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AAP
AAP
Lifestyle
Stephanie Gardiner

Great Scot, it's Elvis: thousands turn out for the king

Sydney builder Ross Cummings transforms into Scottish Elvis for the annual Elvis Festival in Parkes. (Stephanie Gardiner/AAP PHOTOS)

For much of the year Ross Cummings builds luxury Sydney homes and renovates upscale bathrooms.

Come January he leaves the harbour city behind, pulls on a flared tartan suit and spends a long weekend being Scottish Elvis.

Cummings is a beloved fixture at the Parkes Elvis Festival, a wacky celebration in rural NSW that coincides with the king of rock 'n' roll's birthday.

He stands out from the crowd of polyester-clad Elvis lookalikes, wearing immaculate finery designed and tailored in Canada.

Elvis festival
The parade through Parkes is a highlight of the Elvis Festival. (Stephanie Gardiner/AAP PHOTOS)

Cummings grew up in Scotland listening to his father's Elvis records, and first visited the festival six years ago for nostalgic fun.

"I was hooked," he told AAP on Saturday.

"That's when I started watching a lot of Elvis and getting my suits together.

"Then two years ago, I sang for the very first time and that was it."

Scottish Elvis had five gigs in pubs and clubs during the festival, though emulating the king doesn't always come naturally. 

"I'm still a novice at performing, I'm working my way into it.

"If I get better, then I'll think about doing it more."

Cummings attracted a swell of applause during the festival's main event on Saturday morning, a parade of hundreds of tribute artists, lookalikes, dancers and fans.

Elvis festival
Wendy McIntosh, Kerry Eldon, Jenny Parson and Kym Condon embraced the Jailhouse Rock theme. (Stephanie Gardiner/AAP PHOTOS)

Some Elvii - the affectionate collective noun for a group of lookalikes - zoomed down the main street on rollerskates, while others danced and swivelled their hips.

The smell of diesel lingered in the air, with a cavalcade of classic cars, trucks and tractors making their way down Clarinda Street.

Friends Wendy McIntosh, Kerry Eldon, Jenny Parsons and Kym Condon dressed in slick black prison warden uniforms for the festival's Jailhouse Rock theme.

The women set upon groups of obliging Elvis impersonators and handcuffed them in mock arrests.

The festival is at the heart of their decades long friendship, as they spend months planning and making their costumes.

Ms Eldon said she and her sister Kym are lifelong Elvis fans, for obvious reasons.

"He's quite handsome," she laughed.

"But he can sing. If you think of all the singers we've had, Elvis is out there.

"No matter how old you are he's always there."

The festival was founded in 1993 to attract visitors to the small farming town in the traditionally quiet summer period.

Three decades on, the event has international recognition and triples Parkes' population for five days.

Alfred Vaz
Dripping in gold, Alfred Vaz or Bollywood Elvis, is another fan favourite. (Bianca De Marchi/AAP PHOTOS)

Nick Gilbert travelled from Melbourne to join the parade, enduring the 30C heat in a frilly gold suit.

But Mr Gilbert had no regrets.

"I was looking for a jumpsuit all year and it's really hard to find one," he said.

"We inquired with a costume shop and they had one gold suit left.

"I thought, this is fate, I've got to take the gold one." 

He posed with Alfred Vaz, another festival favourite known as Bollywood Elvis, who was also dripping in gold.

Mr Gilbert told him: "We've got to make it shine."

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