If you’re looking for a great place to spend New Year’s Eve in East Tennessee, go no further than the Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge areas. Gatlinburg is a small town that is most well-known as the entrance to the nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park. However, on Gatlinburg New Year’s Eve, the town’s population swells by an estimated 50,000 due to the influx of partygoers and guests of the nearby Ober Gatlinburg amusement park and ski resort. For the biggest New Year’s Eve celebration in Gatlinburg, hundreds of people flock to the Historic Nature Trail and congregate beneath the Gatlinburg Space Needle.

These Gatlinburg New Year’s Eve events are worth checking out if you’re in the area:

Gatlinburg  Ball Drop & Fireworks Show

At 9:15 p.m., Brady Turner, a former contestant on American Idol, will perform.  He fuses elements of pop, soul, and R&B into his sound.  The famous tribute band featured on the Entertainment Weekly series “Clash of the Cover Bands,” faithfully recreates the sound and vibe of one of America’s greatest rock bands, taking listeners back to the 1980s. The high-octane show kicks up at ten o’clock tonight.

The streets of Gatlinburg come alive on New Year’s Eve, providing a wide variety of fun ways to enjoy the end of the year before the Ball Drop and the midnight Fireworks Show from the 400-foot-tall Space Needle.

Gatlinburg Fireworks

At the stroke of midnight, a fireworks display synchronized to a custom musical composition begins, with LED lights installed on the Space Needle adding to the visual effect.

New Year’s Eve Hotels

The adjacent ski resorts make Gatlinburg a particularly popular winter sports destination for the whole Christmas and new year period, and hotels here sell out quickly throughout the entire holiday season.

The Quality Inn Creekside Hotel and the Doubletree Hilton Park Vista are both excellent options (attempt to get a room with a view of the city if you can). Or the Riverside Motor Lodge if you need to save some money.

Pigeon Forge, New Years’ Eve

During this year’s 32nd annual Winterfest celebration, five million lights will be displayed along the Pigeon Forge Parkway. The celebrations start in early November and continue through the beginning of the new year in February. Don’t miss the fantastic Christmas entertainment in Pigeon Forge, TN, including stand-up comedy, athletic feats, and musical acts. Then, you can warm up at one of the city’s lovely eateries that will be open until the early hours of the morning (or go there directly for the countdown).

Smoky Mountain Cabins

A Smoky Mountain cabin will make your Gatlinburg New Year’s Eve unforgettable. Since there are large cabins, you may have a spectacular New Year’s Eve party with all your friends. Many cabins have game rooms or theater rooms, so you may play till dawn. Cabins are a great way to spend the last few days of the year with loved ones, whether you want to relax in a hot tub, play pool, or dance the night away.