The event will be held on back-to-back weekends in Nashville and London in 2027, with performers yet to be announced

NEED TO KNOW

• DollyFest, a music festival honoring Dolly Parton, will take place in 2027, her estate announced Aug. 31
• The event was originally planned for Parton’s 80th birthday in 2026 but postponed due to her health issues
• The event, held on back-to-back weekends in Nashville and London in 2027, was “truly dreamed up by Dolly,” Parton’s manager said

Dolly Parton fans will soon be able to honor her memory with an event she planned, but never got the chance to host.

DollyFest, a star-studded music festival honoring the late singer-songwriter, will be held on two consecutive weekends, in both Nashville and London, in 2027, Parton’s estate announced Monday, Aug. 31.

Before the country music icon’s death at 80, DollyFest was originally meant to take place only in the Tennessee capital city and feature Parton as performer and host. It was scheduled to take place on her birthday in January 2026, but was postponed as Parton faced various health issues leading up to her death, according to her estate.

“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,” Parton’s longtime manager Danny Nozell, the founder and CEO of CTK Enterprises, said in a press release Monday.

And while the “Jolene” crooner will no longer be hosting, the “festival-style concept” for the star-studded event was “truly dreamed up by Dolly,” according to Nozell.

Parton’s estate describes DollyFest as a “global double-day, double-weekend, double-continent party of a lifetime.” The cross-continental music festival is “the official Team Dolly-produced celebration in Parton’s honor,” per the estate.

“What Dolly started, we will ensure is brought to life,” Nozell said in a press release, later adding, “A lot of people always say, WWDD (What Would Dolly Do?), and, well, at this moment, DOLLYFEST is WDWD (What Dolly Would Do!).”

In a separate statement, the late singer’s manager said, “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,” Nozell continued, “while also giving everyone time to grieve, and giving everyone time to plan.”

The dates for the festival, as well as ticket information, will be shared at a later date. Performers have not yet been announced.

In September 2025, months before DollyFest was originally scheduled for her 80th birthday, Parton announced she was postponing her Las Vegas residency due to “health challenges.” At the time, the country icon shared on Instagram that she had to undergo “a few procedures” and wouldn’t have enough time to rehearse.

Days before her death, Parton told PEOPLE about recent “hard times with her health” in a statement, admitting, “I am dealing with some health issues that I just didn’t pay attention to when I was watching over Carl.” (Her late husband, Carl Thomas Dean, died in March 2025.)

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Parton died on Tuesday, Aug. 25, at age 80. A rep for the “Jolene” singer told PEOPLE that she died following a “brief battle with cancer.” The type of cancer was not disclosed.

She was laid to rest on Friday, Aug. 28 in a private service attended only by immediate family. 

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