DIY CON opens its doors at Fair Park in Dallas on 6 November, offering three days of hands‑on workshops and main‑stage appearances by HGTV’s biggest stars.
From Concept to Festival
The event is billed as the first‑ever immersive festival built for the DIY community. Organisers describe it as a space where “you learn by doing”, a principle that underpins every session. Event director Hector Morfin says the format brings real creators and real skills together under one roof, a detail that matters for a crowd that ranges from hobbyists to industry professionals.
Workshop Line‑up and Brand Partnerships
Each day features six sessions on two dedicated workshop stages, totalling 36 hands‑on classes across the three‑day run. Participants can sign up for free with a badge, though space is limited and reservations must be made online in advance. The roster includes creators such as Tyra Chatman (Angle Grinder 101), Anika Gandhi (Pocket Hole Showdown) and Dustin Henson (Sanding 101), alongside brand experts from The Home Depot, IKEA, Cricut, Sherwin‑Williams and MRCOOL.
HGTV’s Role and Reach
HGTV, owned by Skydance Corporation, supplies the festival’s headline talent. The channel, which launched in 1994 after Kenneth W. Lowe and Susan Packard secured funding from the E.W. Scripps Company, focuses on reality programming about home improvement and real estate. As of November 2023 it reached roughly 72 million U.S. pay‑television households, down from a 2011 peak of 100 million.
Venue and Attendee Experience
The festival runs from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm daily at Fair Park Centennial Hall, Building #12, 3809 Grand Ave, Dallas, TX 75210. In addition to the workshops, a main stage hosts live demonstrations and talks from HGTV personalities, giving visitors a chance to see the technical reality of large‑scale renovations in action.
Industry Impact and Future Outlook
DIY CON’s partnership model—combining brand expertise with independent creators—offers a template for future DIY programming events. By aggregating 36 sessions and high‑profile TV talent in a single venue, the festival demonstrates a market appetite for experiential learning that goes beyond online tutorials. Organisers anticipate that the success of this inaugural run will inform subsequent editions, potentially expanding the number of workshop stages and extending the festival’s geographic footprint.
The next DIY CON will open on 6 November 2026 at Fair Park in Dallas.
Sources
- Three Days, 36 Hands-On Workshop Sessions and HGTV's Biggest Stars: Here's What's Happening Each Day at the First-Ever DIY CON November 6-8
- HGTV
- HGTV's Alison Victoria Reveals the Most Haunting Part of Transforming the 'Scariest House in America' on a $150K Budget
- Spotlight: Chelsey Luger, HGTV Disruptor – PHOENIX magazine
- HGTV star defends buying $150K BMW for his 16-year-old daughter: ‘She deserved it’
- HGTV Star Erin Napier Announces Devastating Family Loss
Photo: Photo: Andreas Praefcke (CC BY 3.0)
