I’ve just returned from a trip to the Smoky Mountains where I got to experience the second ever Harvey’s Boo Bash at Dollywood! With one more chance to attend in 2026 and the potential for the event to return in future years, I thought I would review the event.
Harvey’s Boo Bash
New in 2026, Harvey’s Boo Bash is a separately ticketed Halloween event at Dollywood. Marketed as an event filled with immersive treat trails, free themed kettle korn, free soda refills, character interactions, dance parties, and low crowds for rides, this appeared to be Dollywood’s response to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. As I mentioned in my Fall at Dollywood post, in previous years, Dollywood didn’t do Halloween. Rather, they celebrated harvest time or the autumnal beauty of the area. This is their first time doing a Halloween event.
Initially, entry was said to begin at 6 PM. However, they eventually backed that up to 4 PM. The party kicked off at 9 PM and lasted until midnight!
Trick-Or-Treating
I’d say the best part of this party was the trick-or-treating. There aren’t many places that an adult can dress up and go trick-or-treating. So, I was excited to have an additional park to do this in. The candy itself was plentiful and there was a good variety. I’m talking some Crunch bars, mini Reese’s peanut butter cups, Nerds, and more! There was also allergy friendly candy available too.
However, I would like to point out these “immersive treat trails” were simply lines for candy. So, unless they want to add some themed decor or characters in the lines, they might want to market them as just “treat trails”.
Food
In addition to the trick-or-treating, the event was marketed as including free themed kettle corn and soda. However, the free kettle corn was a small cone shaped bag of corn. I was a little disappointed that one of the mentioned “freebies” was so small. I’m used to Disney giving a good sized box of popcorn at their After Hours events and even those are unlimited.
The free cups were cute. While I appreciated being able to get free refills, I’m more of a water drinker. The cups weren’t that big, so if you are thirsty, you might have to refill a few times. While it does make for a cute souvenir, I don’t really need another plastic cup.
Dollywood initially marketed the event as having some exclusive food for purchase at the event. However, the only party exclusive food was a sugar cookie with “Boo Bash” frosting. So, that was disappointing. I was hoping for some special treats, like at Mickey’s Not So Scary. However, there were none to be had.
I also want to acknowledge that Dollywood seemingly gave everyone in attendance at the second party one of the light up pumpkin popcorn buckets. So, that was a nice perk. Although, it was a bit of a hassle to carry it around the park the whole night. I still love the pumpkin bucket and will display him for years to come.
Characters
Another one of the marketed things to do at this party is to meet characters, including Harvey himself! However, most of the characters are available during regular park hours as well. So, that kind of took away from the experience, in my opinion. Again, if you look at Disney’s event, they often have special characters at their events or at least characters in special seasonally appropriate costumes that are only available at the party.
Entertainment
Honestly, I kept expecting Dollywood to announce some party exclusive entertainment. During the first party, the only entertainment they had during the official party hours of 9-12 was a dance party. You can experience the dance party during the regular park hours already. So, that was another huge disappointment. Prior to the start of the second party, they added two performances from Run, Katie, Run. While I would like to acknowledge that as a step in the right direction, I still feel like this event needs more entertainment. I hate to keep bringing it up, but Disney includes a parade, stage show, and fireworks at their Halloween party. I believe this is where they have the most room for improvement at the event.
Rides and Crowd Levels
I will say that the crowd levels were very manageable during the party. So, if you are wanting to hit up the big rides at Dollywood with minimal waits, this is the event for you. It was also great to be able to finally get my free cinnamon bread as a Diamond Passholder with little wait. We also hit up the bakery on the way out of the park with very little wait. So, it’s a great time to do some shopping without crowds too.
Is Harvey’s Boo Bash worth it?
I was initially very excited when I heard about Harvey’s Boo Bash. However, I think as it currently stands, the party is a bit of a letdown. In its current form, this is a chance to ride rides with minimal wait, take in the park decor/ambiance with smaller crowds, and do some trick-or-treating. While that may be enough for some folks, I can’t see it being enough for most families. They will need to add some other exclusive entertainment or something for it to be worthy of a repeat for me.
So, have you attended Harvey’s Boo Bash? What did you think of it?
