Fall in the Smoky Mountains is already worth planning a trip around. Add thousands of glowing pumpkins, live music, seasonal food and roller coasters after dark, and Dollywood gives travelers another reason to make Pigeon Forge part of an autumn getaway.

Dollywood’s Harvest Festival returns Sept. 14 through Oct. 31, bringing Great Pumpkin LumiNights back to the park along with more than 700 live performances, fall-inspired food and visiting artisans. This year also brings several new experiences, including nightly LumiNights Dance Parties, an Apple Market and Dollywood’s first separately ticketed after-hours event, Harvey’s Boo Bash.

For families who enjoy Halloween without the scares, Great Pumpkin LumiNights remains one of the biggest reasons to visit. After sunset, thousands of carved and illuminated pumpkins transform areas of Dollywood into a colorful nighttime experience rather than a traditional haunted attraction.

Guests can wander through glowing displays in Timber Canyon, Wilderness Pass, Wildwood Grove and Craftsman’s Valley, with some pumpkin creations inspired by Dollywood attractions including Big Bear Mountain, Wild Eagle and Lightning Rod.

Showstreet adds another splash of fall color with Harvest Sky, while Candy Corn Country returns with its yellow, orange and white displays. Harvey and the Pumpkin Master also will be available for character encounters and photos.

New reasons to stay after dark

The festival gets a little livelier this year with two LumiNights Dance Party experiences each evening, combining music, lights and the atmosphere of Great Pumpkin LumiNights.

For visitors who want to stretch their Dollywood day even later, Harvey’s Boo Bash debuts on three October nights: Oct. 16, 23 and 30.

The separately ticketed event runs from 9 p.m. to midnight after Dollywood closes to regular guests and includes candy collecting stations, special dance parties and access to a selection of attractions, including the new NightFlight Expedition.

Boo Bash ticket holders can enter Dollywood beginning at 4 p.m., making it possible to experience the regular Harvest Festival, watch Great Pumpkin LumiNights come alive after sunset and then stay for the late-night event.

Come hungry — especially if you like apples

One of the most interesting new stops this fall may be found at the Dollywood Express train depot.

The new Apple Market leans heavily into one of autumn’s signature flavors with fried apple pies, apple dumplings, caramel-covered sliced apples, apple fritters and skillet-cooked apples with butter, cinnamon and granola crunch.

There’s even an apple cider flight with traditional, cranberry and caramel varieties.

That’s only part of the fall menu.

Around the park, visitors can find BBQ Chicken Sweet Potato Fries, Sweet Potato Cornbread Stack, Harvest Chicken Nachos, Smoked Pork Flatbread, Stuffed Acorn Squash and a Chili Bread Bowl.

Dessert choices include Apple Pie Overload, Pecan Pie Brownies, a Caramel Apple Milkshake, Candy Corn Cupcake, Harvest Funnel Cake and Harvest Croissant Praline Bread Pudding. Warm cider and wassail provide another option once the mountain air turns cooler in the evening.

For travelers who want to sample several items instead of committing to one meal, Dollywood offers a Harvest Festival tasting pass with five selections for $44.99 plus tax, or $41.99 for Gold and Diamond season passholders.

More than 700 performances

It wouldn’t be a Dollywood festival without plenty of live music.

More than 700 performances are scheduled during the six-week festival, with country, gospel, bluegrass and Americana artists appearing on indoor and outdoor stages throughout the park. Concerts are included with park admission.

Among this year’s scheduled performers are American Idol winner Hannah Harper, Rhonda Vincent & The Rage, Emily Ann Roberts, The Isaacs, The Grascals, John Foster, Drake Milligan and Gold City.

That amount of entertainment makes the Harvest Festival a little different from a typical theme park visit. You could spend much of the day moving between shows, food stops and craft demonstrations before shifting to rides and LumiNights once the sun goes down.

Visiting artisans and makers also will demonstrate their crafts throughout Dollywood, while the park’s enormous display pumpkins return. Some of the colossal pumpkins weigh hundreds of pounds, with the largest topping 1,000 pounds.

Make it a full day — and night

One advantage of visiting during Harvest Festival is that Dollywood stays open until 9 p.m. each festival night, giving travelers time to experience the park in two very different ways.

Spend the afternoon riding coasters, catching shows and sampling fall food, then stick around as daylight fades behind the Smokies and Great Pumpkin LumiNights begins to glow.

There’s an even bigger window from Oct. 3-15, when Dollywood is scheduled to operate from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m.

For travelers considering a fall trip to Pigeon Forge, that combination may be the biggest appeal of Harvest Festival. Dollywood provides the rides and entertainment during the day, while cooler temperatures, illuminated pumpkins and the surrounding fall colors give the same park an entirely different personality after sunset.

And with Great Smoky Mountains National Park nearby, a Dollywood visit can easily become part of a longer fall getaway built around one of the most colorful times of year in East Tennessee.

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(Photos courtesy Dollywood Parks & Resorts)