special treat to have these great bluegrass performers during my Barbeque & Bluegrass festival at Dollywood. There is nothing like listening to these award-winning performers when they take the stage to share their talents with our guests. There is only one thing that makes the music better and that is a plate full of our famous southern barbeque—especially the ribs!”
Rhonda Vincent & The Rage (May 15-16) are among the acts to help get the festival started on a high note. An impressive calendar of bluegrass talent performs throughout the event with more than 250 concerts scheduled during the festival. Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver set up shop May 18 while Dailey & Vincent take the stage May 18-19. Other Barbeque & Bluegrass artists include Blue Highway (May 20), The Boxcars (May 22) and Balsam Range (May 22). The lineup also includes The Willis Clan (May 15), stars of the TLC show "The Willis Family."
Rhonda Vincent, one of bluegrass music’s most well-known performers, is a mainstay during the park’s annual festival and says the experience is unlike any other for her. Rhonda said,
“We always love performing at Dollywood. There’s a special excitement in the air every time we perform there, and it comes through in the show and in the response of everyone in the crowd. We can’t wait to get there!”
Dollywood’s award-winning food perfectly complements the sounds of bluegrass music’s finest. The aroma of bold barbeque wafts through the air, thanks to expertly-prepared pulled pork, smoked sausage and chicken, and slabs of ribs. Bountiful barbeque entrees are accompanied by Southern favorites like baked beans, corn on the cob and more. Guests also can find a number of sweet treats to put an exclamation point on their meal!
From bluegrass favorites and tangy barbeque at Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass to the park’s award-winning rides and family-friendly atmosphere, every season features amazing new memory-making moments to celebrate.
All concerts are free and included with park admission. Discover more about Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.
Whether it’s performing for the nation on "America’s Got Talent," sharing the stories of their day-to-day life on their own TLC reality show, or treating Dollywood guests to a toe-tapping concert, the Willis family shows no signs of slowing down.
Among the many talented performers during Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass (May 13-22), The Willis Clan is slated to take the stage on May 15 for what promises to be a fun show for guests. The extremely talented family band is comprised of Toby and Brenda Willis’ 12 children. While the band has performed at Dollywood in the past, it was a recent appearance on NBC’s "America’s Got Talent" which saw their fortunes rise.
As one may expect, playing on national television was a game-changer for the family. The family’s third-oldest child, Jennifer, serves as the road manager for the band. She is also a multi-talented musician, counting the accordion, fiddle, piano, mandolin, electric and acoustic guitar, banjo and ukulele among her instruments of choice. Jennifer said,
"'America’s Got Talent' changed our normal life. Our fan base really grew because of it. We didn’t get as far as we would have liked, but it was enjoyable and everything happens for a reason. TLC saw us on the show and that is how the ball started rolling."
While their time on season nine of "America’s Got Talent" ended in the quarterfinals, TLC saw great potential in the family, creating a show named "The Willis Family" to document their daily experiences. The Willis Clan sees the show as an opportunity to inspire their viewers through both good and bad times they may be facing. Jennifer commented,
"There are pros and cons to a reality show. The pros are that it is great exposure for the band, and we love sharing our talents, our music and our core family values. The downsides are that people see when you struggle through things. They see when you have bad days, but we think it is important for people to see what is authentic. If everything was always good, people couldn’t relate. We all struggle; we want to be good role models by the ways in which we handle our issues."
Watching the show, viewers quickly understand two things; The Willis Clan likes to have fun, and they enjoy doing what they love as a family. Jennifer said,
"We feel so blessed and fortunate to do what we love as our business, and on top of that, we feel honored to do it with our family. So many people have to leave their family to do their job, we feel blessed to have the opportunity to do what we do with family."
When it comes to having fun, there is no better place for The Willis Clan to perform than Dollywood. Having visited the park as both guests and performers, Willis says her family knows they are in for a treat every time they visit the award-winning park. She said,
"We absolutely love it. I was born in Chicago, so I was a city kid. When I was young, coming to Dollywood was a blast. It was a highlight of the year to go to Dollywood. The rides and the theme park are great, but being from a musical family, and an artistic family in general, we loved the music, the crafts and the shops, too.
"Dollywood was the whole package for us. Mom and Dad, all the way down to the younger kids, could enjoy it. Coming to play now is such an honor for us because it was such a magical place to us growing up, and we love being integrated in to it now."
For guests ready to see the family in action, Willis said there may be a few surprises in store during the Dollywood appearance. Jennifer explained,
"The band is going through some good changes. People are growing up and starting to take on new roles. The show will have a great variety, lots of music, definitely some dancing, but you may see new members of the band getting up and performing. You also may see other members doing things they wouldn’t normally do. People are starting to branch out, and we are really excited about it."
Discover more about Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass
