How Nashville Is Honoring Dolly Parton: Tribute Events This Month and a Push to Rename Our Airport
By Paul Whitten, Founder of Nashville Adventures
I have led tours in this city for years, and I have never felt it grieve the way it is grieving now.
Dolly Parton died on August 25, and Nashville answered the only way it knows how. With music, with flowers, and with a hundred small acts of love scattered across town. If you are here this month, or coming soon, these are the Dolly Parton tribute events and memorials I would point my own family toward.
I will be honest with you. I did not plan to write this one. But a founder does not get to sit out a moment like this, so here is my guide, and a little of my heart along with it.
The Grand Ole Opry's Tribute to Dolly
The big one is the Grand Ole Opry.
On Saturday, August 29, the Opry is dedicating its show to Dolly. It sold out fast, which surprised no one, but here is the good news for the rest of us. The Opry is livestreaming the tribute on Opry.com and carrying it on its flagship station WSM 650 AM, so you can hear it from anywhere in the world.
The lineup is stacked with people she touched, including Carly Pearce, whose whole career started singing at Dollywood as a teenager. Part of the ticket money goes straight to Dolly's Imagination Library, which is exactly how she would have wanted it.
If you can only catch one Dolly moment this week, make it this.
Where to Pay Your Respects Right Now
You do not need a ticket to say thank you.
Since the news broke, fans have turned two spots into quiet memorials. The first is her star on the Music City Walk of Fame, in the little park along Demonbreun (not pronounced demon-bruen) downtown, where she was honored back in 2009. It is buried in flowers, candles, and handwritten notes right now.
The second is the beloved Dolly mural over on the east side, which has become a gathering place for people who just need somewhere to stand and feel it together. Bring a flower if you are moved to. Nobody will rush you.
A tip from someone who walks these blocks: go early in the morning if you want a quiet moment, the crowds build through the day.
Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker
If you want depth, the Country Music Hall of Fame has it.
Their exhibit Dolly Parton: Journey of a Seeker was already open before she passed, and it runs through the end of September. It traces her spiritual life and her songwriting, and it hits very differently now than it did a month ago. You can check hours and tickets at the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Give yourself a couple of hours. This is not a walk through, it is a sit with.
A Candlelight Tribute Worth Your Evening
For something you will remember, look for the Candlelight: Tribute to Dolly Parton concerts happening around town this fall.
A string quartet plays her catalog by the glow of thousands of candles. I have been to one of these Candlelight shows for another artist, and hearing "I Will Always Love You" arranged for strings in a room full of candlelight is the kind of thing that stays with you. Seats are limited, so grab them ahead.
The Push to Rename Nashville's Airport for Dolly
Here is the story every local is talking about.
Within a day of her passing, a petition to rename Nashville International Airport after Dolly blew past 150,000 signatures. Then it got real. On August 28, Governor Bill Lee and the airport announced a formal plan to name our airport in her honor, and Dolly's team said they were touched and open to the conversation.
The Metro Nashville Airport Authority is set to take it up at its meeting on September 17, and a state lawmaker has said he will file a bill to make it happen. You can read the official word from the State of Tennessee.
I will say this plainly. Flying into Dolly Parton International Airport would be the single most Nashville thing that ever happened, and I hope they do it.
A Personal Word about Dolly Parton and her Tribute Events
I never met Dolly. Most of us who love her never did.
But I have watched her work on this city for my entire life. I have stood outside the Ryman and told her story to visitors from six continents. I have pointed at Music Row and explained that the girl who built half of it showed up on a bus with a paper bag of laundry. She is woven into the job I get to do every single day.
So this week I am doing what she taught all of us to do. Show up. Be kind. Give something back. That is the whole Dolly playbook, and it works.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is Nashville honoring Dolly Parton?
Nashville is honoring Dolly Parton with a Grand Ole Opry tribute show, growing memorials at her Music City Walk of Fame star and the east side Dolly mural, the Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit Journey of a Seeker, candlelight tribute concerts, and a proposal to rename the airport in her honor.
Is the Nashville airport really being renamed after Dolly Parton?
There is a serious plan in motion. On August 28, 2026, Governor Bill Lee and Nashville International Airport announced a partnership to name the airport for Dolly, and the airport authority is expected to address it on September 17, 2026.
When is the Grand Ole Opry Dolly Parton tribute?
The Grand Ole Opry dedicated its Saturday, August 29 show to Dolly Parton. The show sold out, but it was livestreamed on Opry.com and broadcast on WSM 650 AM.
Come Walk Her Nashville With Us
The best way to feel this city right now is to be in it.
If you are visiting to pay your respects, let us help you see the real Music City that Dolly helped build. Our Nashville walking tour puts the Ryman, Music Row, and downtown in the palm of your hand, and you can read our full tribute to Dolly while you plan your trip.
Browse all of our Nashville tours and come let this city love you back.
