Gatlinburg Cancels Annual New Year’s Eve Fireworks Celebration

The City of Gatlinburg announced on Tuesday that it canceled its New Year’s Eve celebration due to COVID-19.

“Gatlinburg has made the difficult decision to cancel this year’s New Year’s Eve fireworks celebration,” said Marci Claude, public relations manager with the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau. “While the city welcomes its visitors to celebrate the holidays in the Great Smoky Mountains, the wellbeing of our community and visitors is always our top priority. We take very seriously Governor Lee’s appeal to Tennesseans to remain vigilant over the holiday season, including avoiding large public gatherings, as the spread of COVID-19 continues throughout the state. Instead, we urge our residents and guests to ring in the new year with family and take advantage of the many opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors while in Gatlinburg. We look forward to continuing our many treasured traditions, like the annual New Year’s celebration, when it is safer to do so.”

The celebration has been an annual event since 1987. It included a ball drop and fireworks launched from the Gatlinburg Space Needle.