A record number of people are hoping for the chance to see the synchronous fireflies in the Smokies!
Officials with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park said 28,956 signed up for the lottery to get a parking pass for the brief but memorable light show in the Elkmont area of the park.
Last year, around 21,000 people signed up, with about 18,500 taking the chance in 2017.
This is the third year for the lottery, which was started by park officials because of the overwhelming number of people trying to visit the isolated area at the same time. There is very limited parking space at the Sugarlands Visitor Center, which is where people can catch the trolley to be taken to the viewing area.
The winners will be notified by May 10.
More about synchronous fireflies
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 unison. The event has become so popular over the years that the park has had to take steps to limit the number of people that could view the fireflies each night.
During that period, which is estimated by park scientists to be the peak time for the fireflies, a parking pass is required for evening access to the Sugarlands Visitor Center parking area and the firefly shuttle to the Elkmont viewing area, according to the National Park Services.
People hoping to attend the annual spectacle are asked to submit their name to the lottery for parking passes on the Recreation.gov Firefly Event page. Lottery applications will be accepted from Friday, April 26 at 8:00 a.m. until Monday, April 29 at 8:00 p.m. Results of the lottery will be available on Friday, May 10.
More on the synchronous fireflies: