Dolly Parton's Estate Sets 2027 Dates for 'Dollyfest,' a Two-City Tribute the Singer Dreamed Up Herself

Dolly Parton's estate has set the dates for the tribute the singer had been planning for herself before her death last month. "Dollyfest," a two-day celebration split across Nashville and London, will take place over consecutive weekends in 2027, the estate announced this week — a festival Parton herself conceived, rather than a memorial assembled after the fact.

Parton died on August 25 at age 80, following what her publicist described as a brief battle with cancer. Dollyfest was originally designed to coincide with her 80th birthday celebrations in Nashville, with a venue already booked before Parton stepped back from public plans amid health setbacks that began in August 2025. Her estate has now revived the concept largely as she left it, adding a second date in London.

"What Dolly Would Do"

Danny Nozell, founder and chief executive of CTK Enterprises and Parton's longtime manager, framed the festival as an extension of Parton's own instincts rather than a conventional send-off. In a statement carried by NBC News, he put it in the singer's own shorthand:

A lot of people always say, WWDD (What Would Dolly Do?), and, well, at this moment, Dollyfest is WDWD (What Dolly Would Do!).

Danny Nozell, CEO of CTK Enterprises, in a statement announcing Dollyfest

The estate has been explicit that Dollyfest is not intended to replace the informal tributes — vigils, radio marathons, fan gatherings at Dollywood — that followed Parton's death, nor is it framed as a traditional funeral-style memorial, which associates say she never wanted.

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. It felt 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.

Statement from the Estate of Dolly Parton

Details on lineup, ticketing and exact venues for the Nashville and London dates have not yet been released. The choice of London alongside her home city underscores how far Parton's audience extended beyond American country radio over a six-decade career that ran from "Jolene" and "9 to 5" through Dollywood, the theme park she built in the Tennessee mountains where she grew up.

For an industry still absorbing the loss of one of its most singular performers, Dollyfest's 2027 timeline gives fans a specific, sanctioned place to gather — on Parton's own terms, built around music rather than mourning.