Dolly Parton’s estate has announced that a two-day festival honouring the late singer will be held in Nashville and London.
The country music singer died at the age of 80 on August 25 following a ‘brief battle’ with cancer and was laid to rest last week.
It has now been revealed that the two-day festival, Dollyfest, will be staged next year across two consecutive weekends.
According to a press release shared on Monday, the festival was originally scheduled to take place in January 2026 – around Parton’s 80th birthday – and was going to feature her as a performer and host.
However, it will now celebrate her legacy.
‘We had the venue booked and we had the announcement ready to go. And then, in August 2025, Dolly had to take a step back after her initial health challenges. A lot of people always say, WWDD (What Would Dolly Do?), and, well, at this moment, Dollyfest is WDWD (What Dolly Would Do!),’ organiser Danny Nozell, founder and chief executive of CTK Enterprises, said in a statement.
‘We are not discouraging people from celebrating Dolly in the ways they choose. However, as far as a traditional memorial goes, that is not something Dolly wanted.
‘So, instead, it feels more appropriate for us to take a beat, let all the tributes that immediately make sense occur naturally, and then see through this festival-style concept that was truly dreamed up by Dolly.’
Mr Nozell said the festival is something ‘authentic’ to Dolly, where artists and fans around the world can join together after taking time to grieve.
In May, Parton pulled out of a highly anticipated Las Vegas residency, which was due to begin in September.
She had already postponed her six-date run at the Colosseum Theatre at Caesars Palace from December 2025 to deal with health challenges.
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Born in Tennessee, Parton is best known for hits such as Jolene, 9 To 5 and I Will Always Love You.
She was deeply associated with Nashville throughout her career and was inducted into its Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1986.
Over her career, which spanned more than 60 years, Parton sold more than 100 million records worldwide and wrote more than 3,000 songs.
Performers, ticket information and dates for DollyFest are yet to be announced.
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