VINYL Beauty Bar hosts Dolly Parton 80th Birthday Blowout in Austin to benefit Imagination Library

January 21, 2026

Disco balls reflected off a large Dolly Parton mural above the bar as a themed armadillo cake and oversized blonde wigs filled the room. VINYL Beauty Bar, a hybrid spa and record store owned by Michael and Tinita Harpel, converted its space into a live venue for its first Dolly Parton celebration, preparing the event in under a month.

Attendees found nail and massage stations, cocktails, live country music, a baking competition and a lookalike contest, capped by a drag set from Brigitte Bandit, billed as the Dolly of ATX. Organizers said part of the evening’s ticket sales and donations were directed to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.

Tinita Harpel said the goal was to give people a chance to gather and enjoy themselves during difficult times, and to keep Austin’s creative energy alive. Michael and Tinita ran the venue’s makeover and programming, aiming to spotlight local performers and makers throughout the night.

Whitney Coulter, who entered the lookalike contest, described Parton as a cultural icon admired for equal parts sweetness and toughness, and said the event felt especially meaningful because it emphasized local performers. Coulter added she has attended other Parton-themed events, but this one stood out for its focus on Dolly specifically and for supporting Austin talent.

Inside VINYL, guests danced on the bar, contestants adjusted wigs before taking the stage, and the layout encouraged audience participation at every turn. The evening’s aesthetic and activities were designed to mirror Parton’s theatrical presence, with many attendees embracing flamboyant costumes and playful glamour.

Brigitte Bandit’s performance referenced a long-running connection between Dolly Parton and drag culture, including stories of Parton once losing a lookalike contest to a drag performer and joking she might be a drag queen herself if not a woman. That exaggerated femininity has helped make Parton a figure of camp and frequent subject of online debate.

As lawmakers across Texas increase scrutiny of drag and LGBTQ culture, Bandit framed live performance as both celebration and pushback, saying visibility matters now more than ever. Bandit noted Texas’ large LGBTQ population and urged communities to create public spaces where people can be seen and supported.

Organizers positioned the Blowout as one event in a weekend of Austin celebrations honoring Dolly Parton’s career and charitable work. The night combined fundraising, local arts exposure and community gathering in a compact venue that the Harpels repurposed for the occasion.