“Saddle-Up!” Western Festival Gears Up for 12th Annual Pigeon Forge Event

In what has become a staple of Pigeon Forge’s Winterfest (Feb. 23-26), the western-themed “Saddle-Up!” festival will again ride into town this February to a cowboy-lover’s delight.

The four-day festival includes a variety of entertainment, presented the cowboy way, from cowboy poets to concerts by Western musicians.

“It’s become a really big western-themed event,” said Lila Wilson, Pigeon Forge special events coordinator. “People who grew up watching old western shows and movies seem to really be drawn to the festival, which is now in its tenth year.”

From genuine chuckwagons from the Southeast and beyond at the annual chuckwagon cookoff to Western swing dances, there looks to be something for the Western enthusiast in all of us.

“It’s not that one event is more popular than the next, they’re all pretty popular,” Wilson said. “We bring in the cowboy poets, the western artists and then we wrap up the weekend with a Sunday morning chuckwagon breakfast followed by cowboy church. The chuckwagon cook off is always a big event because each entrant in the cook off competes for prizes.”

With last year’s festival drawing upwards of 2,000 people, Wilson believes Pigeon Forge is likely to see  around the same number of visitors this year.

“People love it, they just love it,” she said. “It’s a niche event and people who are into the old west really turn out for it. It’s an opportunity for people who have fond memories of days gone by when they were kids growing up watching those western shows and reading about cowboys. The excitement is there and we expect a great weekend this year.”

Schedule

Wednesday February 22

10AM-Noon: Dutch Oven Cornbread Sampling
Kent Rollins
Old Mill Square
Free

Thursday February 23

6PM: Intimate Evening Concerts
R.W. Hampton: Partridge & Pear: $50
Stephanie Davis: Mama’s Farmhouse: $40

Friday February 24

10AM: “Stories & Strings” : Smoky Mountain Guitar Shop

Bobby Black
Richard Chon
Stephanie Davis
Ray Doyle
T. Scot Wilburn
David Wilkie
Keri Lynn Zwicker

“Stories & Strings”: $15 includes Chuckwagon sampling

3PM: Concert: Tennessee Shindig Theatre: $15

Andy Nelson
Ray Doyle
Cowboy Celtic
Chuck Pyle
Saddle Cats

7PM: Concert: Tennessee Shindig Theatre: $15

Andy Nelson
Cal Farley Youth Performer
Kent Rollins
Saddle Cats
R.W. Hampton
Stephanie Davis

Saturday February 25

9AM-2PM: Buckaroo Round Up!: Clabough’s Campground:
FREE: Mechanical bull rides and other activities for the whole family
Tickets for Chuckwagon Cookoff lunch: $10

10:30AM: Entertainment Food Tent: FREE

Andy Nelson
Cal Farley Youth Performer
Ray Doyle
Chuck Pyle

Open mic for cowboy poets

6PM: Concert Tennessee Shindig Theatre: $15

Andy Nelson
Chuck Pyle
Stephanie Davis
Cowboy Celtic
R.W. Hampton

8:30PM: Cowboy Dance: Spirit of the Smokies Condo Lodge Ballroom: Featuring Stephanie Davis and the Roadrunners and special guests: $5

Sunday February 26

8:30AM: Chuckwagon Breakfast at Stages West: $5

10AM: Cowboy Church at Stages West

R.W. Hampton
Andy Nelson
Cal Farley’s Performer
And others