The Grand Ole Opry is preparing for an emotional night of music and remembrance as it honors one of the most beloved figures in country music history, Dolly Parton, following her de@th at the age of 80.
The special tribute will take place Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 7 p.m. CT at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. What had originally been planned as a regular Saturday night performance has now been transformed into a celebration of Dolly’s extraordinary life, music and lasting influence.
For the Opry, the tribute is deeply personal. Dolly became an official Grand Ole Opry member on January 4, 1969, beginning a relationship with the legendary institution that would continue for more than five decades. But her history with the Opry actually began even earlier, when a 13-year-old Dolly appeared on its stage in 1959 and received three encores from the audience.
Now, that same stage will become a place for artists and fans to remember the woman whose songs, humor, generosity and unmistakable personality helped shape country music for generations.
Several performers are scheduled to participate in the evening, including Carly Pearce, Kathy Mattea, T. Graham Brown, Molly Tuttle, Channing Wilson and Dan Tyminski. Belle Frantz is also scheduled to make her Opry debut, while the Opry Square Dancers will be part of the evening. Additional special moments honoring Dolly are expected throughout the show.
Carly Pearce’s involvement carries particular meaning. Long before becoming a country star herself, Pearce performed at Dollywood, and years later Dolly personally helped welcome her into the Grand Ole Opry family. Pearce officially became an Opry member in 2021.
And fans do not have to be inside the Opry House to be part of the farewell.
The August 29 tribute will be livestreamed through the Grand Ole Opry’s Facebook and YouTube channels, allowing Dolly’s admirers around the world to watch from home. The program will also be available through Circle Country and RFD-TV, while listeners can follow the show through WSM Radio and SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse.
The evening will honor more than Dolly’s musical accomplishments. A portion of ticket sales from the show will benefit the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, the literacy program she established in 1995.
The cause was especially close to Dolly’s heart. Created in honor of her father, Robert Lee Parton, the program grew from a local initiative in Tennessee into an international effort that has delivered hundreds of millions of books to children. Dolly often described the program as one of the achievements that made her father most proud.
It is a fitting way to remember an entertainer whose legacy extended far beyond sold-out concerts and famous songs. Throughout her life, Dolly used her success to support literacy, education, medical research and communities in need, while remaining closely connected to the Tennessee mountains where her story began.
The August 29 gathering will also continue a wave of tributes that began almost immediately after her passing. Artists have been performing some of Dolly’s most recognizable songs while longtime friends, musicians and fans have shared memories of the country legend and the ways she influenced their lives.
For the Grand Ole Opry, however, Saturday’s show will carry a special weight. Dolly was not simply a superstar who occasionally appeared on its stage. She was part of the Opry family for 57 years, a mentor to younger performers and one of the most recognizable ambassadors country music ever produced.
There will be an unmistakable absence when the curtain rises in Nashville.
But as musicians perform, fans sing along from their homes and another generation of children receives books through the charity she created, the night will also demonstrate why Dolly Parton’s story does not simply end with her passing.
Her voice remains in the songs. Her influence remains in the artists who followed her. And her generosity continues through the lives touched by the causes she spent decades supporting.
On Saturday night, the Grand Ole Opry will give fans around the world a chance to say goodbye — while celebrating a legacy that country music will never forget.
