Dollyfest, a two-day celebration of Dolly Parton’s life and music, will take place in Nashville and London across two consecutive weekends in 2027, her estate has announced.
The event was originally planned for January 2026 to coincide with Parton’s 80th birthday, with the singer due to host and perform. It will now go ahead as an official Team Dolly-produced celebration of her legacy. ([broadwayworld.com](https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwmusic/article/DOLLYFEST-to-Take-Place-in-Nashville-and-London-in-2027-20260831?utm_source=openai))
Parton died aged 80 on 25 August 2026 after a brief battle with cancer. A private family service was held on Friday 28 August, with no public ceremony planned in accordance with her wishes.
Dollyfest will honour Dolly Parton’s legacy
Danny Nozell, founder and chief executive of CTK Enterprises, said the original plans had been well advanced before Parton stepped back from commitments following health challenges in August 2025.
“We had the venue booked and we had the announcement ready to go,” he said in a statement. “And then, in August 2025, Dolly had to take a step back after her initial health challenges.”
Referring to the phrase “What Would Dolly Do?”, Mr Nozell added: “At this moment, Dollyfest is WDWD (What Dolly Would Do!).”
He said the decision to revive the festival rather than organise a traditional memorial reflected Parton’s own wishes.
“We are not discouraging people from celebrating Dolly in the ways they choose,” he said. “However, as far as a traditional memorial goes, that is not something Dolly wanted.”
Instead, organisers intend to give fans and performers time to grieve before bringing the festival concept to life in 2027. Mr Nozell described it as something “truly dreamed up by Dolly” and said it would allow artists and audiences from around the world to take part.
Specific dates, venues, performers and ticket information have not yet been announced.
The festival will be staged in Nashville, the Tennessee city closely associated with Parton’s career, and London. Organisers said the original single-city event would now become a two-continent celebration spanning the two locations. ([ticketnews.com](https://www.ticketnews.com/2026/08/dolly-partons-estate-announces-dollyfest-celebrations-in-nashville-and-london-for-2027/?utm_source=openai))
Parton was best known for songs including Jolene, 9 to 5 and I Will Always Love You. Her career lasted more than six decades, during which she sold more than 100 million records worldwide and wrote more than 3,000 songs.
She had also been due to begin a Las Vegas residency in September 2026, but withdrew from the engagement in May after previously postponing the shows because of health concerns.
Tributes to the singer have continued since her death, with several of her recordings returning to the UK charts, including Jolene, which reached number nine in the singles chart.
