Dolly Parton will be celebrated with two DOLLYFEST performances scheduled for the year ahead.
Recently, the country icon passed away at 80 after a brief battle with cancer. She was laid to rest in a small, private service held for immediate family members.
On Monday, Parton’s longtime manager, Danny Nozell, announced that the inaugural DOLLYFEST events will be staged in Nashville, Tennessee and London, England across two consecutive weekends in 2027.
“What Dolly began, we intend to bring to life,” he remarked. “Many people behind the scenes know that DOLLYFEST has long been Dolly’s dream, meant to occur on her 80th birthday in Nashville. We had the venue secured, and the announcement ready to go. And then, in August 2025, Dolly needed to step back due to health challenges.”
Further details about tickets and exact dates in 2027 will be announced soon.
And rather than dwell on mourning, Nozell stressed that Parton would be thrilled by these planned festivals.
“We are not discouraging fans 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 pause, let all the tributes that immediately make sense occur naturally, and then, pursue this festival-style concept that was truly dreamed up by Dolly,” the executive continued. “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.”
Earlier this week, Nozell confirmed that Parton had greenlit a number of projects prior to her death, including an avatar show, a biopic, a docuseries, a scripted series, a documentary about her upcoming DOLLY: A True Original Musical, and an animated series inspired by her Billy The Kid children’s book.
