Dollywood Cancels Dolly Parton, America’s Sweetheart Disappears From Her Theme Park

Dollywood has canceled Dolly Parton’s planned appearance at her Great Smoky Mountain theme park on Wednesday, September 17. The American music legend was set to appear in Tennessee to help announce an all-new attraction coming to the Pigeon Forge vacation destination in 2026.

Rebel Railroad theme park opened in 1961 in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. In 1986, Dolly Parton, who had always wanted to give back to the community in which she grew up, purchased an interest in the park, which was then called Silver Dollar City. The theme park was then known as Dollywood and has grown to be the largest employer in the area.

Parton has expanded Dollywood several times over the years, doubling its size over the span of several decades. It’s now home to Dollywood’s Splash Country Water Park, DreamMore Resort & Spa, and HeartSong Lodge & Resort, and hosts popular seasonal events like the I Will Always Love You Festival, the Harvest Festival, and Smoky Mountain Christmas. In 2026, the Great Smoky Mountain theme park will celebrate 40 years under the ownership of its Dreamer-in-Chief, Dolly Parton.

On September 16, the official Dollywood Instagram account posted a story confirming that Dolly Parton would not appear at the park the following day as previously planned. The Pigeon Forge theme park did confirm that its 2026 attraction announcement would proceed as scheduled.

“UPDATE: 2026 RIDE ANNOUNCEMENT,” the official announcement reads. “Due to a change in schedule, Dolly, our Dreamer-in-Chief, will not be in attendance tomorrow (9/17) for the announcement of our 2026 attraction. The media event will still begin tomorrow at 11 a.m.”

Dollywood didn’t say what caused Parton to cancel her appearance at the park on Wednesday. In March, Parton announced the death of her famously private longtime husband, Carl Thomas Dean. The pair were married for nearly 60 years and lived together in Nashville.

What kind of new attraction do you hope Dollywood announces for 2026? Inside the Magic would love to hear from you in the comments!