The festival features a stellar lineup of bluegrass music’s best artists as well as expertly-prepared barbeque from Dollywood’s Golden Ticket Award-winning foods team.
The opening weekend of the festival kicks off with The Gibson Brothers (May 25) and the “Queen of Bluegrass” Rhonda Vincent & The Rage (May 26-27). Dailey & Vincent (May 29-30), Molly Tuttle (May 31) and The Seldom Scene (June 5) are among the headliners during the festival. Seven-time International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Vocal Group of the Year Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver (June 7) also makes an appearance during the event.
“When I decided this would be the Season of Showstoppers,” Dolly Parton began, “I couldn’t wait to see what kind of talent our folks would be able to round up to perform during my Barbeque & Bluegrass festival. Well, I’ll tell you they definitely did me proud, because it’s quite the lineup. It’s always a real treat to have these performers with us, folks like Doyle Lawson and my good friend Rhonda Vincent. All these performers are the best in the business.
“Plus our foods team—which won a pretty big award last year—is cooking up some great barbeque to go along with all that good music. You know how much I love their ribs! I suggest everyone sit down with a big plate of them and take in those beautiful bluegrass sounds.”
Doyle Lawson is a regular during this festival. He counts Dollywood among the best places to perform. He said,
“Just as Dolly is an exciting entertainer, Dollywood is an exciting place to entertain! Great venue, great audience.”
An impressive calendar of bluegrass talent performs throughout the festival with more than 350 individual concerts—all included with park admission—scheduled during the festival.
Groups Performing In Celebrity Theater:
The Grascals (May 28)
Blue Highway (June 2)
Flatt Lonesome (June 3)
Darin and Brooke Aldridge (June 10)
Groups Performing In Showstreet Palace Theater:
Po’ Ramblin’ Boys (May 25)
Phil Leadbetter’s Bluegrass All-Stars (June 9)
America’s Got Talent semi-finalists Mountain Faith (May 30)
For a complete lineup of concert performances and show times, please visit Dollywood.com or view the Dollywood App.
Darin and Brooke Aldridge make their first trip to perform at Dollywood and eagerly anticipate performing at the place they’ve grown up visiting for years.
“We are so excited to make our very first appearance at Dollywood this June,” Brooke Aldridge said. “It’s been a theme park we’ve always loved and attended since we were kids. The shows there are always stellar, and we can’t wait to showcase our musical talents in Dollywood’s family-friendly environment.”
Fresh off Amusement Today’s 2017 Golden Ticket Award for Best Theme Park Food, Dollywood’s foods team offers dining options that create a sweet harmony with the music from the finest in bluegrass. Traditional items, including hickory-smoked ribs, slow-smoked pulled pork and beef brisket, highlight the menu, while a number of new favorites make their debut.
Dollywood chefs took advantage of the park’s new partnership with BUSH’S® Beans to create several tantalizing new recipes, including Cowboy Kettle Beans. BBQ pork nachos, pork belly mac & cheese, and the BBQ bowl—featuring pulled pork atop Dollywood’s famous BIG SKILLET potatoes—are new this year. Chicken and waffles funnel cake, Dollywood’s twist on chicken & waffles, appears for the first time as well. Grilled watermelon salad and a bacon-wrapped hot dog on a pretzel roll also are new in 2018.
For more information, show times and food information for Dollywood’s Barbeque & Bluegrass presented by BUSH’S®, please call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD, visit Dollywood.com or download the new Dollywood App.
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.
