Gatlinburg Events

Gear up for a great experience! The 2016 5th Annual Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival is about to get under way beginning Wednesday, August 24th through Sunday, August 28th. Based on previous years festivals, this is guaranteed to be another great time for everyone. Four days of free live music in the downtown Gatlinburg, Tennessee area featuring more than 120 shows will be celebrated by visitors.

What is the Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival?

The festival sponsored by the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau allows songwriters to perform songs they have written and share with the audience the history behind their song. According to the SMSWF there is a “story behind every song”. It is one of the largest entertainment settings in the country to which the public is invited to enjoy free live music in downtown Gatlinburg. This festival aids songwriters in getting their songs out in there for producers, publishers, and the public to hear.

There are several ways the public can participate in the Smoky Mountains Songwriters Festival. In addition to enjoying the music, the public and songwriters can participate by invitation, entering a band play-off (only for bands with original music), a songwriting workshop, entering the SMSWF Song Competition or applying for the SMSWF Co-Write 2 Songs with Hit Writers. They can also audition for a 30-minute Stage Spot. Choosing one is a great way for participants to celebrate their “Appalachian Musical Roots”.

PreShow and Opening Show

Here are a few of the events scheduled for this years festival:

The PreShow Kick-off will start at 7:15pm on the 25th of August with Karen Waldrup. The Smoky Mountain Songwriters Festival met Karen while serving as a judge at a Nashville Rising Star Series. She has been a contestant on The Voice, a finalist on Nashville Rising Star, and has been named a “GAC Top 25 Songwriter”. This is her second year at the festival and SMSWF believes she has a lot to offer as an entertainer and a songwriter.

The opening show begins at 8:00pm and will feature Keith Anderson. His song, “Lost In This Moment” was a hit for Big & Rich and also earned Anderson ACM and CMA Song of the Year nominations. Additionally Keith Anderson was named “Number One New Male Artist of 2005”. An excellent songwriter, he and Kim Williams co-wrote “Beer Run (B Double E Double Are You In?)” for George Jones and Garth Brooks.

Finding fun things to do is never a problem in the Great Smoky Mountains. Beautiful hikes , family fun theme parks, shopping, rafting and other activities abound. After a day of fun and frolicking, nothing beats enjoying a delicious drink or two while you enjoy authentic mountain music. Sugarlands Distilling Company offers a summer full of free, amazing music in their Back Porch Concert Series and it’s the perfect place to kick back, relax and unwind with some moonshine and music while you make some new friends and enjoy time with old ones. With Sugarlands Distillery’s premium moonshine and some of the country’s finest musicians, enjoying the Back Porch summer music series in the Smokies at Sugarlands is the perfect way to enjoy acts you already love and to discover new music from all over the country.

While each concert will feature a different band, a full range of Sugarlands Distillery Moonshine flavors will be available at every concert. Moonshine and music are perfect companions and here are the moonshine flavors you can expect to enjoy at each show:

100 proof options: Silvercloud and Jim Tom Hedrick’s Unaged Rye

70 proof options: Tickle’s Dynamite Cinnamon and Mark Rogers’ American Peach

50 proof option: Appalachian Apple Pie

40 proof options: Southern Sweet Tea, Blockader’s Blackberry, Butterscotch Gold, Old Fashioned Lemonade

The summer concert series line up is as impressive and hard to pass up as the moonshine Sugarlands serves up. Here’s who you can expect to see during the free Back Porch Concert Series. Grab your calendar and plan your summer around seeing your favorite bands and becoming a fan of acts new to you. This year’s Back Porch Concert Series is chock full of acts you won’t want to miss, so plan accordingly and we’ll see you in the Smokies!

July 02, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents Locust Honey from Nashville, TN

July 04-05, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents Tony Furtado from Portland, OR

July 06, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents Will Overman Band from Charlottesville, VA

July 07, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents The Blue Eyed Betty’s from NYC

July 08, 7pm: The Sugarlands Spirit Stage presents Jeremy Nail from Austin, TX