The downtown presence of Dillinger Days will be bigger and better than ever before on the 80th anniversary of Dillinger’s capture in Tucson this weekend.
The annual event is expanding this year as other downtown businesses join Hotel Congress to help bring the historic event to life on Friday and Saturday.
The hotel is always looking for ways to increase the size of some of its most popular events, and Dillinger Days is definitely one of them, said Todd Hanley, general manager of Hotel Congress. More than 5,000 people are expected to attend.
“This has been a staple for us,” he said. “Now that everyone is starting to feel that downtown is a central destination for entertainment, I think it can become a featured regional event.”
Kicking off this year’s festivities is a speak-easy benefiting the Greater Tucson Fire Foundation on Friday night that will feature live music by the Kings of Pleasure, beer from Sentinel Peak Brewing Company, and food from the Cup Café. The soiree, which will take place in the Hotel’s Copper Hall, will include a pop-up 1930s memorabilia museum, with vintage fire equipment and two Dillinger Tommy guns.
An array of free activities, including carnival games, a car show, live music and re-enactments, will take place on Saturday along North Fifth and North Toole avenues.
A new event, a historical re-enactment of Dillinger’s arraignment, will be part of a Dillinger-themed historic walking tour of downtown.
The event will also include period instruments on display at Chicago Music Store and a sampling of 1930s fashion. Buffalo Exchange and Hydra Leather & More on East Congress have already dolled up their storefronts to reflect the look of the time. Both stores will have models at the speak-easy, as well as at a fashion expo at the hotel Saturday.
Hydra owner Margo Susco said pinstripe fashion is something her store deals in year-round. Models will be wearing a mix of vintage threads and contemporary pieces with a classic twist.
“I remember the humble beginnings of Dillinger Days,” said Susco, who opened her business in 1994.
Dillinger Days started in the early 1990s and has since blossomed into a full-fledged festival.
“We are excited it has turned into such a grand event, and that we can be involved,” Susco said.
