LAWDY MISS CLAWDY WE'RE MOVING TO MARCH. Parkes Elvis Festival have announced that the 2021 Festival that was scheduled to take place from 6-10 January 2021 is moving to 10-14 March 2021 whilst the final decision to proceed or cancel will be made by 28 September. The Festival team continue to monitor the situation with the safety and well-being of the community, artists, fans, staff and businesses first and foremost. Parkes Shire Mayor, Cr Ken Keith OAM said "The date change will give us seven months until the start of the Festival. We are hopeful that it will be able to proceed however the health and safety of the community will come first in the final decision of the Festival proceeding." Festival Director Cathy Treasure said, “We chose to announce the date change now to allow our stakeholders to make alternate plans for January, to allow us time to reschedule artists and all the support services. We would love the Festival to proceed but are being cautiously optimistic." The Festival team have contacted the accommodation providers in the Parkes Shire and Forbes and have been assured that all January 2021 bookings will be carried over to the new dates in March or alternatively to the 2022 Festival. "There is no need to make contact now. The accommodation providers have reserved the March dates for existing bookings and will be in contact once the final decision on the Festival proceeding has been made at the end of September," added Cathy. Supporting the Mayor with the announcement, Parkes Chamber of Commerce President Geoff Rice said "The Chamber and business community support the change of date. Many businesses rely on the Festival to get them through the off-peak summer period and this is especially prevalent for 2021 after the challenges in business due to bushfires and drought." The ticket launch date will be moved to 16 November in line with the new Festival dates. No ticket sales will be made before we are 100% sure we are safe to proceed. The final decision on the Festival proceeding in March will be made by the 28 September, after evaluating the most up-to-date health advice and community and business sentiment. “The Festival team are monitoring the COVID-19 situation very closely and will keep our fans and the community updated on any developments.” the Mayor concluded.