If you’re looking for a short, weekend trip out of Oxford, try the Tupelo Elvis Festival June 6-10. The festival is celebrating its 20th year after beginning in 1999 with one purpose—to honor Elvis Presley.
This 2018 festival includes regional and local acts, as well as internationally known artists, a Graceland-certified Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Competition, a 5K run, a pet parade and several downtown activities, according to the website.
One of the most unique competitions of the weekend is the Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist (UETA) Competition. Tribute artists are Elvis fans who decide to pay tribute to him through performing. They study Elvis’s movements, his outfits, his hair and his mannerisms to act and sound as much like him as possible, according to the Downtown Tupelo Main Street Association. The competition is one of 17 worldwide competitions sanctioned by Elvis’s home, Graceland. The winner of the competition will go on to compete in Graceland’s UETA Competition. To win Graceland’s competition is the highest honor an Elvis Tribute Artist (ETA) can receive.
Most events are free, but some meet-and-greets, concerts and competitions are priced individually and can be purchased here.
If you’re not an Elvis fan, there are other musicians playing Friday night in the Fairpark District including Muscadine Bloodline, Bishop Gunn, Memphis Jones and the Spunk Monkees.
For more information about the 2018 Tupelo Elvis Festival, follow this link.
hottytoddy.com staff report
