Rock ‘n’ Roll for all abilities!

On Sunday the 13th of January, Forbes participants Simone, Ian, Jess (Sparkles), Ryan, Elyse, Luke and David, got their rock and roll on at the annual Elvis Festival hosted in Parkes, a town in the Central West region of New South Wales.

They were amongst 25,000 attendees who put on their best outfits (and of course their blue suede shoes) to celebrate the king of rock and roll.

“I loved dancing, singing and meeting Elvis. I like that it’s an event everyone can go to,” said Paul, who is a massive Elvis fan and had been looking forward to the event for weeks.

“The guys absolutely love Parkes Elvis Festival and they’ve been going for the last 18 years. It’s a highlight of their year and they love the entertainment, the food, the stalls, dances and shows. The entire festival is a hit,” said Service Lead Community, Amy Mongan.

She continued, “At the Forbes home and at the Community Hub, for the whole week before the festival, the participants had the Elvis tunes on during the day. They also got their outfits ready; they like to dress up and wear their Elvis merchandise.”

One of the best parts of the event, however, is that it’s accessible and disability friendly.

“Those in charge of the festival have really made an effort to be accessible and disability friendly and it’s gotten better each year,” said Amy.

As explained on the website, there is a private time-out space is available for patrons with special needs. There is also wireless-headphones and vibrating body harnesses so fans with hearing impairments and other sensory disorders can feel the music through their bodies. There is also accessible toilets, parking, viewing areas and carer/companion could attend at no extra charge.

2024 marks the festival’s 31^st year, and the Forbes team are already looking forward to next year’s event.

We also shared this story with Central Western Daily and Forbes Advocate.

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