Dates Announced For Second Annual Gatlinburg Songwriters Festival

Larry Gatlin. Photo: Brandon Wood

The second annual Gatlinburg Songwriters Festival will take place Aug. 18-21 in downtown Gatlinburg and the surrounding area.

Nestled in the heart of The Great Smoky Mountains, the three-day conference and live music event will feature nightly shows from over 85 songwriters at venues include Gatlinburg Brewery, Gatlinburg SkyLift Park, Ober Gatlinburg, Ole Smoky Tennessee Distillery, Ole Red, The Historic Gatlinburg Inn, and more.

Highlights from this year’s festival will include the induction of multi-award-winning hit songwriter—the late Kim Williams—into the Gatlinburg Songwriters Hall of Fame. On Friday night, Brady Seals (Little Texas) will perform a full-band show along with special guests Lauren Mascitti, Shane Stevens, Stephony Smith, and Karen Rochelle. There will also be a special Legends of Bluegrass show at Ole Smoky featuring Tim Stafford, Jerry Salley, Irene Kelley, Carl Jackson, and Thom Jutz, the reigning IBMA winner.

On Saturday night, attendees will have the opportunity to attend An Intimate Evening with Larry Gatlin at Ober Gatlinburg. Also on the show are Tommy “C. Thomas” Howell (ET, Outsiders, Walking Dead), and Onoleigh. The weekend will also be filled with performances from No. 1 songwriters Shane Stevens (“Fancy Like”), Tony Arata (“The Dance”), Danny Wells (“Check Yes Or No”), Steve Dean (“Watching You”), Will Nance (“She’s Everything”), and many more.

There are a variety of options to attend, with most performances free and open to the public. Special events can be attended with a $30 membership, one-night show tickets, or special event tickets and passes, available here.