Dollywood's Splash Country Hosts 2026 World's Largest Swimming Lesson With Event's Largest Participation

PIGEON FORGE, Tenn.  (Friday, June 26, 2026) – With 1,442 participants on Thursday, June 25, Dollywood’s Splash Country welcomed more participants than any other host location worldwide during the 2026 World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, as well as the largest participation total in the water park’s 16-year history of hosting the event. The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson is a global event launched by the World Water Park Association in 2010 as a tool to prevent drownings and build awareness around the importance of knowing how to swim. 

Dollywood’s Splash Country’s Senior Operations Manager Lauren Lowery says while she is proud of the accolade, she’s prouder of what it means for the families who participated. 

"We are incredibly excited and honored to have had the largest number of participants worldwide for this year’s event because it means more than 1,400 people left our water park on Thursday with lifesaving tips they may not have had when they walked through our front gates,” said Lowery. “We want our guests to know how to be safe when they are here with us at Splash Country but also when they are out on the lake or in their own pools. The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson is just one more way we can help do that.” 

The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson was part of an entire day dedicated to Water Safety at Splash Country. For the 16th season, the water park hosted its annual Water Safety Day presented by Blue Lizard Sunscreen, bringing people from across the Smoky Mountain area together to celebrate fun around water and to spread awareness around water responsibility. 

For more information about Dollywood’s Splash Country, please visit www.dollywood.com or call 1-800-DOLLYWOOD.