2022 FESTIVAL WRAP

21 Jul 2022

The 2022 Parkes Elvis Festival was a success attracting 24,000 Elvis to celebrate all things The King. Fans travelled from around Australia and the world with many more watching on with the biggest ever social media reach of 611 million and global media reach a staggering 599 million.

The program was also the biggest on record with more than 400 Elvis and Speedway themed events, performances, exhibitions, displays and workshops. The Speedway Exhibit of rare and classic race cars in the former Broderick car yard was a huge success attracting 4000 visitors.

Headlining the Festival was the USA’s 2019 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Champion, Taylor Rodriguez, making his Australian debut with four shows The preliminary round of the international 2022 Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest was staged at Parkes Leagues Club. Paul Fenech of Sydney placed first, followed by Che Orton of New Zealand and third place went to Melbourne’s Anthony Pertucci. Paul will now travel to Memphis, USA, to represent Parkes at the Contest Semi -Final during Elvis Week in August.

The 2022 Miss Priscilla, Face of the Festival, was awarded to Ashley Smith, of Parkes. No stranger to the role, Ashley was previously awarded the title of Miss Priscilla in 2015, making her the first ever person to hold the title twice.

The town came out in droves for the Northparkes Mines Street Parade which saw over 7,000 people line the streets to enjoy Elvis-themed floats, vintage cars, motorcycles, walking groups and marching bands.

We are grateful for the support of our funding partners, sponsors, supporters and local businesses that help the festival to provide free entertainment in Cooke Park and Festival Boulevard, international and Australian special guests, tribute shows, exhibitions, competitions, the feature concert series, support of our wonderful volunteers, transport, generators, lighting and other essential equipment, theming, marketing, prizes and much more.
These awesome companies and individuals supported the 2022 Festival that injected 13 million dollars into the local economy and brought joy to locals and visitors who celebrated The King of Rock ‘N’ Roll in Parkes.

The 2023 Festival will be held from 4-8 January where we’ll be celebrating our 30th anniversary. Preparations are in full swing for a stellar line up of entertainment. Tickets will be on sale from 12 September.