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“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!),” organizer Danny Nozell, founder
and CEO of CTK Enterprises, said in a statement.
“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,” he continued. “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.”
There was a private service for Parton on Friday attended only
by immediate family, The Associated Press has confirmed. There
will not be a public ceremony, per Parton's wishes.
Parton's great-niece, Lainey Parton, posted a tribute on
Instagram on Saturday, writing in the caption: “This is a really
hard post for me to make. 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.”
Ticket information and dates for Dollyfest are forthcoming. Fans
can sign up to receive additional details at www.dollyparton.com.
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