1. Graceland is Calling
Go all-in and immerse yourself in Elvis Week madness that takes place August 9-17, 2024 with events that’ll make you dance in your blue suede shoes. From hanging out with Linda Thompson, one of the King’s leading ladies, to exploring the legendary Jungle Room, to touring the heart and soul of Memphis, to trying your hand at Elvis karaoke, there’s something for everyone.
And let’s not forget the Candlelight Vigil. A moving experience that draws thousands of fans together each year at the gates of Graceland on August 15 to honor the memory of the man who changed the world (too dramatic? Maybe. Maybe not!). Can’t drop everything and head to Memphis? Do Elvis Week up virtually or catch the livestream of the vigil for free so you can ugly cry in the comfort of your own home.
2. Extra! Extra! Read All About It
Curl up with a comfy Elvis blanket and grab a book to dive into the many worlds of The King. Learn about his deal with the devil (oh sorry, Colonel Tom Parker), his spiritual side, his wild side or all sides from Priscilla’s eyes. Or just learn everything there is to know and pick up Peter Guralnick’s ambitious undertaking and super-thorough biographies — "Last Train to Memphis," "The Rise of Elvis Presley and Careless Love" and "The Unmaking of Elvis Presley."
6. Elvis Is Back in the Building
Get your hands on Elvis’s latest album “MEMPHIS." On August 9, 2024 Sony Music Entertainment dropped the definitive and first fully comprehensive collection of Elvis Presley's hometown recordings. With new albums still being released and Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits currently riding Billboard charts in multiple categories 17 years after his passing, the King of Rock n’ Roll gives a whole new meaning to “gone but not forgotten."
7. Give Like a King
"I could never become so rich that I would forget what it was like to be poor." — Elvis Presley
More than just a pretty face with a velvety voice and a pelvis on fire, Elvis had a heart of philanthropic gold. Aside from handing out cars like candy and actually hanging out with fans at the front gates of Graceland, he quietly donated to charities, from helping sick kids to supporting the arts — without writing them off as tax deductions. He gave thousands of teddy bears that fans sent him to be distributed to children’s hospitals and in 1961, he started a tradition of distributing checks to more than 50 charitable organizations, donating more than 100,000 dollars a year.
Elvis also participated in charitable events by performing at benefit concerts, donated personal belongings for auctions and often paid off people’s debts and mortgages. The Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation keeps his giving spirit alive, so why not walk a mile in his shoes by donating your time or money to a charity close to your heart.
8. A Little Less Conversation, a Little More "I Do”
Head to Las Vegas for your nuptials! If it’s good enough for Elvis and Priscilla, it’s good enough for you. You may not have to be as cloak-and-dagger, but you could: “Just after midnight on May 1, [1967],” recalls Elvis’s school friend George Klein in his memoir, “the wedding party [Elvis included] snuck out the back door of Elvis’s Palm Springs home, climbed over the backyard wall and got into a car to head to the airport. Elvis had been loaned Frank Sinatra’s private jet for the occasion.”
There are as many chapels as there are Elvis impersonators in Vegas (ok, maybe not that many) so take your pick. Make your wedding day a truly special event filled with love, excitement, laughter and a touch of rock 'n' roll.