Dolly Parton’s Dollywood theme park will celebrate its 40th season next year. Although the park has changed since its opening on May 3, 1986, it has sought to stay true to its mission of creating a welcoming environment where families can enjoy making memories together.

“I can’t believe that we’ve been making memories for folks here at my Dollywood for 40 years,” expresses Parton. “That’s a lot of laughter, hugs and smiles, and I’m glad that we’ve been able to be part of it for so many years. When we opened Dollywood, the main thing I wanted to do was to give families a fun place where they could enjoy time spent together. I’m so proud of all the people who have worked to make Dollywood what it is today, and I want to thank all the guests who have supported us and trusted us to help them create those days they’ll never forget.

“And just think, I spent opening day watching the parking lot because I was worried that people might not show up,” she adds with a laugh. “But look at how far we’ve come since then—and we’re just getting started!”

Dollywood has special events, new celebrations and several returning favorites planned to commemorate the milestone season, starting with Season Passholder Preview Day on March 14. The I Will Always Love You Music Festival will follow March 15–April 13, with the return of From the Heart—The Life & Music of Dolly Parton, which details the story of Parton leaving everything she knew in Sevier County to move to Nashville in pursuit of her dreams. Taking place in Celebrity Theater, the show will run through the Flower & Food Festival, set for April 18–June 8, which aims to create an immersive atmosphere for with more than half-a-million flowers and Smoky Mountain delicacies.

Additionally, a new 40th anniversary show will debut during Memorial Day weekend and run through the end of summer, highlighting moments from guest-favorite shows during the park’s history of entertainment offerings. Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration, presented by Food City, will then take place June 14–Aug. 3 and feature a new drone and fireworks spectacle as well as a new opening ceremony that will occur at the beginning of each operating day.

The Imagination Playhouse, which features plays based on books from Parton’s Imagination Library, will offer a rotation of favorites that guests have enjoyed throughout the years from March through September. During the Smoky Mountain Summer Celebration, new storytime and character meet-and-greets will join the Imagination Playhouse experience. Also to commemorate the landmark anniversary, Heartsong: The Movie will be remastered and moved to Dreamsong Theater as part of “The Dolly Parton Experience,” running in conjunction with “Heidi Parton’s Kin & Friends.”

Additionally, the Country Fair area of the park will be refreshed during the 2025 season, and will transform to Candy Corn Country during the Harvest Festival and Peppermint Valley during Smoky Mountain Christmas, which will conclude Dollywood’s 40th season with six million lights and festive holiday shows.

“I’m excited to welcome guests to celebrate our 40th-anniversary season with us in 2025,” says Eugene Naughton, Dollywood Parks & Resorts President. “We’re thrilled to have earned the Tripadvisor #1 U.S. Theme Park designation last year, along with being the highest-ranked U.S. park in Golden Ticket Award voting for Best Park. We’ve worked hard for 40 seasons to make the Dollywood experience the best theme park experience in the country, and our guests are telling us we’ve done just that through these awards. And remember what Dolly said, ‘We’re just getting started!'”

Season Passes are now available to current 2024 passholders, and will go on sale to the general public this coming Monday (Oct. 28). For more information, click here.

Kelsea Ballerini. Photo: Nyk Allen, Courtesy of Black River Entertainment

With her forthcoming studio album Patterns set to release on Friday (Oct. 25), Kelsea Ballerini has announced she will take her new music on the road next year for a 30-city, three-month arena tour “Kelsea Ballerini Live On Tour.” The news comes after Ballerini sold out her special Patterns release show at New York City’s iconic Madison Square Garden in minutes.

Promoted by AEG Presents, “Kelsea Ballerini Live On Tour” kicks off on Jan. 21, 2025, at Grand Rapids, Michigan’s Van Andel Arena and includes dates in Chicago, Toronto, Tampa, Los Angeles and more, with a show at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on Jan. 31. MaRynn Taylor and Maisie Peters will serve as support for the run.

Presale tickets for Ballerini’s Legends fan club will begin on Oct. 29 at 10 a.m. local time, with artist presale going up at 12 p.m. local time. General on-sale begins Nov. 1 at 10 a.m. local time. Ballerini is donating one dollar from every ticket sold to her Feel Your Way Through Foundation, an organization committed to supporting mental health charities.

As she continues on her Patterns release week, Ballerini will appear on TODAY at Rockefeller Plaza for NBC’s Citi Concert Series early Friday morning (Oct. 25). She will bring her new album to life for the very first time on Oct. 29 joined by a sold-out Madison Square Garden crowd before making appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (Oct. 30) and The Kelly Clarkson Show (Nov. 4).

“Kelsea Ballerini Live On Tour” 2025 Tour Dates:
01/21 Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
01/23 Chicago, IL – United Center
01/24 Minneapolis, MN – Target Center
01/25 Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
01/29 Duluth, GA – Gas South Arena
01/31 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
02/01 Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center
02/04 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
02/06 Buffalo, NY -KeyBank Center
02/07 Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
02/08 Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
02/10 Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
02/13 Boston, MA – TD Garden
02/14 Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
02/15 Washington, DC – Capital One Arena
02/18 Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
02/20 Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center
02/22 Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
02/23 Hollywood, FL – Hard Rock Live in Hollywood, Fla
02/26 Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
03/13 Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
03/14 Spokane, WA – Spokane Arena
03/15 Portland, OR – Moda Center
03/18 Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center
03/21 Los Angeles, CA – Crypto.com Arena
03/22 San Diego, CA – Pechanga Arena San Diego
03/25 Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
03/28 Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena
03/29 Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center
03/30 Denver, CO – Ball Arena

Katharine McPhee during her Grand Ole Opry debut. Photo: Chris Hollo for Grand Ole Opry

Artist and actress Katharine McPhee recently made her at the Grand Ole Opry debut during back-to-back shows celebrating the Opry’s 99th birthday.

Katharine McPhee performing with Riley Green during her Grand Ole Opry debut. Photo: Chris Hollo for Grand Ole Opry

McPhee received a standing ovation after she performed her two-song set of “She Used To be Mine” and “Red Neck Woman.” She also surprised the crowd by bringing out Riley Green to duet “Don’t Mind If I Do,” the title track of his new album.

McPhee raved about her debut on a series of Instagram posts saying, “Couldn’t have asked for a more fun Opry debut. Thank you, guys, for having me and making this dream a reality. I can’t wait to come back. Thank you Riley Green for letting me share the stage.”

Additionally, the American Idol season five runner-up signed an exclusive record deal with Nashville-based label Melody Place in August and is set to release new music in early 2025. She has also previously starred in both the U.S. and U.K. productions of the hit Broadway show Waitress, the Netflix original series Country Comfort, the CBS’ spy drama Scorpion, and was featured in NBC’s award-winning musical series Smash, among others.

Pictured (L-R): Ward Guenther (Whiskey Jam), Ryan O’Nan (Whiskey Jam), Brian O’Connell (Live Nation), Kix Brooks, Ronnie Dunn, Aaron Spalding (Live Nation), Taylor Lindsey (Sony Music Nashville), Randy Goodman (Sony Music Nashville), Kevin Meads (WME), Clarence Spalding (Maverick), Ken Robold (Sony Music Nashville) and Marne McLyman (Maverick). Photo: Braden Carney

Brooks & Dunn are gearing up for the release of their new album Reboot II with some surprise appearances. The duo took over Whiskey Jam in Nashville last week, where they were recognized with a plaque for over three billion Pandora spins.

Pictured (L-R): Victoria Alfonso (Pandora), Ronnie Dunn, Kix Brooks and Johnny Chiang (Pandora). Photo: Braden Carney

Part of Pandora’s Billionaire club, the duo is featured on the Country Billionaires station while also hosting more than 4.4 million monthly listeners on Pandora’s Brooks & Dunn radio station.

The duo also surprised Lainey Wilson’s fans in Atlanta at Ameris Bank Amphitheatre for the first-ever live performance of their Reboot II collab on “Play Something Country.” Wilson even sported Kix Brooks’ iconic flames shirt for the fiery duet.

Kix Brooks, Lainey Wilson and Ronnie Dunn. Photo: Braden Carney

The sequel to Brooks & Dunn’s acclaimed 2019 project, Reboot II features an eclectic lineup including Wilson, Morgan Wallen, Marcus King Band, Megan Moroney, Warren Zeiders, Jelly Roll, Riley Green, The Cadillac Three, Halestorm, Mitchell Tenpenny, The Earls of Leicester, Jake Worthington, Hailey Whitters, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Hardy, Ernest, A Thousand Horses and Corey Kent reimagining the duo’s hits, putting wildly different spins on the beloved songs. The collection is due out Nov. 15.