Elvis Presley fans will be out in full force at the 11th edition of the Blue Suede Music Festival in Busby, Alta., this weekend.
The festival will showcase over a dozen performances influenced by young Elvis, old Elvis and everything in between.
“We have the 50s Elvis, we have the movies Elvis, we have the '68 comeback in the leather, we have the Vegas years and he had like 40 different jumpsuits,“ Organizer Trudy Taphorn said.
Taphorn also said 2019 has particular significance for Elvis fans.
“Actually, what’s cool about this year is that it’s the 42nd year since his passing and he died when he was 42, so he has now officially been gone longer than he was alive.”
According to Elvis impersonator Richard Wolfe, the weekend is like brotherhood.
“Like a family reunion every year, right? So it’s pretty cool,” he said. “It’s kind of like motivation for all the guys, you know. It’s like, 'Hey, I like that move, I’m going to try to practice that move.'”
The 2011 edition of the festival saw roughly 530 people sign the guestbook. That number grew to approximately 4,500 attendees last year.
“I love Elvis and I love this festival,” one fan told CTV News Edmonton.
Gates at the Busby Sports Grounds opened Friday to allow festival goers to bring in RVs and camping equipment.
Running through to Sunday, admission to the festival is $25 a day, or $40 plus a food bank donation each day for the weekend. Children under the age of 10 get in for free.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Graham Neil
