Blue Suede shoes swing into NSW town

The annual Parkes Elvis Festival is about to kick off with 18,000 fans and impersonators due to land in the NSW town.

An Elvis fan prepares to board the Elvis Express

The annual Parkes Elvis Festival is preparing to celebrate the King's 80th birthday on Thursday. (AAP)

The NSW country town of Parkes, with a population of 10,000, is bracing itself for an invasion of quiffs, jumpsuits and lip curls.

The annual Parkes Elvis Festival, in honour of the crooner with the swinging hips, is preparing for one of its biggest years yet as it celebrates the King's 80th birthday on Thursday.

"I've seen many Elvises this morning both in costume and out of costume and you can tell because of their sideburns," festival director Emily Dunn told AAP on Tuesday, the day before the festivities were due to kick off.

The town is set to almost triple in size as about 18,000 people are expected to turn up for the event.

"The supermarkets all pre-stock up. All the pubs and clubs stock up and brace themselves for everyone coming into town," Dunn said.

"There's a lot of new merchandise on sale so if you leave house without your wig or your Elvis jumpsuit, don't worry you can definitely pick up one in Parkesm that's not a problem."

Among the events that have drawn all these Hound Dog wannabes to the town are a busking competition, a Miss Priscilla contest and, for the tenth tenth year running, the renewal of marriage vows in front of an Elvis-impersonating celebrant.

"Don't worry, it's not legally binding," Dunn said.

There's also an Elvis edible art contest and a poets breakfast where poets read out their odes to the King.

The festival also enables people to go incognito and blend in with all the other Elvises.

"It has a very mardi-gras atmosphere and I think that the key to its success is you can actually come here, be a little anonymous and have a fantastic time and party hard in Parkes."

The Parkes Elvis Festival runs from January 7 - 11.


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Source: AAP


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