The heatwave isn’t the only thing burning up the Central West of New South Wales. The Parkes Elvis Festival is rocking out with a Love Me Tender theme to celebrate its 33rd year and the 25,000 Elvis fans that travel from all over the world to be there. It is the largest congregation of Elvis fans in the Southern Hemisphere and Parkes is the official hometown of Elvis in Australia.
As is tradition, fans could once again travel aboard the NSW TrainLink Elvis Express from Sydney to Parkes and Irresistible was there to catch the platform performances and see the crowds off.
Once out in Parkes treats awaited the travellers, such as the return of the Wall of Fame Concert, headlined by Marcia Hines with her dazzling Disco Inferno spectacular, as well as Artists Jay Dupuis and Louis Brown, backed by the world-famous Tributes in Concert Band. Jay Dupuis is celebrated all over the world for his authentic and accurate portrayals of Elvis, and Louis Brown is one of the fastest rising stars of the Elvis tribute pantheon.
As if that wasn’t enough, there was also the Evolution Mining Street Parade with Elvis-themed floats, vintage and classic cars and motorcycles joining Elvis and Priscilla look-a-likes through the town centre; Miss Priscilla Dinner where the 2026 Miss Priscilla is crowned; The Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest; the Renewal of Vows Ceremony; tonnes of snacks; a Poets Breakfast and a whole heap of concerts.
Brendan Shipley, Festival Director/Producer, said, “Each year we work to capture the essence of Elvis and in 2026 we will bring with it some new reimagined production elements, a family-focused atmosphere and a true theatrical experience across all concerts and events.”
The NSW Government has extended its support for the Parkes Elvis Festival until 2027. Minister for Jobs and Tourism, Steve Kamper, said, “It is one of the nation’s most popular regional events, each year drawing more than 20,000 people to the NSW Central West to celebrate the life and music of The King of Rock’n’roll. We are committed to building a dynamic calendar of world-class major events in our regions like the Parkes Elvis Festival, to drive visitation across our state and support the thousands of businesses and jobs that rely on our visitor economy.”
Before this years 2026 Parkes Irresistible chatted to two tribute artists, the incomparable Sydneysider Paul Fenech, and straight from Toowoomba Tristan James, about how their deep appreciation of Elvis started and what they love most about the work. Fenech is a multi-award-winning artist and long-time Parkes Festival favourite, beloved for his crowd-pleasing charisma and precision performance style, who told us taking on Elvis was a natural progression for him.
“When I was younger I always used to muck around. I loved Elvis and he was being played all the time,” he said. “At my mum’s 50th I decided to hire an Elvis, costume and I did a show for everybody. Looking back I was terrible! But everyone loved it. And then my uncle asked me to perform for a paramedics Christmas party. And that was it – I was hooked!”
“I started singing at a place called Elvis Pizza, down in Rushcutters Bay in 1997, and by 2004 I owned it. I kept it going for about 15 years.”
“People were always saying they’re getting married, or they had a corporate gig. There was a lot of work and I was being flown all over the place to perform. I was probably one of two guys in New South Wales doing Elvis. I didn’t stop!”
“Elvis Pizza closed in 2021,” Fenech said. “But I’m proud of what we did there. So many great stories from that little venue and so many people that I met there- celebrities, Elvis fans. It just brought the best out of people and Elvis just shined in that place. It was great.”
Appreciation for Elvis can be intense. We asked Fenech what’s the most out-there experience he’s had with a fan.
“I perform at an event called Elvis Down Under, over in Wellington, New Zealand,” he said. “The Elvis fan club is quite big and when I first went they hadn’t really had a lot of Elvis exposure. So the fans over there really took you in. They were waiting at the airport. They made you feel like a real superstar. And then one of the ladies came up and told me she had a tattoo of me. She lifted up her sleeve and all down her arm it said Paul Fenech as Elvis. It was flattering and surreal at the same time.”
Fenech’s son Anthony Fenech is following in the family business and is himself an Elvis tribute artist, competing in this years Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest.
“We’re the only father and son professional Elvis tribute artists in the world,” said Fenech. “This is our first Parkes when we’r both working and we’ll be performing together on the main stage. He’s one of the top guys now. He’s just a baby but he’s already one of the best. He has shows everywhere!”
Next we chatted to Tristan James, who has amassed more than 100 performances in just two short years, and is rapidly gaining momentum. His musical‑theatre training gives his shows a unique flair and the ability to capture the essence of The King beyond mere imitation.
“I started performing as Elvis because someone thought I was a tribute artist,” said James. “I played along with it and did their mum’s birthday party without them knowing I’d never done it before. That was about four years ago, so really I’m a bit of a newbie.”
“I’ve been a professional DJ my whole life,” said James “and when I relaunched my DJ business online and I just added Elvis as a category. So when I was asked to do the party I just thought I’d give it a go. The party was for a lady called Barbara and it was her last ever birthday. She had terminal cancer, and her whole family was getting together so give her a big do. You wouldn’t have guessed they would lose her six weeks later. She had a great night. It had a profound effect on me, and I guess I realised I might need to do this.”
“Everything else that has happened has been a happy coincidence,” said James. “I’m doing shows, I have my band, I tour, I’ve found my feet.”
“The first year I went to Parkes, no-one knew me. So you don’t just turn up and get gigs. I had to really work my butt off; getting to know everybody; the owners of the venue; the personal organisers. I just put my best foot forward. I went into the amateur competition. I took my lead guitarist, Sam, and we stayed at the local pub upstairs, and gave them a few shows in return for accommodation.”
“Parkes is a small town, but when the festival is on, it triples in size overnight. The locals are lovely. It’s a great country town and you just get a lot of wholesome encounters. I’ll get stopped in the street every few minutes by people wanting a photo who know my work.”
‘I produce all my own Elvis shows, I’m the musical director for my 10- piece band. I also produce a Blues Brothers show as well. There’s a different couple of gentlemen doing Blues Brothers at Parkes – they do a bit more of a fun modern Australian style.”
“My favourite song is probably Ghetto or Kentucky Rain. Elvis always wanted to innovate. He was never stuck in one spot. But strangely, a lot of tribute artists are stuck we because we dress up as him in 1973. Sometimes we dress up as him in the ’50s or the ’68 comeback special. We all choose a moment in time that he existed. But Elvis changed every, every minute, every month, every year he was different. Hundreds of jumpsuits, so many different songs.”
“He innovated, he changed the arrangements. He made song fast and more fun, or slower. I’ve thought about what I can do to put my stamp on the performance, and to modernise it. We need to think to the future.”
“I like all sides of marketing and production and performing. A lot of the videos you see on the festival’s social media is actually ones I’ve created. I hope to take on greater production roles in the future, possibly at Parkes Elvis Festival. I’ve got a real interest in making this festival succeed and evolve. And I love the community. I’m all about the good stuff”
The Parkes Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest forms part of a worldwide search for performers who best honour the legacy of Elvis Presley and is officially endorsed by Elvis Presley Enterprises. It is the preliminary round of the international Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, with leading performers from Australia and beyond competing for the chance to represent Parkes in Memphis during Elvis Week in August.
They gyrated their hips, belted out the classics, crooned and wooed the crowd, but only one could take home the crown. New Zealand’s Taurean Kenny Mill has been crowned the winner of the 2026 Parkes Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest, after outperforming 19 of the top Elvis tribute artists from across Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Second place was awarded to Anthony Fenech of Fraser Rise in Victoria, while third place went to Brendon Chase of Paradise Point in Queensland.
The highly competitive contest unfolded across two high-energy days at Parkes Leagues Club, with performers judged on vocals, appearance, stage presence and overall performance quality, all vying for the opportunity to perform Stateside.
Parkes Elvis Festival Director Brendan Shipley said the standard of competition was exceptionally high.
“This was an incredibly tough contest, with 20 elite Elvis tribute artists delivering standout performances across two massive days,” said Shipley. “Taurean rose above the rest with an electrifying stage presence and a performance that captured the spirit of Elvis with real authenticity and swagger. We’re thrilled to see him represent Parkes at Elvis Week in Memphis later this year.”
Parkes Elvis Festival
7–11 January 2026
Parkes, NSW, Australia
