Dolly Parton's estate confirm 'celebration of a lifetime' in Nashville and London
Dollyfest is official, and it's coming in 2027.
Dolly Parton's estate have confirmed Dollyfest will go ahead as a "celebration of a lifetime" in 2027.
The music extravaganza was originally planned for January 2026 in Nashville with the country icon, who died last week aged 80, as host and performer.
Her team have revealed the event will now be a "star-studded two day festival" honouring the late legend.
The festival is coming to Nashville, Tennessee and London, England across two consecutive weekends.
Danny Nozell, Founder/CEO of CTK Enterprises, said: "What Dolly started, we will ensure is brought to life.
"Many people behind the scenes know that DOLLYFEST is a dream of Dolly’s that was intended to take place on her 80th birthday in Nashville.
"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!).”
Nozell insisted people should still feel free to honour Dolly in their own way this autumn, with a "traditional memorial" off the table.
He explained: “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.
"This is something that is authentic to her, something that feels right to me, and something that artists and fans around the world can participate in, while also giving everyone time to grieve, and giving everyone time to plan.”
The announcement comes after Dolly's younger sister Freida paid tribute to her late sibling in a heartfelt post.
She wrote on Instagram: "She began the Instagram post by thanking her followers for “bearing with me as I mourn the death of my big sister”, and said she always called her “Dolly Momma”.
Freida, 69, continued: “She was the sister who would climb into bed with me when I was little because we were both afraid of the dark.
“She was the woman who stepped up and became my Momma, raising me from ages 13 to 18. She was the one who tried to convince me to wear her wigs at my shows in Dollywood (sorry, sister, but I definitely didn’t listen to you on that one).”
Freida added that they had their “share of arguments and disagreements throughout the years”, but added that despite the “highs and lows”, she “never stopped loving her”.
She continued: “I asked you all months ago to pray for Dolly, but now I’m going to ask you to please pray for me and my entire family as we navigate this insurmountable loss.
“There will never be anyone who can replace her in our hearts, and I know she holds a special place in many of yours as well.”
Alongside a picture of herself and Dolly, Freida said she knows her late sister would “want me to keep going, keep smiling and keep sharing the love she gave so freely with others”.
