The western New South Wales town of Narromine renamed itself Dollymine for its October Dolly Parton Festival, which organisers say is the biggest in the event’s history and the first since the country star’s death. Organiser Skye Rush said a record number of visitors came to the town of about 3,500 people, which sits five and a half hours’ drive north-west of Sydney. The new name applied for the festival weekend, according to attendee Juanita Peardon.
Parton died in August 2026 at the age of 80, with her family announcing her death on 26 August. She was laid to rest at a private service, after which Dollyfest was announced on 1 September. For this year’s event the town sign was updated with a pink banner, and attendee Juanita Peardon described the dress code as more is more.
The festival began in 2022 and is run by a volunteer committee of Parton fans, and this year’s event was its fifth. It was cancelled in 2024 because of funding problems, then rescued by a $150,000 state government grant and extra support from the local council. Rush said the festival fills the town, with shops and accommodation in use, and that Parton’s appeal came from her attitude to people and small towns and from never forgetting where she came from. “We’re a small town, and we support our locals,” she said.
Fans came from across the region and beyond.
Natasha Kelly, from Dubbo, was sewing rhinestones into her outfit until 4am, while a fan known as Dolly Delicious travelled from Canberra and has attended all five festivals. Bourke couple Sam and Amber Bloem, who married the week before, sang Parton’s 1982 duet Islands in the Stream at their reception instead of having a first dance. Their sons, Archie and Jack, were enrolled at birth in the Imagination Library, Parton’s literacy programme for young children, and Sam said the boys call her aunty Dolly because something arrives in the post each month.
Narromine Elder Aunty Ruth said the town had every reason to mark the occasion: “Why wouldn’t you celebrate such a beautiful person?” She said she saw country music as part of the land. Visitor Johnny Gilmore praised the town’s community spirit, saying he always likes to support country towns and loves Parton’s music, especially from the 1970s and 1980s.
