The hips are swinging at the annual Elvis festival in Parkes. The king of rock and roll is like no other and so is the trip to Parkes for the tens of thousands who attend the celebration.
Category
📺
TVTranscript
00:00We're here in Parks at the Elvis Festival, where people are out and about dressed up
00:06in their best Elvis gear.
00:08They put on their blue suede shoes and there's not a hound dog expression in sight.
00:12It's day three of the five day event celebrating the life and times of the King of Rock and
00:17Roll that draws visitors from all across the globe.
00:21There's a street parade up and down the main boulevard of Parks, concerts all through the
00:25town, a Priscilla Presley lookalike contest with hair styled just like her, and, of course,
00:32the Elvis tribute artists, also known as the Elvi, who are here to celebrate the spirit
00:38of the King.
00:39I'd say for me personally, I try to give people the taste of what it may have been like to
00:43see Elvis live or if the people were lucky enough to see Elvis live, just to give that
00:48memory back.
00:49But all in all, I would say, in my opinion, as long as you're doing a respectful tribute
00:53to Elvis and doing it for the right reasons to help carry on the legacy of the King of
00:57Rock and Roll, I'd say you're doing a good job.
00:58It's hard to believe that 32 years ago, a small event thrown by a few Elvis fans had
01:04evolved into a major tourism event that has a huge impact on the local economy.
01:10Here, 20,000 people are estimated to visit the town of Parks over the weekend, bringing
01:16with them an estimated $11 million for the region.