TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Sunshine and cooler temperatures are setting the stage for one of downtown Tucson’s most recognizable celebrations as Dillinger Days returns Friday and Saturday around Hotel Congress and the Old Pima County Courthouse.
The annual festival centers on the 1934 capture of notorious gangster John Dillinger, once labeled “Public Enemy No. 1,” at Hotel Congress. The event blends history, live performances and immersive theater, drawing locals and visitors into a moment that helped cement the hotel’s place in Tucson lore.
Chris Monzon, director of entertainment and operations at Hotel Congress, said the experience is meant to feel hands-on and historically grounded.
“You’re kind of walking through where the re-enactments take place,” Monzon said.
Dillinger’s arrest, the ultimate result of a fire breaking out at Hotel Congress, is more than a footnote in local history. Monzon said it helped define what Hotel Congress represents today.
“I think it’s really reflective of what the Hotel Congress is,” he said. “We are a cornerstone, literally, because we’re right here on the corner of Congress and Toole and Fourth Avenue of this community.”
Festivities begin Friday at 7 p.m. with an outdoor speakeasy-style party designed to evoke the Prohibition era.
“You’re stepping back in time and you’re mingling with the gang members,” Monzon said. “Since the actors are going to be on-property talking and hanging out with everyone.”
Saturday features two reenactments of the Dillinger gang’s capture, complete with theatrical effects.
“There’s actually a pretty crazy stunt where you have some smoke and the actors coming down from the balcony,” Monzon said.
The weekend also includes guided history tours that end at the Old Pima County Courthouse. Tour guide Melissa Williams said the experience goes beyond crime history.
“We do transition into different rooms and the ghost stories associated with them,” Williams said.
For Williams, Dillinger Days speaks to Tucson’s character.
“There’s something wild about it that I think makes you stop and go anything is possible,” she said. “And I think that is important to the sort of Wild West identity.”
For information on tickets or general questions about Dillinger Days, visit the website here.
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Eddie Celaya is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9. Born in Tucson and raised in the Phoenix area, Eddie is a life-long Arizonan and graduate of the University of Arizona who loves the desert and mountains and hates the cold. Previously, Eddie worked in print media at the Arizona Daily Star. Share your story ideas with Eddie at edward.celaya@kgun9.com, or by connecting on Facebook or Instagram.
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