Hard Rock Cafe Annual Kick Off Party — Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion, Pigeon Forge

The official start of the Great Smoky Mountain Jeep Invasion — one of the biggest Jeep events in the country — kicks off with a party at Hard Rock Cafe on the Pigeon Forge Parkway. This is the marquee opener organizers point to every year, and with hundreds typically responding, it draws a serious crowd before the week’s rally rides even begin.

Made-from-scratch pub food, cold drinks, and rock memorabilia on every wall set the scene at 2050 Parkway. Get there on the earlier side — Hard Rock fills up fast once word spreads that the Invasion is officially underway.