Dolly Parton's estate confirm 'celebration of a lifetime' in Nashville and London

Dolly Parton's estate have confirmed Dollyfest will go ahead as a "celebration of a lifetime" in 2027.

The music extravaganza was originally planned for January 2026 in Nashville with the country icon, who died last week aged 80, as host and performer.

Her team have revealed the event will now be a "star-studded two day festival" honouring the late legend.

The festival is coming to Nashville, Tennessee and London, England across two consecutive weekends.

Danny Nozell, Founder/CEO of CTK Enterprises, said: "What Dolly started, we will ensure is brought to life.

"Many people behind the scenes know that DOLLYFEST is a dream of Dolly’s that was intended to take place on her 80th birthday in Nashville.

"We had the venue booked and we had the announcement ready to go. And then, in August 2025, Dolly had to take a step back after her initial health challenges.

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

Nozell insisted people should still feel free to honour Dolly in their own way this autumn, with a "traditional memorial" off the table.

He explained: “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.

"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.

"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.”

The announcement comes after Dolly's younger sister Freida paid tribute to her late sibling in a heartfelt post.