Cities and states across the country are declaring 25 September as Dolly Parton Day, one month after the late Queen of Country died at age 80.
The date, 9/25, is a tribute to Parton’s popular single, 9 to 5.
California and Ohio have officially declared the date as Dolly Parton Day, while communities nationwide are planning tributes ranging from parades and pink lights to karaoke and live music performances.
California’s governor, Gavin Newsom, signed legislation last week establishing 25 September as Dolly Parton Day in the state every year. The bill was sponsored by state senators Shannon Grove and John Laird.
“We could all afford to live a little more like Dolly,” Newsom said in a statement. “Be kind, be humble and have some fun … Be a diamond in a rhinestone world. With this bill, we are not just establishing a day to celebrate Dolly Parton, we are creating an annual reminder to us, every year, to live the way she did – joyfully, graciously and with a whole lot of heart.”
The Los Angeles county library will be hosting a Dolly Parton Day event at several locations: Dolly Day: Smarty Pants Storytime, which will include songs, rhymes and movement along with teaching school-readiness skills. Parton was a big advocate for encouraging young people to read, and her juvenile literacy charity, the Imagination Library, provided millions of books for children around the world.
In Ohio, the governor, Mike DeWine, and the lieutenant governor, Jim Tressel, signed a proclamation earlier this month recognizing Dolly Parton Day. Unlike California’s law, Ohio’s proclamation applies only to 2026.
New York and Pennsylvania lawmakers are considering similar measures. New York’s bill remained in a senate committee, while Pennsylvania’s legislation had been referred to a house committee.
Some of the largest celebrations are taking place in Nashville, where Parton had lived since she was 18. The city is honoring the singer with pink lights and posters while handing out stickers, buttons and bookmarks.
The Nashville celebration began with the unveiling of a new Dolly-themed license plate, with $25 from each plate sold going to support local Imagination Libraries. A downtown fireworks tribute is planned for 9.25pm.
“It’s just bittersweet that Dolly isn’t here with us,” Nashville’s mayor, Freddie O’Connell, said during the event’s kick-off. “Today isn’t about the music or the fame, it’s about Dolly’s best gift to all of us: her kindness, the way she cared, the depths of her caring and the enduring lessons she taught us about how to care for one another.”
Southwest Airlines also announced plans to host a Parton-inspired karaoke Friday for travelers and employees. Tennessee state and local officials are currently working to rename the airport after Parton.
Elsewhere, New Orleans will host a tribute led by the marching group Krewe of Dolly. The memorial parade will commence at 5pm that will pass through the French Quarter and end at the Jazz Museum.
In San Francisco, organizers are planning a public celebration in the heart of the city called Dolly Day, described as a celebration of life that will include “singing loud, dressing up and being a little kinder than usual in her honor”.
On Thursday, U2 announced a new album, entitled Carnaval de Luz, which will include the final recorded performance by Parton. Closing out the album’s 12 tracks is Torn, a duet performed by Parton and Bono. The song is described in press materials as “a tender country song detailing broken family ties, that holds wider resonances”.
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