Youth & Discipleship Announces Winterfest Changes
Cleveland, TN—Leaders with Church of God Youth & Discipleship have announced alterations to their popular Smoky Mountain Winterfest.
In an effort to manage the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the event has been both relocated and moved to a later date in the year. For the first time in its 39-year history, the venue will be outdoors, taking place at the Smokies Stadium in Sevierville. Dates for Smoky Mountain Winterfest are April 30 – May 1, 2021.
Home to the minor league Tennessee Smokies baseball team affiliated with the city of Knoxville, the stadium is located at Exit 407 off of Interstate 75. Often referred to as the gateway exit to the Smoky Mountains, it links to Sevierville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, all cities which have hosted Winterfest events in the past and served as the Saturday recreational and shopping outlets of the weekend.
Director of Youth & Discipleship David Blair says, “We are taking the roof off, worshiping and celebrating outside with the beautiful Smoky Mountains as the backdrop.” The new outdoor venue will allow for compliance with Tennessee state and federal Covid-19 protocols and regulations. Social distancing and mask mandates will be observed with specific details being released closer to the date of the event.
Youth groups planning to attend are encouraged to register early as there will be limited seating capacity. Those who chose to “pay it forward” in 2020 are already registered and guaranteed admission with additional group registrations accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.
Last year’s Smoky Mountain Winterfest, set at the University of Tennessee’s Thompson-Boling Arena, was canceled the day before opening on March 13, 2020 as the pandemic began its initial surge in the U.S. The difficult decision to cancel came both from the University of Tennessee and Church of God Youth & Discipleship leaders, most of whom were already on site at the Knoxville campus.
Cancellation of Smoky Mountain Winterfest 2020 was the first of dozens of Church of God events that followed, including the postponement of the 2020 International General Assembly until 2022. New dates for the Assembly were recently announced to take place on July 25-29, 2022 in San Antonio, Texas.
Announcements about artists and speakers for the event are forthcoming. For more information or to register for Smoky Mountain Winterfest 2021, and to learn about the status of other Winterfest events, visit mywinterfest.org..
