Astro Pop Events is excited to announce the 15th anniversary performance of one of DC and Baltimore’s most bizarre and exciting annual traditions! The annual Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club (EBFC) will kick-off 2026 with glorious debauchery on January 2 and 3 at Washington, DC’s Gala Hispanic Theater and, for the first time, will run for two straight weekends in Baltimore, first on January 9 and 10 and again on January 16 and 17 at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance. In addition, Astro Pop Events will host “Suspended Disbelief,” a special exhibit at Creative Alliance from December 12 through January 17, with displays of costumes and props celebrating the past decade-and-a-half of “flim-flam fisticuffs and hot tah-tahs.”
Per tradition, EBFC conducts seven rounds of satirical sparring in between bouts of burlesque performances that offer a sexy reprieve from the cartoon-esque violence. While the EBFC’s fight card is always a closely-guarded secret, each year creative costumes of cultural and subcultural icons grace the ring with their presence and fighting skills.
The side-splitting color commentary for the action-packed, punch-drunk, below-the-belt, hilarious night of lowbrow theater is hosted by “The King” himself and he is joined for the second year by co-host Betty O’Hellno, a queer drag artist and burlesque performer. Betty has graced the cover of Baltimore Magazine, was the first drag queen to perform a halftime show at a Washington Wizards game, and has appeared on stages all over the region.
EBFC originated as a one-off, one-night show when the producers got a date at DC’s Warehouse Theater to produce a “TBD” burlesque show that happened to fall on Elvis’ Birthday. What started as a little burlesque show has since become a DC/Baltimore cultural touchstone with its own punch-drunk logic, physics, and rituals.
“Nobody thought it would still be punching above its weight 15 years later,” remarks producer Kate Taylor Davis. “We generally get two reactions, ‘I am confused; this isn’t for me’… or ‘I know exactly who I am bringing with me next year.’ The latter reaction has fueled an extremely loyal, and growing, fan base. It’s become a tradition not just in our lives but in the lives of many people in the region and beyond.”
The accompanying exhibit at Creative Alliance (12/12 – 1/17), Suspended Disbelief: 15 Years of Art from Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club will display nearly 100 objects from the history of EBFC. Suspended Disbelief invites viewers to get up close to costumes and props that were not designed for up-close magic, but despite their flaws and hot glue stains, are arguably still very much magical. An open reception will take place on December 12 from 6pm – 8pm.
Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club runs January 2-3, 2026 at GALA Hispanic Theater, 3333 14th St NW, Washington, DC, and January 9-10 and 16-17 at Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD.
For audiences 21+. Tickets start at $35 and are on sale now at astropopevents.com/tickets.
About producer Astro Pop Events: Astro Pop Events (APE) is a group of artists who come together to create unique and off-beat entertainment. APE specializes in short-run, high-impact, event-style theater and its credits include Countdown to Yuri’s Night (2008 – 2015), America The Game Show (2016 – 2019), and Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club (since 2011).
About Elvis’ Birthday Fight Club: EBFC is an annual theatrical event that loosely honors The King of Rock N’ Roll’s birthday. The show boasts “flim-flam fisticuffs and hot tah-tahs,” alternating staged fights and Elvis-themed burlesque performances. The combination makes for a sexy and surreal celebration of The King’s birthday. While the annual fighter roster is a closely guarded secret, past matches have included “The Supreme Court” vs “The Supremes,” “Freddie Mercury” vs “The Queen of England,” Bridezilla vs Godzilla, Count Von Count vs. Count Chocula, Congress vs. a Clown, and “Putin” vs. a Unicorn. EBFC has been performed in DC since 2011 and in Baltimore since 2012, garnering cult-like status with audiences growing each year.
