Dolly Parton Day Marked Worldwide With Parades, Pink Lights and Book Drives
Sept. 25 is being observed as Dolly Parton Day, with parades, pink lights, karaoke and literacy drives honouring the late singer, who died last month at 80.
Communities around the world are marking Sept. 25 as Dolly Parton Day, a date chosen as a nod to the country star's hit song "9 to 5." Parton died of cancer last month at the age of 80, leaving behind a legacy as a singer-songwriter, actor, philanthropist and entrepreneur.
State and local leaders across the United States, from California to the borough of Manhattan in New York City, are establishing the date as an annual observance. The proclamations highlight both her career and her long-standing commitment to promoting literacy.
In Nashville, where Parton lived from the age of 18, the city is marking the occasion with pink lights and posters, along with giveaways of stickers, buttons and bookmarks. Southwest Airlines said it would hold a Parton-inspired karaoke event for travellers and employees, while Tennessee state and local officials are in the process of renaming the city's airport after her.
"Dolly Parton's impact on Nashville will be felt for generations, through the music she has given us, the people she has helped and the example she continues to set," Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell said in a statement. "She has shown us that caring for a community means showing up for one another."
In New Orleans, the marching group Krewe of Dolly will lead a parade through the French Quarter. San Francisco organisers are planning a public event in the heart of the city called "Dolly Day," described as a celebration of life featuring "singing loud, dressing up, and being a little kinder than usual in her honour."
For those unable to step away from their own 9-to-5 jobs, Parton's giving spirit offers another route to take part. Her Imagination Library book giveaway programme now sends more than a million books each month to children in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia. The initiative is encouraging the public to donate to their local Imagination Library partner or help establish a new programme in their community, with the Dollywood Foundation directing people to ImaginationLibrary.com, where a ZIP code search can locate nearby programmes.
"For Dolly, giving was always personal and from her heart," said Jeff Conyers, president of The Dollywood Foundation. "She believed deeply in helping people, especially children, and she always felt if you are in a position to help, you should help."
Parton was known for her flamboyant style, favouring sequins, big hair, fringe and her signature colour pink, and she had a particular fondness for butterflies. Some tattoo artists are offering Dolly-inspired tattoos for the day, though organisers note that a butterfly clip works just as well.
Playing her music is perhaps the simplest way to mark the occasion. Known for hits including "9 to 5," "Jolene" and "I Will Always Love You," Parton said in 2024 that she hoped her songs would endure and that she would be remembered for trying to make the world a better place. "I hope that a lot of my songs may last that long," she said. "And I hope I'll be remembered as somebody that tried to do some good in the world and left, you know, a few good things."