25,000 fans attend 30th anniversary of the Parkes Elvis Festival

The Covid-19 pandemic that had cancelled the 2021 event and pushed 2022's festival to April, almost felt like a thing of the past across the five days as Elvis tribute artists performed to sold out crowds and thousands of fans filled Cooke Park and Parkes' CBD.

Festival director Tiffany Steel said they have estimated 25,000 people turned out for the 30^th anniversary, not a record but certainly up there among the best attended festivals.

They've also estimated 8000 fans attended the biggest event of the festival, the Northparkes Mines street parade on January 7, with the number of entries in the parade itself yet to be released as 30 per cent of participants registered on the day.

Either way Ms Steel said they are really happy with it all.

"It was the fastest five days in history!" She laughed.

"Covid did feel like a thing of the past, all our outdoor events and the layout of the park, a lot of it wouldn't have been impacted but I think it all went very well."

Ms Steel had the most praise for Wednesday's events which began a little earlier than usual but set the bar, the mood and atmosphere for the remainder of the festival.

"The numbers on Wednesday were the biggest we've ever seen," she said.

"We had fantastic numbers for the Wall of Fame and the concert, and the feedback from the people was phenomenal.

"Four Australian music legends in one concert is unheard of and their agents said it was one of the best concerts they've done.

"It was the first time the three of them (Ross Wilson, Joe Camilleri and Brian Cadd) played with Normie Rowe."

People were arriving earlier and the organisers had sold-out shows in the Feature Concert Series on January 4 and 5, which Ms Steel said has never happened before.

The Miss Priscilla Dinner, that featured five Miss Priscilla entrants and eight Miss Blue Hawaii entrants, had sold out too.

"The Miss Priscilla Dinner was really popular, we had the Swing Katz and Brendon Chase, it was really fun," Ms Steel said.

"Thursday in the park was busier than normal and a lot of people were wandering around the markets on Wednesday even though they didn't begin until Thursday, which was really encouraging.

"Our aim was to bring big events earlier in the week and that worked.

"It was great to see all the free entertainment... The schedule stayed the same but the main stage in the park was running from 11am on Thursday to Sunday afternoon.

"And we brought in some international acts on the main stage, Diogo Light (from Brazil) headlined on Thursday and Friday nights."

There were also lots of VIPs who featured in the street parade this year, very fitting for the 30^th anniversary, and Ms Steel said there was a good mixture of entrants.

The biggest change that some were first unsure about was moving the renewal of vows ceremony out of the park and into the Generosity Church, but Ms Steel said it worked really well.

"The venue looked spectacular and it was set up well in there," she said.

"It has a kitchen too so that was a big tick for us.

"Things are all trial and error and we learn what works and what doesn't, and that worked."

Plans are for the renewal of vows to stay there.

Having two international feature artists in Dean Z and Victor Trevino Junior from the US for the first time, as well as Elvis' personal bodyguard and friend Sam Thompson and Elvis' tour producer in the 70s Charles Stone, were major drawcards too.

"Sam and Charles were part of that last minute funding and they were really well received," Ms Steel said.

"We had three Q and A events at the memorabilia display with 200 people crammed in there.

"Sam and Charles loved it."

Sunday night's festival finale at the Parkes Leagues Club saw the three international guest artists Dean, Victor and Diogo presented Parkes medallions.

Ms Steel said she particularly loved the Movie and Memorabilia display at the northern end of Clarinda Street, in the former Holden dealership building.

It was curated by Parkes artists Helen Standen and Deb Jones to celebrate 30 years of the festival, with funding for the display coming just in time before Christmas, and Ms Steel said the pair done an amazing job putting it together.

Thirty years ago it all started as a community celebration in 1993 to invigorate rural NSW in the heat of summer.

Now the Parkes Elvis Festival is hailed as the largest Elvis tribute in the southern hemisphere and attracts visitors from around Australia and overseas.

Ms Steel's parents Anne and Bob were its founders and 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 featured in the display, including Bob's original hand-made jumpsuit and motorbike he rode in the first parade, along with props from Baz Luhrmann's Hollywood biopic, and a recreation of the Graceland mansion with the green shag-carpeted Jungle Room.

As per tradition the theme for next year's Elvis Festival was revealed over the weekend, that being Jailhouse Rock from January 10 to 14.

The new life-size replica Graceland gates at the Parkes Visitor Centre will also be ready by then, in time for the 2024 Wall of Fame event, which will move to the new location.

Thanks to more than $350,000 in government funding, a whole precinct is being constructed, complete with a performance area, a rose garden and a Hollywood style Walk of Fame.

"It's all inspired by how Graceland looks," Ms Steel said.

Have you seen our coverage of the 30th Parkes Elvis Festival? There's plenty to see and read in the Elvis Festival section on our website: