The Wetterau spa town is dedicated to rock 'n' roll and the fifties and sixties for a weekend in summer.
Because the pandemic should not be over by then, the series of events at the European Elvis Festival from August 12th to 14th will take place mainly in the open air.
Wolfram Ahlers
Correspondent for the Rhein-Main-Zeitung for central Hesse and the Wetterau.
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With the two festival centers in the drinking spa facility and in the Dolce-Hotel am Kurpark, the organizers want to ensure that there is enough space for visitors and actors to ensure sufficient distance and to comply with the applicable regulations.
The European Elvis Festival, as the event is officially called, is being organized for the 20th time by the city and the Bonn-based Elvis Presley Society, the largest German-speaking Elvis fan club.
Tourism still benefits today
It is no coincidence that the festival, to which visitors from Germany and abroad are expected, takes place in the Wetterau.
Elvis Presley had completed his military service with the American armed forces in Friedberg from 1958 to 1960, but was billeted in the more fashionable Bad Nauheim during this time.
Tourism in the two neighboring cities still benefits from this today - and especially when the festival, which is characterized by the music of the King of Rock 'n' Roll, takes place.
The guest performance of the “German Elvis”, the actor and singer Peter Kraus, is likely to be particularly popular will be on a talk show before signing the town's golden book.
The gospel show "Let us pray" with Jim "The King" Brown and the Lüneburg Gospel Choir on Sunday afternoon has been announced as another special item on the programme.
Elvis himself had also won Grammys with gospel titles.
At the Music Contest in the festival center of Hotel Dolce, bands and individual actors compete to see who can best interpret Elvis and his hits and imitate the idol.
It's up to the audience to decide.
The winners of the contest from the previous festival are there and will perform on Friday evening with band and choir in the concert shell of the drinking spa.
Parade with American cruisers
On the anniversary of the festival, an exhibition with more than 200 exhibits from the life and work of Elvis Presley will be shown in the Hotel Dolce, including an original car from him, a Continental Mark from 1956. Cars from the fifties to the seventies will take care of everything years for eye-catchers at the festival, especially American road cruisers, which will be admired at a parade.
The accompanying program also includes an art presentation as well as film screenings and tours in the footsteps of Elvis.
Among other things, a life-size statue of Elvis can be viewed and used as a selfie motif, which was set up last year on the Usabrücke on the edge of the city center.
Right next to it you can sit down on a bench decorated with a model of guitar and microphone.
Last but not least, shops and cafés with corresponding offers ensure the right ambience for the festival.
On Sunday, the pedestrian zone presents itself as a "shopping mall", from 12 noon the shops are open for shopping sprees.
Ticket sales have now started.
They can be obtained from the Tourist Information Bad Nauheim, telephone number 0 60 32/92 99 20, and online at
www.european-elvis-festival.de
.