To have a festival dedicated to you has to be the ultimate accolade. So to kick start a quiet time in local tourism, a group of passionate Elvis community members decided to put Parkes on the map with their Elvis Festival. Once a former gold rush town, Parkes aims to be the THE Elvis capital of Australia, but perhaps for now it is more commonly known as the home of “The Dish“, (the CSIRO Parks Radio Telescope).
The five day Festival, which started sixteen years ago, celebrates the birth of Elvis Presley on the 8th January. It commences on Wednesday the 7th with a free live show for all. Approximately seven to eight thousand people arrive for the festival which hosts more than one hundred individual events around the phenomenal life of Elvis Presley.
Some of the highlights of the Festival include Elvis look-alike contests, Elvis move-alike contests, Elvis sound-alike contests and Elvis poetry readings. There is a crowning of Miss Priscilla and outdoor Elvis in the Park activities which are all free.
A big feature of the Festival is the Elvis Gospel Church Service. This is an interdenominational service that pays tribute to gospel music. Australia’s Mark Andrew is an extremely popular favorite at the Parkes Elvis Festival and will be performing there again this year.
With sixteen years dedicated to the memory of Elvis Presley, this central New South Wales town is obviously a must attend festival. For more information check out the Parkes Elvis Festival .
