Dolly Parton’s estate has announced two two-day DollyFest celebrations in Nashville and London in 2027, turning a festival originally planned with Parton into a tribute to her life and legacy.
The estate of Dolly Parton has announced DollyFest: The Celebration of a Lifetime, a two-day festival that will take place in Nashville and London in 2027.
The events will honor Parton’s life, music and legacy following her death at age 80. The estate said the festival concept was originally planned with Parton’s participation but will now continue as a celebration of her memory.
Exact dates and ticket information have not yet been announced.
DollyFest will take place in Nashville and London
According to the estate, DollyFest will be held across two consecutive weekends, with one event in Nashville and another in London.
The planned celebration was initially conceived as a multi-artist event in Nashville around Parton’s 80th birthday. Parton was expected to perform and serve as host.
The plan changed after she stepped back from public activities in 2025 following health challenges.
Now, the estate says the original vision will move forward as a tribute to Parton.
The announcement describes the event as a “global double-day, double-weekend, double-continent party of a lifetime.”
Dolly Parton did not want a traditional public memorial
One of the central reasons behind the festival format is Parton’s reported preference against a traditional public memorial.
Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime business partner and founder and CEO of CTK Enterprises, said the estate believes a festival is more consistent with the way Parton wanted to be remembered.
“We are not discouraging people from celebrating Dolly in the ways they choose,” Nozell said in the announcement.
He added that a traditional memorial was not something Parton wanted and that the estate instead wanted to give fans and artists an opportunity to participate in a celebration that reflected her personality and legacy.
The festival will therefore serve as the estate’s official large-scale public commemoration.
The original DollyFest was planned for her 80th birthday
The idea for DollyFest dates back to plans for a celebration around Jan. 19, 2026, Parton’s 80th birthday.
According to Nozell, the venue had already been booked and the announcement was prepared when Parton had to step back in August 2025.
The event was ultimately not held as originally planned.
With the new announcement, the estate intends to bring the concept to life while transforming it into a tribute following Parton’s death.
Nozell described the festival as a dream that Parton herself had helped envision.
Nashville and London celebrations will honor her legacy
The two locations will give fans in both the United States and the United Kingdom an opportunity to participate in the tribute.
Nashville has a particularly strong connection to Parton’s career and legacy, while the addition of London expands the celebration internationally.
The estate has not yet revealed the performers, full programming, venues or exact dates for either festival.
More details are expected to be announced in the coming months.
No public ceremony planned
The DollyFest announcement follows a private service for Parton that was attended by immediate family members.
The Associated Press reported that there would not be a public ceremony, in accordance with Parton’s wishes.
Instead, fans are expected to have opportunities to honor her through tributes, performances and other celebrations, with DollyFest representing the estate’s major official event.
Parton’s family has also shared personal tributes following her death, including a message from her great-niece Lainey Parton, who remembered the singer as someone who encouraged her dreams and made her feel capable of achieving them.
When is DollyFest 2027?
DollyFest is scheduled for 2027 in Nashville and London, with the two events planned for successive weekends.
However, the exact dates, venues, performers and ticket details have not yet been announced.
Fans will be able to receive additional information as the estate releases further details.
For now, the planned festivals offer a fitting way to celebrate Parton’s extraordinary career: not through a traditional memorial, but through the music, artists and fans that defined her connection with audiences around the world.
