What We Know About ‘Dollyfest,’ the Festival Dolly Parton Planned to Host—and That’s Now Being Held in Her Honor

Dolly Parton performs onstage during MusiCares Person of the Year honoring Dolly Parton at Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb.

8, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. —Rich Fury—Getty Images for The Recording Academy A festival will be held in Dolly Parton ’s honor across consecutive weekends in Tennessee and England next year, the late country music legend’s estate announced on Monday.

Dubbed “Dollyfest,” the festival was initially scheduled to take place in Nashville on Parton’s 80th birthday this past January.

Parton was set to serve as both the host and a performer at the event, which was also planned to include performances from several other musicians.

In a statement on Monday, Danny Nozell, the founder and CEO of CTK Enterprises, said that the festival was “a dream of Dolly’s.” But as Parton was dealing with health issues in recent months, she “had to take a step back” from the event, Nozell said.

In the wake of her death last week, Parton’s estate revealed in a press release on Monday that the festival will now be held in 2027 to honor her legacy.

“What Dolly started, we will ensure is brought to life,” Nozell said.

“A lot of people always say, WWDD (What Would Dolly Do?), and, well, at this moment, DOLLYFEST is WDWD (What Dolly Would Do!).” Read More: Dolly Parton's Life, in Pictures The festival will take place in both Nashville and London, and “will be the party of a lifetime she wanted to share with the world,” according to the release.

Parton’s estate has not yet shared details about the specific dates it will be held or the performers it will feature, but said that more information about the event would be shared at a later date.

“We are not discouraging people from celebrating Dolly in the ways they choose,” Nozell 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.” “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,” Nozell said.

Last week, Parton’s publicist told news outlets that the country music icon had died after a “brief battle with cancer.” Parton had been dealing with health issues over the past year, postponing and later canceling several shows.