Dolly Parton‘s estate has confirmed plans for an inaugural “star-studded” two-day DollyFest event in 2027 in Nashville and London.
The bash, which will honour the late country icon’s life and legacy, will be staged across two consecutive weekends next year, with specific dates to be announced in the coming weeks.
Parton died aged 80 last Tuesday (August 25), with her representatives later confirming that it followed a “brief battle with cancer”.
“DOLLYFEST will be the party of a lifetime she wanted to share with the world,” her estate said.
DollyFest organiser Danny Nozell, the founder and CEO of CTK Enterprises, said in a statement via BBC News, that it will take place instead of a traditional public memorial for the country icon.
He added: “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.”
According to the organisers, DollyFest was meant to go ahead with Parton performing alongside other artists in January this year but was called off due to her health struggles at the time.
Parton was laid to rest following a private funeral, over the weekend. Her niece Lainey Parton confirmed on Instagram that the singer had been laid to rest.
“This is a really hard post for me to make,” she began. “I wanted to wait until after my granny was laid to rest yesterday before I tried to put any of this into words.”
Lainey, who affectionately referred to Parton as her “Aunt Granny”, reflected on the encouragement and support she had received from the singer throughout her life.
“From the time I was little, my granny always had a way of making me feel like I was enough,” she wrote. “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.
She added: “I feel incredibly lucky that I got to call her my granny. Thank you for always believing in me, loving me, and making me feel like I could do anything. I love you, Granny. Always.”
Parton was interred at Nashville’s Woodlawn Memorial Park, where fellow country stars Porter Wagoner, George Jones and Tammy Wynette are also buried. Her husband of nearly 60 years, Carl Dean, was also laid to rest there last year.
It was recently confirmed that Nashville International Airport will be renamed in Parton’s honour, following a petition attracting more than 160,000 signatures.
Numerous musicians have also honoured Parton on stage. Kacey Musgraves performed ‘Here You Come Again’ in Boston, while Maisie Peters covered the same song at Reading Festival.
Jack White played ‘Jolene’ at a London show, while Orville Peck delivered a rendition of ‘I Will Always Love You’. Olivia Rodrigo also dedicated her duet with Sarah McLachlan at Daisy Chain Fields to the later singer.
The NME obituary for Parton concluded: “Resplendent in her rhinestone suit, she embodied both qualities as a unifying icon. The world has become more divided since that set, but everyone will always love Dolly.”
