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Dallas International Guitar Festival

2200 Stemmons Freeway
214-879-8330

About

From its humble beginnings in a small meeting room of a Dallas hotel in 1978, to 140,000 square feet of display space at Dallas Market Hall today, the Dallas International Guitar Festival celebrates 41 years of bringing guitar dealers, manufacturers, collectors, celebrities and music enthusiasts together.

Today there are more than 2,000 guitar shows and festivals staged around the world, but the guitar show phenomenon actually began in Texas with the vision of Dallas guitar shop owner Charley Wirz. Charley conceived the idea of establishing and promoting a vintage guitar show similar to other collectible shows, with booths leased to dealers and collectors. Build it and they will come, he thought. And they did. In partnership with John Brinkmann and Danny Thorpe, he staged the first Dallas guitar show. The partnership was dissolved after the 1981 show and Charley continued to stage the Dallas show until his untimely death in 1985. That first show – the Greater Southwest Vintage Guitar Show – was a modest success for the 10 exhibitors who leased booth space to show off and sell their prized vintage guitars. Each year, the Show attracted more exhibitors and attendees, changing venues to accommodate the growing crowds. But in 1985, show founder Charley Wirz died unexpectedly. Charley’s Guitar Shop and the rights to the Guitar Show were then purchased by Mark Pollock, one of Charley’s closest friends, a good customer and a touring musician himself. Mark had some ideas about the show’s size and location, so he began a series of changes that have led to its prominence today.

Dallas International Guitar Festival is not affiliated with AmericanTowns Media