Music In The Mountains Spring Parade 2018

For over 30 years, more than 50,000 tourists, fans, and residents gather in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee as the summer season kicks off with the annual Spring Parade. This year’s parade will celebrate the music history and culture that lives here in the Great Smoky Mountains. Get ready to celebrate with many musical groups and talented performers that will fill the streets. The theaters in town will be open every night ready to entertain with singing, dancing, acting, and so much more!

The parade will take place May 4th, 2018 starting at 6:00 pm on the Parkway near traffic light #6, concluding towards traffic light #3. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the temporary traffic pattern in which all traffic will be diverted to the southbound lanes starting at 4:15 pm. With over 100 parade participants, it is expected to last around two hours. A few road closings to be aware of: River Road will close at 2:30 pm. Free parking is available at the LeConte Center Municipal Lot and Patriot Park.

With all the excitement buzzing in the air, there is also a bit of sadness with the news of Dolly  stepping down as the Grand Marshal. However, the city is proud to announce this year’s Grand Marshal: Cal Ripken Jr. Holding many records, being apart of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, and opening the multi- million dollar Ripken Experience baseball complex here in Pigeon Fore, Tennessee, Cal Ripken Jr sure has made an impact on our beloved city.

After opening it’s doors in Spring of 2016, The Ripken Experience has held numerous tournaments, camps, training workshops, and development training for players and coaches. The county has seen so much growth with the impact these events have on Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, and Gatlinburg. The events in store for 2018 will surpass previous years with many teams coming from all over the nation including: California, New York, Illinois, Louisiana, Florida, etc. The Ripken Experience is excited to announce the presence of international teams as well including Puerto Rico! Summer of 2018 is expected to be the busiest season yet with over 350 teams registered so far. Most tournaments take place over the course of a week which brings so much business to the area for hotels, cabins, restaurants, and of course, all of the exciting attractions!

We are so excited to welcome Music in the Mountain’s Grand Marshal: Cal Ripken Jr to Pigeon Forge to help kick off the season!