Dolly Parton’s estate will throw two weekend-long festivals in lieu of a public memorial.
“We are not discouraging people from celebrating Dolly in the ways they choose,” Danny Nozell, Parton’s longtime business partner, said. “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.”
Before her death, Parton planned the festival on a smaller scale as her 80th birthday celebration last year, but stepped back because of health concerns. Nozelle said turning the missed birthday into a celebration of Parton’s life fits into his “What would Dolly do” philosophy. “DollyFest: The Celebration of a Lifetime” will take place in Nashville and London in 2027.
“What was originally planned as a multi-artist event for January 2026 in Nashville and intended to feature Parton as performer and host will now morph into a global double-day, double-weekend, double-continent party of a lifetime,” the festival’s announcement reads.
Parton’s funeral, which occurred on August 28, was a small, private event with family. Parton’s niece Lainey confirmed details after the funeral on Instagram.
“This is a really hard post for me to make,” her caption began. “I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words. From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough. She never made my dreams feel too big or made me feel like I couldn’t do something. She believed in me before I even knew how to believe in myself.”
