What started as a local fundraiser for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library has become a nationwide holiday with cities across the country celebrating Sept. 25 as “9 to 5” Day.
In downtown Nashville, the festivities began early as locals and tourists alike flocked to Broadway in all-pink outfits to kick off the day with a “kindness pledge.” On butterfly-shaped sticky notes, people wrote one act of kindness they planned to do to honor Parton’s legacy as a philanthropist.
Marianna Bacallao WPLN NewsCamile Walters sticks her “kindness pledge” to a window of the Nashville Visitors Center in honor of Dolly Parton on Sept. 25, 2026.
Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell, who has officially designated the day “9 to 5” Day, was the first to put his sticky note to the glass walls of the Nashville Visitor Center. He pledged, “If I see someone without a smile, I’ll do my best to give them mine.”
Anita Travis, a Tennessee native living in Denver, returned to her home state after Parton’s death. She made the trip with her blonde golden doodle named “Dolly,” who she initially adopted from Tennessee. She pledged to continue Parton’s generous spirit.
“I just love her,” Travis said. “Dolly just really makes me proud to be a girl from Tennessee, and she taught me that I can do anything … My pledge is to give back, to be kind and give back.”
Marianna Bacallao WPLN NewsAnita Travis adds her kindness pledge in honor of Dolly Parton on Sept. 25, 2026.
Giving back has become an essential part of “9 to 5” Day for many Tennessee businesses. Garth Brooks put some of those gears in motion when he committed to donating 100% of the day’s proceeds to Imagination Library, Parton’s early literacy initiative. Brooks’ honky tonk, Friends in Low Places, offered a $14 specialty cocktail called “Cup of Ambition,” with a live band playing Dolly hits all day.
Marianna Bacallao WPLN NewsFriends in Low Places accepts book donations on “9 to 5” Day, Sept. 25, 2026
At 5 p.m. on the dot, live music venues across the city closed out the workday by playing Parton’s iconic workers’ anthem, and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum offered free showings of the movie, Parton’s film debut.
At night, Nashville was lit up pink from the state capitol to the Korean War Veterans Memorial Bridge with a fireworks display at 9:25 p.m.
George Walker IV AP PhotoPeople watch a fireworks display on Broadway during a “9 to 5” Day event, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Nashville, Tenn.
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