Dollywood’s newest Christmas show doesn’t take place on a stage. Wonderful Christmas is an animated production that happens on a 50-ft. Christmas tree in the Plaza at Wilderness Pass. This is not simply lights synced to music. It is a programmable LED light show that tells a story through images.

Storyline

As with everything at our park, we love theming. There is a story behind this show. The storyline involves a polar bear who has a black bear cousin in the Smoky Mountains. You’ll see both polar bears and black bears in the Wonderful Christmas show. At first, polar bear is sad because he longs to visit his cousin, but can’t make the trip south because it’s too warm in Tennessee. But then, polar bear hears that an historic ice storm has frozen over part of Dollywood (you know it as Glacier Ridge), so he jumps in his sled and races to see black bear. It’s the best Christmas ever because he spends it with family. You can read more about it on the story board posted in The Plaza.

Playing on the wonder of the season, the name of the show is simple: Wonderful Christmas. Celebrating the holiday with loved ones is all it takes to make Christmas memorable.

Even though this is a story about bear cousins, you can expect some Dolly style. In addition to popular seasonal tunes, listen for Dolly’s hit Christmas song Circle of Love. And, look for the signature butterfly. You won’t see that during any other light show!

Plus, when it’s a show in *Glacier Ridge* there has to be snow. Stand near the arbor if you want to see your kids’ eyes light up. My toddler was thrilled!

When to See It

During the day, the tree is a beautiful, tall evergreen.

As the sun goes down, it becomes icy blue—until show time!

You can catch Wonderful Christmas every 30 minutes from 6 to 8:30 p.m. It lasts about seven minutes.