Elvis™ fans from around the world will gather in Franklin on March 19-22, 2020 for the 4th annual Nashville Elvis Festival.
In years past, the event has been held at the Franklin Theatre but the festival shared on Instagram days before Christmas they were moving to The Factory at Franklin.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, the 4th annual Nashville Elvis Festival is moving to the Jamison Theater in the Factory at Franklin!”
The message continued, “We appreciate your patience and understanding during this transition. Please be assured that changing venues was not a decision we came to lightly… we were not given an option due to new management at the previous venue. After three successful years under the theater’s former leadership, it became apparent that we were no longer going to be able to deliver the experience and excellence that Nashville Elvis Festival is known for. Changing venues is undoubtedly an inconvenience for our attendees, and we completely understand that. But we were faced with the choice of either moving, or canceling altogether, and we did not want to let you down.”
With the festival now being held at The Factory, there will be more room for fans and for the first time there will be Elvi-oriented vendors, the festival shared.
In response to the Elvis Festival’s move, the Heritage Foundation issued a statement.
Leadership at The Franklin Theatre has changed this past year. Paul T. Couch was hired as the theatre’s executive director in June.
“As a result of Couch’s assessment, the organization updated its policies and procedures to conform with industry standards. Following these updates, the vast majority of the Theatre’s clients obligingly complied. However, the Heritage Foundation and The Franklin Theatre regret that a few clients, including The Movie Gang and the Nashville Elvis Festival, have chosen to not continue their relationships with The Franklin Theatre under these industry best practices,” The Heritage Foundation said in a statement.
The 4-day Elvis Festival brings celebrity appearances, live music performances, 25 of the best Elvis tribute artists from all over the world. And in years past, there have been live recreations of a Sun Records recording session and a Jungle Room recording session.
Nashville Elvis Festival just announced the first Elvis Tribute artists who will appear this year. The lineup includes; Cote Deonath, Jake Slater, John Coates, Collin Dexter, Tony Nilsson, Cliff Wright, Brooke Wright, Andy King, Angel Zapata, and Tom “E.”
The festival will also be hosting an Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest preliminary round with the winner moving on to Graceland’s Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest Semifinal Round in Memphis during Elvis Week 2020.
Nashville Elvis Festival is produced by Tom Brown & Brian Mayes for Music City Festivals, LLC, and hosted by Tom Brown, a longtime host of select Elvis Week events, one of the hosts of the “Gates of Graceland” web series and the former Vice President of Original Production for Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
Tickets go on sale on Monday, January 6, 2020, on the Nashville Elvis Festival website. For more information including special guests and schedules, please visit the official website at www.NashvilleElvisFestival.com.
