Elvis Presley Festival: Garden Grove Gathering

Tribute artists, sparkly jumpsuits, and hip-shaking songs rule the 18th annual party.

WE SING "LOVE ME TENDER," you sing "love me true." You sing "we're caught in a trap" and we sing "I can't walk out." And we both sing "you ain't nothin' but a hound dog, cryin' all the time." The fact is it is nearly impossible to hear the first few words of any iconic Elvis Presley ditty and not immediately hum or vocalize the following line, or, let's be honest, the next several lines, and possibly the whole song. Thank the King's enduring legacy and talent for our knowledge of the Elvis catalog, thank the fact that radio still has Elvis in impressive rotation, thank the legend's movie roles, and thank the modern-day events that bring out the gifted tribute artists who encourage people out in the crowd to sing along. Mr. Presley remains a timeless artist, a man who delivered ditties that just about everyone could and would sing, and an annual August party in Orange County regularly pays homage to the boy from Tupelo, and how he changed music, and wider pop culture, forever. That party is the...

18TH ANNUAL ELVIS FESTIVAL, and it will "thank you, thank you very much"-it-up on Historic Main Street in Garden Grove on Sunday, Aug. 27. Will a host of Elvises be out, singing, posing for photographs, and bringing sunglass-sporting, pompadour-perfect joy to the fans? You can count on it. The King of Cadillacs show will add a vintage vehicle dimension to the day, and as for the eating? Several Main Street restaurants will offer dishes that recall Mr. Presley's movie roles or songs (Louie's on Main is the place for Chicken "Love Me" Tenders, just in case you need to start planning your thematic supping now). The gathering will pay homage to the memory of the King, and the 40th anniversary of his death on Aug. 16, 1977. If you'd like to be among other mavens of the superstar, and hear some croon-worthy tunes, too, get to Garden Grove on the final Sunday in August. Admission to the festival is free.

Copyright FREEL - NBC Local Media
Contact Us