Direct from Graceland: Elvis is the largest collection of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s treasures, and will travel to London this October as popularity of Elvis skyrockets! Register to join the waiting list...

Direct from Graceland: Elvis, a major new retrospective exhibition exploring the life of Elvis Presley who to this day is one of the most iconic and influential figures of the 20th Century, will open in October 2023 at Arches London Bridge.

For fans who cannot make the journey to Elvis’ home in Memphis, Graceland is coming to London. From the gates of Graceland comes the most significant collection of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll to ever leave Memphis, including Elvis Presley’s instruments, stage outfits and personal belongings. The Graceland Archive has assembled a powerful narrative which will explore Elvis’ meteoric career, larger-than-life persona, influential sense of style, life at Graceland, plus lesser-known aspects of his early years, hobbies and personal life.

In over 11,000 sq ft, Arches London Bridge provides cavernous gallery space which will showcase Direct From Graceland: Elvis. The exhibition will feature over 400 artefacts owned by Elvis Presley, direct from the icon’s Graceland home in Memphis, Tennessee - including his military uniforms, his American Football uniform, his TCB Super Trike Motorcycle and Ferrari Dino GT4, and an amazing array of his famous jumpsuits – plus personal items like Lisa Marie’s baby clothes, Elvis’ first job application and the crayon box he took to school.

This exclusive and unmissable exhibition explores the extraordinary life and style of the best-selling solo recording star of all time, who single-handedly changed the face of popular culture around the globe like no-one before him or since. One of the most iconic public figures of the 20th century, the story begins with his humble childhood on the poverty line in small-town Mississippi where Elvis grew up immersed in the rich and diverse music cultures of the Deep South. Only two years after cutting his first single at the legendary Sun Studio in Memphis, Elvis had signed a major record deal and virtually overnight shot to super-stardom, the likes of which had never been seen before. In those early heady years, he purchased Graceland and created the private haven he would never sell, despite his ever-increasing fame over the following two decades.

In a time before celebrities had teams of personal stylists, Elvis carefully crafted his own look, borrowing from eclectic sources to perfect a ground-breaking new style. Decked out in threads from the ultra-hip Lansky Brothers store on Beale Street in Downtown Memphis, with slick coiffed hair and black mascara, Elvis’ appearance was as sensational as his music. His audacious style evolved over the decades: from the soft trousers and argyle socks of his youth to the leather rocker of 1968, to the flamboyant bling of the 1970s.

Among the items from Graceland that will be displayed are Elvis’ red MG automobile as featured in his classic film “Blue Hawaii,” a gold-plated rotary dial telephone from Elvis upstairs bedroom, the keys to Graceland and his gold microphone used on stage in Las Vegas, 1969. Some of the most recognisable items travelling from Memphis to London are the Gold Lamé Suit worn by Elvis in the 1950s, plus one of the two jumpsuits he used for his 1973 “Aloha from Hawaii” television special and the cape he famously tossed into the audience at the end of the show. The “Aloha from Hawaii” special was the world’s first LIVE televised satellite concert, watched by a record 1.5 billion people.

Key periods in Elvis’ life and career will be covered in Direct from Graceland: Elvis, including his early years living in a ‘shotgun shack’ in Tupelo, Mississippi, his break-out Sun Studio hits, U.S. Army service, Elvismania that first swept America and then the world, his Hollywood movies, his unforgettable “’68 Special” performance, “Aloha From Hawaii” and the glamourous Vegas residency years.

The exhibition also moves beyond the familiar story of his musical and acting career to present his more private side - his devotion to his parents, his love of books, motorcycles, horses and karate and the haven he created in Graceland for his friends and family. It includes garments and jewellery worn by Elvis throughout his life, personal items from Graceland, as well as vintage Elvis-branded merchandise, costumes and scripts from the Hollywood movies and much more.

Angie Marchese, Vice President Archives and Exhibits at Elvis Presley Enterprises, said: “It is an amazing privilege to bring Direct from Graceland: Elvis to the Arches London Bridge. Curating this new exhibition exploring Elvis’ life and career for all Elvis fans in the United Kingdom is exciting. As archivists, we are also storytellers. Through our archives and collection, we keep the past alive by preserving, and most of all by sharing the stories these objects represent through amazing exhibits. Preserving the past, rekindling memories and creating new ones – this is what we do, it is who we are. Elvis put so much of himself into his work and communicated so much with his audience on an intimate level. Being able to share part of the Graceland Archives with you is a great honour. It is wonderful to be able to share this intimate journey through his story with all the UK fans. I hope that through this exhibition you discover who Elvis Presley was and still is.”

Liz Koravos, Managing Director of Arches London Bridge said: “We are thrilled to be working with Graceland to bring this exhibition to London and launch our new cultural space, Arches London Bridge, with such an iconic title. When it comes to artefact-based exhibitions we want each item to tell a story. What really makes this exhibition special is the glimpse each visitor gets behind the public persona, behind the image of Elvis. He famously said at his Madison Square Garden press conference in 1972, “Image is one thing and a human being is another.” Direct From Graceland: Elvis gives each visitor a peek backstage to meet the human being that is also the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll.”

To join the waiting list or purchase a ticket please visit elvislondonbridge.co.uk

About Arches London Bridge

Arches London Bridge is a new exhibition space and cultural ‘hub’ for London. The impressive space is five inter-connected Victorian tunnels with 6 meter high ceilings located adjacent to London Bridge station one block South of the River Thames in the heart of the tourism track.

About Graceland and Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc.

Elvis Presley’s Graceland, in Memphis, is music’s most important and beloved landmark, with hundreds of thousands of fans from around the world visiting the historic home each year. Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc. (EPE) manages the operations of Graceland and its related properties, including Elvis Presley’s Memphis, Graceland’s entertainment and exhibition complex over 200,000 square feet in size; the new 80,000 square feet Graceland Exhibition Center featuring rotating exhibits; the AAA Four Diamond Guest House at Graceland 450-room resort hotel; and the Graceland Archives, featuring thousands of artifacts from Elvis’ home and career. EPE also produces and licenses Elvis-themed live events, tours, and attractions worldwide. Graceland Holdings LLC, led by managing partner Joel Weinshanker, is the majority owner of EPE. Graceland is the only attraction worldwide to ever receive ten USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards including “Best Holiday Historic Home Tour,” “Best Tennessee Attraction and Iconic Landmark,” “Best Musical Attraction,” “Best Historic Southern Attraction,” and the #1 “Iconic American Attraction.” The TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Awards named Graceland the most popular attraction in Tennessee and one of the top 25 landmarks in the world and Rolling Stone named it one of 10 Great American Music Landmarks.

Kilimanjaro Group

Kilimanjaro Group: Formed in 2008, Kilimanjaro Group is a subsidiary of DEAG and comprises Kilimanjaro Live, Flying Music Group, Gigantic Tickets, MyTicket, Let’s Rock Festivals, UK Live, Fane Productions, Singular Artists, Kilimanjaro Theatricals, Form, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival (Scotland) and Christmas Lights. Each year the overall group of companies produces and promotes over 2000 music concerts, musical theatre, comedy, spoken word, festivals, family events and social media events. This highly varied roster of shows, artistes and authors includes Ed Sheeran, Andrea Bocelli, Stereophonics, Kew the Music, ‘The Illusionists’, ‘Thriller Live’, Margaret Atwood and Sir Ralph Fiennes as well as theatrical productions running on Broadway such as ‘The Kite Runner’ and ‘Hadestown’ and Tom Jones’ musical What’s New Pussycat in the UK. Kilimanjaro Group sells over 2.5 million tickets per annum across the group. Kilimanjaro Live is the promoter of Direct From Graceland: Elvis.