Elvis would be 88 years old on January 8, 2023.

Whether you're a card-carrying Elvis fan club member or just like an excuse to enjoy a special day, here are eight ways to honor the King's birthday on January 8.

Vasha Hunt

How To Celebrate Elvis's Birthday:

1. Tune in to the Graceland Official Birthday Proclamation Ceremony

Graceland throws down for The King with a week of events and parties. Check out the details here. The annual birthday ceremony at Graceland will be broadcast online if you can't make it to Memphis in person this year.

2. Say Happy Birthday "In Person" during free walk-up times

Free walk-up visits to the Meditation Garden at Graceland are daily 7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. You may enter the gates and visit the grave sites of Elvis and his family members during this time. 

3. Listen to Elvis and Elvis-inspired Music

Find your favorite Elvis song (mine is "Suspicious Minds") on the Elvis Spotify station. Click here to listen.

4. Visit the new "The Making Of ELVIS: Movie Exhibition" 

The Graceland Exhibition Center will host a new installation dedicated to the 2022 Baz Luhrmann ELVIS movie; it opens on January 8th. You can see behind-the-scenes videos from the making of the film, plus artifacts, scripts, handwritten notes, props, and costumes. More about The Making of Elvis: Movie Exhibition here.

5. Take Your Picture With Elvis

If you're downtown, stop by the statue on Beale between 2nd and Main for a photo opp with Elvis. Bonus points if you post it online and tag it #ilovememphis or #happybirthdayElvis so I can share it on Twitter or Instagram. Be sure to mask up and social distance.

6. Check out Lansky Bros. at 126 Beale Street, or online

Lansky Bros., the family business that dressed Elvis, still has their locations inside the Peabody Hotel, but the newest location is where their original store was on Beale Street. There is plenty of rock 'n' roll-inspired attire and even some blue suede shoes. You can also shop online.

7. Plan to visit Sun Studio 

Alex Shanksy

If you haven't visited Sun Studio yet, make a plan to get there in the future. The tour guides are some of the absolutely best around and though the building is small, it's full of life, history, and intrigue. I highly recommend.

8. Plan To Visit Other Memphis Music Attractions

So much of Memphis music influenced or was influenced by Elvis' work. Plan ahead to pay homage to his inspirations and legacy at these other museums in the future.

• The Rock 'n' Soul Museum is a Smithsonian-associated museum that tells the story of Memphis music across genres and time periods. I love how it looks at the city's musical history as a whole, and uses first-person accounts (mostly audio recordings) to really dig deep. 
• Memphis Music Hall of Fame (Elvis was inducted in 2012) has a physical location at 126 Beale Street upstairs from Lansky Bros. 

Bonus: Eat some Elvis-inspired treats, like Elvis's favorite sandwich

• Birthday treats for everyone!
• Here's a post about a bacon-banana-peanut-butter sandwich that's super easy to make.
• Or, you can head over to Elvis Presley's Memphis (the entertainment complex across the street from Graceland ) to the "Gladys' Diner" restaurant and order your very own PB&B sammy.
• The Arcade restaurant in downtown Memphis was one of Elvis' favorite spots, and they still serve up a fried peanut butter and banana sandwich.

Happy Birthday Elvis! How are you celebrating?