MAMMOTH CAVE, Ky. — Hundreds of visitors at Mammoth Cave National Park attended this year’s Cave Sing event on Sunday. The holiday-themed 43rd Cave Sing featured live musical performances inside the world’s largest cave. 

What You Need To Know

  • A beloved holiday themed tradition at Mammoth Cave National Park has made a return from hiatus during the pandemic

  • It's estimated over 700 attended The 43rd Cave Sing

  • The event featured a free live performance inside the cave

  • The tradition of singing in Mammoth Cave dates back centuries 

Molly Schroer, public information officer for Mammoth Cave National Park, said they have records of people singing in the caves dating back centuries. It’s what is the inspiration for the annual Yuletide event. 

“Singing in the cave has been here since the cave was really found in 1799. There’s accounts of guilds singing in the cave, singing on the tours, people singing, because it’s just a great reverberation while you are down in there,” Schroer said. 

A Christmas tree stands inside Mammoth Cave on Dec. 4, 2022. (Spectrum News 1/Mason Brighton)

In 1883, residents in the area held a Christmas celebration inside the cave. They even drug down a ten-foot pine tree decorated in popcorn and ribbons. 

The group also sang Christmas carols. These traditions were revived in the 1980s as Cave Sing.  

“As chilly as it can be out here, it’s a warm event. You get down in the cave and you listen to these beautiful sounds echoing off of the cave walls and it’s really nice. It’s just a really fun event. We’re excited to be able to bring it back,” Schroer said. 

The event was done virtually in 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic. 

This year saw a sizeable crowd. Staff with the park estimate over 700 people attended. This included Lori Gugan and her husband, who traveled from South Carolina.

“I had no clue that the cave was this large and then just the acoustics and hearing from all of the singers, it was amazing,” Gugan said. 

Gugan plans to come back to Mammoth Cave with her family in the future. 

“I would love to. I would love to take some tours. We have a granddaughter that we’d like to bring back and maybe some other family members to enjoy it as well,” Gugan said. 

As the group made their way through the cavern, they were greeted with Christmas songs played on the trumpet by Hillary Sward, a cave guide who holds degrees in music education and performance. 

The main event was a performance by the Lindsey Wilson College Choir. This was the fifth year the choir has performed in the event. 

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