- - Graceland Honors Elvis Presley for ‘Changing Generations' Lives’ During “EPiC” U.S. Premiere, 91st Birthday Celebration

Chris BarillaJanuary 10, 2026 at 12:22 AM

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Christopher Barilla ; Archive Photos/Getty

Graceland honors Elvis Presley with a cake; Elvis Presley circa 1956 -

Elvis Presley's posthumous 91st birthday celebration was held at Graceland in Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday, Jan. 8

Priscilla Presley, Riley Keough and Baz Luhrmann were absent from this year's festivities, but throngs of fans still converged on the front lawn of the legendary singer's home to celebrate his special day

The 2026 edition of the festivities was particularly noteworthy due to it coinciding with the U.S. premiere of EPiC, Luhrmann's new film, which is comprised of previously unseen footage of Elvis, his family and friends

Elvis Presley may have left this world almost 50 years ago, but the King of Rock and Roll's spirit has never left Graceland.

On a particularly balmy Jan. 8 morning in Memphis, Tenn., throngs of fans trekked up the legendary singer's driveway decked in all manner of Presley-branded birthday regalia to posthumously celebrate what would have been the icon's 91st birthday. While the event happens yearly to honor the "Heartbreak Hotel" artist, the 2026 celebrations held particular merit due to their coinciding with the U.S. premiere of EPiC, Baz Luhrmann's second cinematic venture into the world of the King.

Though Luhrmann, Priscilla Presley and Riley Keough were absent from this year's festivities, Joel Weinshanker, the head of Graceland Holdings LLC and primary driver of new strategic directions for the Presley estate, stepped up to the Graceland-branded podium flanked by an eight-tier, co-branded "EP" and EPiC birthday cake to talk about the impact Elvis still has on the world nearly 50 years after his death.

Christopher Barilla

Graceland honors Elvis Presley with a cake

"In the Elvis family, we often talk about loss," Weinshanker said. "But we often talk about remembrance. What his birthday is about, what Graceland is about, is remembering; remembering great people who did amazing things ... who changed our lives, who changed generations' lives. So, we're going to be working diligently to bring amazing, new things to Graceland. To bring amazing things into the world for Elvis."

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Elvis Presley, Priscilla Presley and Lisa-Marie Presley, circa 1970

He continued to note, "I've often said that I've heard a thousand people speak who knew Elvis, and this is what Elvis wanted, this is what Elvis did. And I've always said the best voice that can speak for Elvis is Elvis."

Joined by the film's editor, Jonathan Redmond, and Jerry Schilling, a close associate of Elvis and a member of the Memphis Mafia, the trio joyously cut into the massive cake after harmonizing with the crowd to "Happy Birthday."

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Christopher Barilla

A poster from the EPiC movie premiere at Graceland in Memphis, Tenn.

Touting EPiC as an unprecedented feat in terms of chronicling Elvis' life via the singer's own words, Weinshanker further shared, "At Graceland, we talk about a minute's worth of new Elvis footage as a Holy Grail," noting his awe at "the first time I was made aware of those hundreds of canisters sitting in a salt mine in Nebraska with all of this amazing footage," amounting to roughly 59 hours total of unseen footage.

EPiC was created via found footage recovered and painstakingly restored to a concise 90 minutes of what may very well be the most visually stunning example of Presley family lost media ever composed. Premiered exclusively for the first time in the U.S. at the Guest House at Graceland that same evening, the part concert film, part chronicle of Elvis' mind, largely centers on his legendary 636 sold-out shows at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, but also offers introspective looks at his family life, as well as relationships with friends and close collaborators.

EPiC lands in IMAX theaters for a one-week, exclusive engagement beginning on Feb. 20, and hits theaters everywhere on Feb. 27.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”