Parkes Elvis Festival

The Parkes Elvis Festival is usually held in January each year as it coincides with the birthday of the King of Rock and Roll, Elvis Presley.

The festival started in the 1990s and has grown yearly, with over 150 events over five days.

Held every year in the second week of January, coinciding with Elvis Presley’s birthday, the 2025 Festival will be held from 8 to 12 January and will celebrate its 32nd year.

There are many fun events to participate in, including Tribute Shows, renewal of vows ceremonies, Miss Priscilla Dinner, live music, competitions and best Elvis impersonation contests. The festival attracts over 25,000 visitors annually, with thousands dressing up to participate in the many events scheduled over the weekend.

Parkes Elvis Festival is back in 2025 with a jam-packed program of rockin’ n’ rollin’ fun. The King-sized program has hundreds of Elvis and Easy Come, Easy Go-inspired events. The souvenir program will be available for purchase from Elvis Central, Parkes Visitor Information Centre, and several local retailers from November.

Join in the fun of Parkes Elvis Festival and participate in our competitions. If you like to dress up, can sing or dance like the best of them, there’s a competition for you on the Main Stage.

Cote Deonath, Emilio Santoro & Riley Jenkins

Cote Deonath is a world-renowned Elvis Presley tribute artist who has dedicated his life to preserving and celebrating the King of Rock and Roll’s music and legacy.

Emilio Santoro has been making a huge impression everywhere he turns. In August of this year, his efforts and experience won him the hugely coveted 2024 EPE Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Championship.

Riley Jenkins is an award-winning Elvis Tribute Artist. His love for music and Elvis Presley began at the age of three when he heard “The King” sing “Blue Suede Shoes” for the first time.

McDonald’s Busking Championships

Festival Boulevard will be rockin’ with the McDonald’s Busking Championships at Parkes Elvis Festival.

The footpaths, street corners, cafes, and shopfronts along Festival Boulevard become a stage for the brilliant array of talented, quirky, and beginner artists who perform for Festival fans passing by.

Rock’n’Roll Dancing Competition

The Rock’n’Roll Dancing Competition is open to Rock ‘N’ Roll clubs, dance clubs and independent couples. The competition is held on the Cooke Park Main Stage dance floor from 3pm on Saturday of the festival.

The Rock’n’Roll Dancing Competition is always a lot of fun and we encourage you to come along and join in as either a competitor or a spectator. Life is better when you Rock ‘N’ Roll!

Photography Competition

The Elvis Photography Competition has become a popular Festival event for discovering and exhibiting photographs from past Parkes Elvis Festival.

The Elvis Photography Competition showcases outstanding work from amateur to established photographers.

Categories include:

• Best digital camera black and white image
• Best digital camera colour image
• Best digital portrait
• Best smartphone image
• Overall champion
• Overall highly commended

A selection of entries is displayed during the Parkes Elvis Festival. The winners of the Photography Competition will be announced at the Elvis Photography Exhibition on the Friday of the festival at 4pm. Entrants do not need to be present at the Festival to win.

Miss Priscilla Competition

Ladies, it’s time to shine by competing to become the Face of the Festival in the Miss Priscilla Competition.

Get your lashes on and tease your hair into a beehive for the ultimate Priscilla Presley look-a-like competition where you’ll become an instant celebrity.

Judges will examine the overall appearance, including make-up, hair, and dress, to determine whether it resembles Priscilla Presley’s pre-1969 look. The annual prize is awarded to both the stylist and model.

Tribute to Elvis Competitions

Are you or your son or daughter a budding Elvis tribute artist? Join one of our Tribute to Elvis Competitions. Many famous Elvis Tribute Artists have started their careers in this competition.

If you can sing like The King, this competition is for you. Battle it out against other Elvis wannabes to win great prizes. Many great tribute artists gained their first breakthrough in this competition. Pre-registration is a must.

Evolution Mining Northparkes Operations Street Parade

The Evolution Mining Northparkes Operations Street Parade is the major annual highlight of the Parkes Elvis Festival.

Elvis-themed floats, vintage and classic cars and motorcycles join Elvis and Priscilla look-a-likes and marching bands as they head from Bushman Street to Cooke Park down the length of Clarinda Street.

Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest

Parkes Elvis Festival will once again stage a preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, officially endorsed by the estate of Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Parkes Elvis Festival will once again stage a preliminary round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Contest, officially endorsed by the estate of Elvis Presley, Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Across two momentous days, leading Elvis tribute artists from Australia and abroad will compete for the opportunity to represent Parkes Elvis Festival in the semi-final round of the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist in Memphis during Elvis Week in August 2025.

Heats will take place on the Friday of the festival, and the exciting finals will be on Saturday. Come along and cheer on your favourite Elvis tribute artist to win and enjoy the world’s best tribute artists!

The competition is open to professional and semi-professional Elvis tribute artists. First-timer or amateur performers are encouraged to enter the Senior Tribute to Elvis Competition.

Vehicle Shows

Show your most treasured collectable to our Festival fans.

Classic & Heritage Vehicle Show
It features classic and vintage cars, vans, and motorbikes from bygone days. Car and caravan combos accepted.
Any type of vehicle accepted (must be over 30 years old).

Competition categories include;

• Best Classic Motorcycle
• Best Classic
• Best Classic Caravan
• Best Classic Commercial Car

Cars of the Era
Saturday of the festival / 11.30am-4pm / Short Street / Free

Cars of the Era showcases the large American-style cars of the 50s through to the 70s. These are the cars that ruled the road when Elvis ruled the airwaves.

The Cars of the Era Display starts with parading your car in the iconic Northparkes Mines Street Parade (starting at 10 am) in front of thousands of cheering fans. At the end of the parade, your car will be displayed on Short Street until 4 pm.

Competition categories include;

• Best Elvis Era Closed Car
• Best Supreme Elvis Era Vehicle
• Best Elvis Era Roadster
• Best Elvis Era Convertible
• Best Hot Rod

Look-a-like competitions

Join in the fun of the Parkes Elvis Festival, dress up, and take part in our look-a-like competitions. There are no entry fees; just turn up on the Saturday of the festival to register and join in the festivities.

Junior Elvis Look-a-Like Competition
Have your little one do their best Elvis impersonation to win great prizes. If they like to dress up, this is the competition for them. It’s open for babies, toddlers, and teens up to 15.

Junior Priscilla Look-a-Like Competition
Do you know a great mini Priscilla? Be sure to sign them up for the Junior Priscilla Look-a-Like Competition and win some great prizes. This competition is open to babies, toddlers, and teens up to 15.

Senior Elvis Look-a-Like Competition
Do you look like The King and have his signature Elvis moves down pat? The Senior Elvis Look-a-Like Competition is for you.

On Saturday of the festival, pop on your jumpsuit, shine those rhinestones, and slip on your Elvis shades. This competition is open to anyone 16 years and over.

Senior Priscilla Look-a-Like Competition
Prepare your beehive and preen your frock for this hotly contested look-a-like competition. Great prizes are up for grabs. This competition is open to anyone 16 years and over.

Elvis Poetry Competition

Each year, Parkes Elvis Festival invites all aspiring and published authors of poetry to submit their best and greatest unpublished poems at the Elvis Poetry Competition and Breakfast.

This competition is open to all Australian citizens or permanent residents, 18 years and over, with novice, open and people’s choice categories.

All finalists will be announced at the beginning of the poets’ breakfast and will read or have their poem recited during the event for final judging.

There are so many events and competitions to discuss on this page, so please check out the official website’s event program and competition listings for full details on each event, location, dates, times, and entry prices.

Elvis Quest at Chromefest

The Parkes Elvis Festival is introducing an exciting new twist this year by hosting the Elvis Quest at ChromeFest in October.

This competition welcomes professional, semi-professional, and amateur performers alike. This is your chance to show off your musical pipes and show your love for The King.

All you need to do is secure a 1st or 2nd place at the Elvis Quest during ChromeFest to be in the running to win a $200 Visa gift card plus automatic entry into the 2025 Parkes Elvis Festival’s UETA competition heat held on Friday, 10 January 2025 in Parkes NSW.

All entries will be provided with a 4–5-minute slot to wow the crowd with your favourite Elvis song. Three judges will closely watch and see if you’ve got what it takes.

Getting There

Parkes is the crossroads of the nation, strategically situated on the east-west rail corridor and the major inland north-south road corridor of the Newell Highway. The drive from Sydney to Parkes is five hours via the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Blue Mountains, Bathurst and Orange. From Canberra, it’s a little over three hours.

Flights from Sydney to Parkes are an hour. Regional Express Airlines fly regularly from Sydney to Parkes. Book the Hound Dog Express plane and be entertained in the REX lounge before departure.

Travel to the Parkes Elvis Festival with NSW TrainLink on the Elvis Express special festival train or by timetabled operated services.

Alternatively, the Dubbo XPT runs daily between Sydney and Dubbo and stops at Orange, with a coach connecting to Parkes. On Mondays, the Broken Hill Outback Explorer runs between Sydney and Broken Hill and stops at Parkes. Additionally, on Mondays to Fridays and Sundays, NSW TrainLink runs services from Sydney to Lithgow with a coach connecting to Parkes.

Getting Around

There are many easy ways to travel around Parkes and the Festival venues. Many venues are within walking distance of the Festival hub, Cooke Park.

Regular shuttle bus services operate around Parkes, Peak Hill, and Forbes, as well as taxi services based in the town. Hire cars are also available. Parking is available on side streets or at shuttle bus stops.

Places to Stay

Parkes offers quality accommodation options, with approximately 1500 bed spaces across a range of motels, hotels, bed and breakfasts, serviced accommodation, cabins, and caravan parks. From affordable 3-star motels to brand-new, modern 4.5-star establishments, along with disabled rooms and pet-friendly options, there is something to suit all tastes and requirements.

A further 300 bed spaces are available in historic pubs, quality motels, and convenient caravan parks in the smaller Shire towns of Peak Hill, Bogan Gate, Trundle, and Tullamore.

Where to eat

Parkes Shire offers a great selection of quality dining options that cater for a variety of tastes. Whether you desire a hearty pub meal, to dine at a first-class restaurant or a simple yet satisfying snack from one of our stylish cafes and coffee shops, you are sure to have a pleasant dining experience.

Sample the Elvis-themed menus at local cafes and restaurants throughout the Festival. Pick up the complete dining guide from the Parkes Visitor Information Centre.