Parkes Elvis Festival turns 30 in 2023 while Gospel Service turns 21

The figure on his doorstep extended a hand and said: "Hi, I'm Elvis."

Unsure if he was still dreaming, the reverend led Elvis to his living room and the pair began to talk.

"I wasn't really awake and I'm thinking: 'What's happening to me?'," Rev Stuart said.

The king - who turned out to be Elvis impersonator, fan and collector Elvis Lennox - dropped in to support the reverend's plans for a gospel performance at the Parkes Elvis Festival.

The Sacred Songs of Elvis Presley, a Uniting Church service that combines pompadour and praise, began in 2002 to an audience of 80.

Now known as the Elvis Gospel Service, it has become one of the festival's landmarks, drawing thousands to bask in the singer's renditions of Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art.

Rev Stuart, who led the services for a decade, will return for the 30th anniversary of the festival, which begins on January 4.

It will be a chance to reflect on the history of the gatherings, which caused some controversy in the early days.

"After the first one, a guy dead-against it became fully supportive," Rev Stuart said.

"He said, 'It's the first time I have come to church and there's people waiting at the door to get the best seats half an hour before'."

The festival was founded in 1993 as a community celebration to invigorate rural NSW in the heat of summer.

Now it is hailed as the largest Elvis tribute in the southern hemisphere and attracts 25,000 visitors from around Australia and overseas.

Director Tiffany Steel's parents Anne and Bob were among the Elvis enthusiasts who brought the festival to life, hosting a raucous dinner and dance at their Gracelands restaurant in the first year.

Ms Steel remembers her mother's determination to make the night a success, despite recovering from a serious fall.

"She fell off a ladder and broke both her wrists and her nose, and she had plaster up to her elbows," she said.

"So my father, my brother and I became her hands."

The Steels' enormous collection of Elvis memorabilia will be on display to mark the milestone year, along with props from Baz Luhrmann's Hollywood biopic, and a recreation of the Graceland mansion, complete with the green shag-carpeted Jungle Room.

There will be up to 350 events across five days, including skydiving Elvis impersonators floating over the plains, couples renewing their vows Las Vegas-style and tribute concerts and shows on every corner and in every club and pub.

Ms Steel said the festival's longevity comes down to the universal appeal of the King of Rock'n'roll.

"He was the epitome of cool. Women loved him and men wanted to be like him," Ms Steel said.

"Parents came to the festival, and they've had children, and those children have had children. So now there are three generations of Parkes Elvis Festival fans."

Australian Associated Press

As we countdown to the 30th anniversary of the Parkes Elvis Festival in January, we're celebrating the milestone by bringing our readers a special series of stories that show just how far the festival has come and the people who've made it what it is today.

The series so far: