Grab your blue suede shoes and head to Tupelo for the annual Elvis Festival! Festivities begin the night of Wednesday, June 9, and run through Sunday afternoon, June 13.
Last year Tupelo created a virtual Elvis Festival so that the tradition of honoring their hometown King would not be lost entirely amid COVID-19. This year, downtown Tupelo is looking forward to having locals and visitors come back and celebrate the King of Rock and Roll in person!
With a fantastic lineup of live music, local food trucks, Elvis fan club meet and greets, UFM Boxing, a “Run with the King 5K,” and so much more, there is something for Elvis fans of all ages this week. The festival will also include the “Becoming Experience,” which is a youth competition for ages 12-17. This experience provides the opportunity to work with world-class Elvis tribute artists and perform with a live band following the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Finals. The festival will conclude with a brunch and Sunday Gospel Concert at the Bancorp South Arena.
Along with all of the planned Elvis festivities, visitors can take pictures with The King’s statue in downtown Fair Park and look for local art of him that is featured on several buildings. Be sure to look for the blue suede shoes painted on the sidewalks downtown and notice all of the unique guitar silhouettes that line Main Street.
Don’t forget to stop by Tupelo Hardware Company and pay tribute to a young Elvis, who walked into Tupelo Hardware in January 1946 with his sights set on a rifle. His mother, Gladys, convinced him to buy a guitar instead. Elvis strummed the new guitar and paid $7.75, plus two percent sales tax, and the rest, as they say, is history. You can also purchase Elvis souvenirs at Tupelo Hardware Company and several other local downtown shops.
Tupelo is well known for its delicious, local eateries, and during Elvis week, there are fabulous menu items dedicated solely to the King. Dishes like “Blue Suede Grill,” from Cafe 212, “D’Love Me Tender Sandwich” from D’ Cracked Egg, “All Shook Up” cookies from Hollypops Bakery, and “The Priscilla” from Crave are sure to make your taste buds sing!
Can’t make it Tupelo this week? No problem! The Tupelo Elvis Festival will also be coming to you LIVE on pay-per-view. Exclusive content such as Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artists Finals, the Tupelo to Memphis concert, and even some of the virtual segments from 2020 will be featured. You can purchase tickets for this pay-per-view experience right here.
The Elvis Festival in Tupelo is full of music, history, great food, and fun! Tupelo is sure to shake, rattle, and roll, this week!
For a complete list of events, click here.
