Dolly Parton Tribute Special 2026: Performers, Date, Time & How to Watch

CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton will air live from Nashville on ABC and Disney+ in October.

Written by Amanda Tempel

Date Published: September 16, 2026

Last Updated: October 5, 2026

The Country Music Association has announced the all-star performer lineup for its upcoming television celebration of Dolly Parton.

CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton will air live Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville.

Ashley McBryde, Brad Paisley, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire, Lainey Wilson, Kelsea Ballerini, Vince Gill, Carly Pearce, Ella Langley, and more are among the artists scheduled to perform during the two-hour special.

The tribute follows Parton’s passing on August 25 and will celebrate her music, career, influence, and legacy across country music and entertainment.

Dolly Parton Tribute Special Quick Facts

Official title: CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Time: 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET
Channel: ABC
Streaming: Disney+
Next-day streaming: Hulu
Location: Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville
Performers: Ashley McBryde, Béla Fleck, Brad Paisley, Carly Pearce, Carrie Underwood, Darius Rucker, Ella Langley, Kelsea Ballerini, Kristen Bell, Kristin Chenoweth, Lady A, Lainey Wilson, Little Big Town, Lukas Nelson, Molly Tuttle, Reba McEntire, Ricky Skaggs, Sierra Hull, Vince Gill, and Zac Brown
Special guests: Amy Grant and Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Executive producer: Robert Deaton

When Is the Dolly Parton Tribute Special?

CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton will air Wednesday, October 21, 2026, from 9:00 to 11:00 p.m. ET.

The two-hour event will be broadcast live from the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville.

How to Watch the Dolly Parton Tribute Special

The Dolly Parton tribute will air live on ABC and Disney+ beginning at 9:00 p.m. ET on October 21.

The special will also be available to stream on Hulu the following day.

Who Is Performing on the Dolly Parton Tribute Special?

CMA has announced a lineup spanning country music, bluegrass, Broadway, and beyond for I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton.

The performers are:

• Ashley McBryde

• Béla Fleck

• Brad Paisley

• Carly Pearce

• Carrie Underwood

• Darius Rucker

• Ella Langley

• Kelsea Ballerini

• Kristen Bell

• Kristin Chenoweth

• Lady A

• Lainey Wilson

• Little Big Town

• Lukas Nelson

• Molly Tuttle

• Reba McEntire

• Ricky Skaggs

• Sierra Hull

• Vince Gill

• Zac Brown

Amy Grant and Kimberly Williams-Paisley will also appear as special guests.

A Belmont University student ensemble will participate in one of the performances as part of the university’s ongoing DOLLY U programming.

CMA says additional surprise tributes from Parton’s friends across the entertainment world will also be featured throughout the special.

The lineup brings together several generations of artists influenced by Parton, including fellow Country Music Hall of Fame members, current country stars, bluegrass musicians, and performers from Broadway and other areas of entertainment.

How to Get Tickets to the Dolly Parton Tribute

Tickets for CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton went on sale September 30, with prices beginning at $95 — a nod to Parton’s iconic song “9 to 5.”

The special will be filmed before a live audience at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in Nashville.

Proceeds from the event will help support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Where Is the Dolly Parton Tribute Being Filmed?

The special will be filmed live at the Fisher Center for the Performing Arts at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Belmont has several connections to Parton. The Fisher Center hosted the 2025 world premiere of DOLLY: A True Original Musical, and the university also partnered with Parton to launch DOLLY U, an educational program designed to give students opportunities to learn from her career, artistry, entrepreneurship, and influence.

That partnership will also be represented during the television special through a performance featuring a Belmont University student ensemble.

What Will the Dolly Parton Tribute Include?

CMA says the television special will span multiple generations and genres while tracing Parton’s career and influence.

In addition to performances from more than 20 announced artists, the broadcast will include special guests Amy Grant and Kimberly Williams-Paisley, a Belmont University student ensemble, and surprise tributes from Parton’s friends across the entertainment world.

Parton’s influence stretched from country music and songwriting to film, television, business, and philanthropy.

Robert Deaton will serve as executive producer of the television special.

Tribute Will Support Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

The tribute will also support one of Parton’s best-known philanthropic efforts.

CMA and Belmont University will make a donation from proceeds from the special to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Disney is also supporting the organization and its mission.

Parton launched the Imagination Library in 1995 in her hometown of Sevier County, Tennessee. The program provides free books each month to children from birth to age five and has distributed hundreds of millions of books since its founding.

Fans can also make their own donations directly to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

More Dolly Parton Tribute Details

With the performer lineup now announced, CMA says additional surprise tributes will still be revealed during the live broadcast.

CMA Presents I Will Always Love You: A Celebration of Dolly Parton airs live Wednesday, October 21, at 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+, with next-day streaming available on Hulu.

Check back for additional updates ahead of the October 21 special.

Photo Credit: CMA