The 16th annual Wroclaw, Poland, Guitar Guinness World Record Festival kicks off on May 1, 2018. Each year, thousands of guitar players descend on Wroclaw's beautiful Market Square to strum along to Jimi Hendrix's version of "Hey Joe," and attempt to break the Guinness World Record for Largest Guitar Orchestra.
I was honored to be part of this benevolent guitar army in 2016, when 7,356 players broke the record. Unfortunately, the festival logged "just" 6,299 players last year, and the throng failed to best its own record.
The Market Square crowd raising their guitars a few hours before the big "Hey Joe" moment.
Past festivals have welcomed Steve Vai, Al Di Meola, Steve Morse, Greg Koch, Tommy Emmanuel, Marcus Miller, Hiram Bullock, and Eric Burdon to the Market Square stage to lead the crowd for the run at the record.
The big event—formerly called the Thanks Jimi Festival—is free of charge for adults and children. All you need is a guitar, and the ability to play the C/G/D/A/E chords to "Hey Joe." During past festivals, I've seen Star Wars Stormtroopers, actual nuns, and police on horseback all performing the chords and singing along with the band on the main stage.
"Guitar Guinness World Record is not only a celebration of professional guitarists, but more of a shared experience that everyone can participate in," says festival founder and renowned Polish guitarist/songwriter Leszek Cichoński. "You only need to be present in Wrocław, and bring an instrument and some enthusiasm. What matters is having fun."
Cichoński (right) and I with his new Fender Stratocaster after the 2017 festival. Uni-Vibe!
The 2018 concert features the metal band Kreator, America's The Dead Daisies, Spain's Sinfonity, and