Elvis Birthday Celebration 2018
Thursday, JANUARY 4
Graceland Excursions: Musical Landmarks of the Mississippi Delta Tour
8:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. The Graceland Excursions Mississippi Delta tour will trace the influences that inspired the creation of rock ‘n’ roll music. Expert tour guides will narrate this day-long adventure that takes a detour down the backroads and explore the deep roots of blues culture, blues history, while discovering delicious foods and reliving a musical revolution powered by raw emotion. The tour includes stops in the city of Clarksdale, Delta Blues Museum, Grammy Museum Mississippi and Southern Sounds at Dockery Farms. Book your tour online or to book by phone, call 800-238-2000 or 901-332-3322.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 5
The Auction at Graceland Preview
10:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Rock Meeting Room, The Guest House at Graceland. Stop by the Auction preview room to view the Elvis lots that will be up for auction on January 6. Guests will also be able to register for a paddle to bid in the auction.
Club Elvis with DJ Argo
8:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. Grand Ballroom, The Guest House at Graceland. Come hang out and enjoy a private party with your fellow Elvis fans as DJ Argo spins Elvis records for your listening and dancing pleasure. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at Graceland.com, or at the door of the event, pending availability.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 6
Elvis Birthday Brunch
9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Grand Ballroom, The Guest House at Graceland. Enjoy a classic Memphis breakfast buffet at The Guest House while enjoying special Elvis programming, hosted by Tom Brown, including Elvis videos and special guest speakers Rex and Elisabeth Mansfield. Rex Mansfield was inducted into the Army on the same day as Elvis in March 1958 and went through basic training with him in Texas, traveled with him to Germany and became close friends for the next 18 months. Elisabeth Stefaniak was a young German girl in 1958, and was hired to answer Elvis’ fan mail. Elisabeth became romantically involved with Elvis, but was torn between her love for Elvis and her love for Rex – and she eventually chose Rex and they married in 1960. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased online at Graceland.com, or at the door of the event, pending availability.
The Auction at Graceland
12:30 p.m. Guest House Theater, The Guest House at Graceland. Fans and collectors from around the world will have the opportunity to participate on-site and online for this auction, featuring artifacts authenticated by Graceland Authenticated. All of the items in the auction will be offered from third-party collectors and none of the items included in the auction will come from the treasured Graceland Archives. The mansion and all artifacts in the Graceland Archives continue to be owned by Lisa Marie Presley and are not for sale. All of the items in the auction have been thoroughly authenticated by Graceland Authenticated, the Graceland affiliated authentication and appraisal service for collectors and fans. Registered bidders can reserve a paddle for in-person bidding by emailing auctioninfo@graceland.com. Advance registration is recommended. Online bidding starts in December. To register and bid online, visit GracelandAuctions.com. For more information about auction registration, auction fees or how to submit items for consideration by Graceland Authenticated for future auctions, visit Graceland.com/Auction.
Elvis’ Memphis featuring Terry Mike Jeffrey and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra
7:30 p.m. Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, 255 N Main Street. Terry Mike Jeffrey joins the Memphis Symphony for his salute to the music made on Elvis Presley Boulevard. Tickets on sale through the Memphis Symphony Orchestra by calling 901-537-2500 or by visiting MemphisSymphony.org.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 7
Fan Club Presidents’ Event
9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Guest House Theater, The Guest House at Graceland. Elvis fans are invited to celebrate the work of Elvis Presley fan clubs during this event with special presentations, announcements and more. Special guests for the Fan Club Presidents’ Event to include: Larry Domasin, who co-starred with Elvis in “Fun in Acapulco”; Victoria Paige Meyerink, who co-starred with Elvis in “Speedway”; plus Evelyn Helms, who was in Elvis’ sixth-grade Milam Junior High School class in Tupelo. Fan club presidents will get an invite to the event directly from EPE to register to attend. Other guests may purchase tickets for $20. Tickets can be purchased online at Graceland.com, or at the door of the event, pending availability.
Archives Show and Tell
2:00 p.m. Guest House Theater, The Guest House at Graceland. Director of Archives, Angie Marchese, and host Tom Brown will give a special presentation and up-close look at some treasured pieces from the Graceland Archives. Free event.
The Founders Reception
5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Founders Lounge, The Guest House at Graceland. Founders members only event. Founders will receive email with additional details.
Graceland Evening Tour and Reception at Elvis Presley’s Memphis
6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Elvis Presley’s Memphis. A special event featuring a private evening tour of the Graceland Mansion decorated for the holidays plus a reception across the street at Elvis Presley’s Memphis. The reception will be a progressive event moving about the plaza and will include Elvis’ airplanes, Presley Motors Automobile Museum, Elvis: The Entertainer Career Museum, movies in the Graceland Soundstage and more. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cash bars will be available. The special evening tour of Graceland Mansion will include the iPad tour and Elvis Christmas music playing throughout the mansion grounds – plus guests will be able to see the newly-on-display white, Knabe baby grand piano in the famous Music Room, which itself will be restored to its original 1960s-era. Special guest appearances will include: Larry Domasin, who co-starred with Elvis in “Fun in Acapulco”; Victoria Paige Meyerink, who co-starred with Elvis in “Speedway”; Rex Mansfield, who was inducted, trained and served with Elvis in the Army; and Elisabeth Mansfield, Elvis’ secretary while he was stationed in Germany. Tickets are $65.00 for adults, $35.00 for children 7-12 and free for children 6 and under. Tickets can be purchased online at Graceland.com, or at the door of the event, pending availability. Please note that tickets for this event are limited and may not be available at the door of the event. It is encouraged to buy tickets for this event in advance.
MONDAY, JANUARY 8
Elvis Birthday Proclamation Ceremony
9:30 a.m. Graceland’s North Lawn. Free admission. Enjoy a ceremony with Graceland/EPE officials, a birthday cake cutting and proclamation of Elvis Presley Day by Memphis and Shelby County officials. Fans who are unable to attend can watch the ceremony live via Elvis Presley’s Graceland Livestream.
Birthday Cake and Coffee
10:30 a.m. Vernon’s Smokehouse, Elvis Presley’s Memphis. Complimentary birthday cake and coffee served at Vernon’s Smokehouse, located across the street from the mansion at Elvis Presley’s Memphis, immediately following the ceremony. Free.
Graceland Excursions: Tupelo, Mississippi – Birthplace of Elvis Presley Tour
11:30 a.m. – 6:30 p.m. Tours depart from and return to The Guest House at Graceland. While Elvis Presley became the biggest name in music history and achieved worldwide fame and fortune, his roots in the Northeast Mississippi city of Tupelo were humble. Guests will experience the rural setting of Elvis’ upbringing and see where it all began in the two-room house where the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll was born on January 8, 1935, the church he attended in his youth and see artifacts from his modest beginnings. The tour includes Elvis’ Birthplace, Tupelo Hardware and a driving tour of Tupelo. Book your tour online or to book by phone, call 800-238-2000 or 901-332-3322.
ADDITIONAL & MULTIPLE DAY EVENTS
Meet ‘n’ Greet with Betty Harper
12:00 – 5:00 p.m., January 5-8. The Guest House at Graceland Gift Shop. Stop by The Guest House at Graceland gift shop to meet Betty Harper and to see her Elvis artwork that will be on display.
Elvis Trivia
3:30 p.m., January 5-7. EP’s Bar & Grill, The Guest House at Graceland. How well do you know the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll? Test your knowledge with Elvis Trivia at The Guest House at Graceland.
Graceland Tours
Tours of Graceland Mansion and Elvis Presley’s Memphis will be available daily. Guests who tour will be able to see the newly-on-display white, Knabe baby grand piano in the famous Music Room, which itself will be restored to its original 1960s-era. Graceland Mansion will be decorated for the holidays indoors and out through January 9. Visit the Graceland.com tickets page for prices and details.
Free Walk-Up Times for Meditation Garden
Daily throughout the year there is a period of time for free-admission walk-up visits to the Meditation Garden at Graceland, where the grave sites of Elvis and members of his family are located. Then the area becomes part of the regular ticketed Graceland Mansion tours for the rest of the day. The winter hours for free walk-up visits are 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. daily. During the Elvis’ Birthday Celebration, there will also be nightly walk-ups from 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. on January 5, 6 and 8.
