image courtesy of Gatlinburg Convention & Visitors Bureau
One of the most engaging attractions of summer in Gatlinburg is the annual street-performing Tunes & Tales event, which runs for several months and features musicians and performers at large on the streets of Gatlinburg, entertaining downtown Parkway strollers Appalachian-style for free every evening.
Music and street theater combine in varying locations throughout the downtown as storytellers and musicians, in period costumes ranging from the 1800s to today, arrive by horse-drawn wagon at 6 pm. Spreading out in small groups the performers engage audiences with a dozen different acts performing simultaneously throughout the evening until 11 pm.
The world becomes a stage everywhere you walk along downtown Parkway during Tunes & Tales, with its signature promise of entertainment surprises and enchantments for young and old alike. Watch for cloggers keeping an old tradition alive and young (and offering impromptu lessons if you’re lucky), and don’t miss a bear hug from Zeno the Gatlinburg bear, appearing frequently during the festivities.
Tunes & Tales usually runs June through August, but this year by popular demand the event starts even earlier, offering performances every Friday and Saturday evening in April and May. The transition to every evening may happen earlier than June, we’ll have to wait and see. Either way, the fun on the streets of Gatlinburg will continue through August 10.
Here’s a taste of Tunes & Tales:
