The Great Smoky Mountain National Park will do a lottery system this year for the much-coveted tickets to the synchronous firefly event at Elkmont.
GSMNP made the announcement Tuesday.
The lottery will be open for applications from April 29 at noon until May 2 at 8 p.m. The park will announce the results of the lottery on May 10.
There are a total of 1,800 vehicle passes available for the event.
Dates for the eight-day shuttle operating period will be announced on April 26.
There is no fee to enter the lottery, but if you’re picked there will be a $1.50 reservation fee for the parking pass to the Sugarland Visitor Center. There are shuttles from the parking lot there to the Elkmont campground.
Synchronous fireflies: A trip into the woods to see the spectacle
Previously, everyone that wanted to see the synchronous fireflies had to apply for the parking pass on a first-come first serve online reservation process. Those tickets would sell out in minutes.
Elkmont is one of the few places in the world where you can see the Photinus carolinus, the special kind of firefly that flashes in sync. The event has become so popular, the park has had to take steps over the years to limit the number of people that could view the fireflies each night.