Scott & Carol Present Dollywood's Festival of Nations & Progress on Wildwood Grove

Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba kicked off the media day activities with their high-energy fusion of Caribbean and Hispanic cultures. When you watch them perform in the Celebrity Theatre, it is not hard to believe that they have been performing together for over twenty-five years.

And after this stimulating kickoff, then it was time for Dolly, the reason that most of the people came to the park that day anyway.  She loves her fans and they love her back with equal enthusiasm.

Dolly loved her new dress, she said this is her attempt to look Cuban.  She also said one of her favorite things about Dollywood is the various costumes and cultures she brings to the Smokies with Festival of Nations.

What do you expect when you walk into a theatre with drums everywhere? Well, it's not going to be a quiet and laid back performance, in fact when you mix a lot of children with drums, you get some interesting syncopated rhythm patterns before the show even starts.

Drumstruck is billed as the first interactive drum-theatre experience. They weave both West African rhythms with South African culture and music.

This combination from the media presentation and the Drumstruck show gives you a little taste of the experience. It starts off fast and doesn't let up until the conclusion!

They showed a short video about Wildwood Grove and you can see that and more at the Dollywood  Wildwood Grove section found here.

Remember Flit and Flutter from last August? 

Both of them have come to life after painting the leaves on the Wildwood Grove tree.

The live action versions Flit and Flutter, ambassadors for Wildwood Grove were introduced and the countdown for the opening of Wildwood Grove was started.  Nothing like a little added pressure for the project team.

The Dragon Flier is looking really good from the train, especially before the leaves fill in the trees. This family suspended roller coaster from Vekoma should please young and old alike.

An amazing amount of vertical construction has been finished since last fall but the weather has not been kind to the project crews this year. Dollywood is sticking by their announced date of May 10, 2019, for the opening of Wildwood Grove. Let us all hope for good weather for now, and especially for May 10th. We hope to see you in line.