The world’s largest Elvis Festival begins again this week in Collingwood for the 25th time.
The Collingwood Elvis Festival is marking its 25th anniversary and this year will also be the final town-run event with the festival set to transfer into private hands for the 2020 iteration.
While the official start date for the 2019 festival is July 26, you can get some early action on Thursday, July 25 with a free meet-and-greet event at Living Stone and Living Water resorts at 4 p.m. followed by a Cruise the Dub outdoor performance at A&W at 5:30 p.m. Car enthusiasts are welcome.
On Friday, the music begins at the centre stage outdoors on Hurontario Street (between First and Second street) at 6 a.m. Vendors open at 9 a.m.
The inner stage - on Hurontario at Third Street - comes alive at 9:30 a.m. with an Elvis-themed Zumba class followed by an Elvis open mic hosted by John and Mason Cigan, Elvis tribute artist (ETA) champions, at 10 a.m.
Over on the centre stage, Memphis Jones and Rosemarie O’Brien host the storyteller chat with grand and ultimate ETA champs.
Opening ceremonies kick off at 11:30 a.m. followed by a new event called Greeting from Friends of Elvis, which features Presley’s movie co-stars Marlyn Mason and Cynthia Pepper, and a member of Presley’s security team and personal friend Sam Thompson.
The competition kicks off at 1 p.m. with the qualifying round on the centre stage.
The street party begins at 5:30 p.m. with non-stop ETA performances until 9 p.m.
At Blue Mountain Village, it’s a star-studded jumpsuit lineup with performances by grand and ultimate champion ETAs beginning at 8 p.m.
On Saturday, July 27, the classic car parade is back beginning at 9 a.m. The parade route follows Hurontario from Collingwood Collegiate Institute to Ontario Street, with a finish at Buff-It Detailing for a show and shine.
Semi-finals begin at the Eddie Bush Memorial arena at 11 a.m., tickets are required for this event.
At 2:15 p.m. the festival grand champions return to Collingwood for the 25th-anniversary Spotlight Showcase performance on centre stage. Memphis Jones closes out the day with a concert at 8 p.m. on the Centre Stage.
Meanwhile, at Blue Mountain Village, ETAs will be performing from noon and on into the evening.
Sunday, July 28, begins with the Sunrise Gospel Showcase on centre stage at 8:30 a.m. The grand finals take place at the Eddie Bush Arena (paid event, tickets required) beginning at 1 p.m.
Finally, this year’s festival closes with a new event - a 25th-anniversary after-party hosted by Memphis Jones and featuring ETAs and band support from the Casino Brothers. Tickets are required for this event.
For a more detailed schedule and ticket information, visit the Collingwood Elvis Festival website.
