Guitar Summit 2026 opens to a sold-out crowd and a packed day-one lineup in Mannheim

Guitar Summit 2026 opened at Mannheim's Rosengarten to a sold-out first day, extending the show's growth after 2025's edition drew 14,600 visitors. Despite a €60 daily admission price, organizers reported record interest for the 2026 edition, with the share of international visitors rising again.

Day one's performance schedule leaned heavily on players known as much for technique as for star power: Matteo Mancuso, Greg Koch, Phil Demmel, Martin Miller, Jack Gardiner, Jared James Nichols, Eric Steckel and Ace Anansie all played sets or gave demonstrations across the show's seven stages, alongside more than 100 workshops running throughout the weekend. On the interview side, builders and artists including Nik Huber and guitarist Sammy Boller spoke with press on the show floor about their gear and the event itself.

With over 600 exhibitors on site, the opening day set the tone for a show built as much around hands-on gear and workshops as around the performances themselves — a formula that's turned Guitar Summit into Europe's largest guitar-focused event in just eight editions.