FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) — Sweetwater’s GearFest 2019 was a record-breaking success that attracted the largest crowds ever in the event’s 18 year history.

GearFest is the nation’s only music and pro audio festival and trade show open to the public, eliminating barriers between customers, vendors, and artists. The two-day event was held at Sweetwater’s headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana on June 21 & 22.

In a release sent Tuesday, a spokesperson for Sweetwater said attendance was up 13% from last year. More than 17,000 people gathered, representing nearly all 50 states — along with several countries including Denmark, Japan, and India.

“It is humbling and rewarding to see how GearFest has grown over the past 18 years. We are always excited to bring our friends together to share our passion for music. One of my favorite parts of the weekend is personally greeting thousands of our customers at the front door as they arrive. I’m always blown away by their enthusiasm.”

Sweetwater Founder & CEO Chuck Surack

There were an 81 live workshops and seminars hosted by 72 of the biggest names in the music industry. Sessions covered guitars, recording, live sound, songwriting, and more. Special guests included legendary guitarists Steve Vai and Eric Johnson, founder of PRS Guitars Paul Reed Smith, YouTube sensation & drummer Casey Cooper, bassist Billy Sheehan, producer/engineer Sylvia Massey, and country star Ricky Skaggs, just to name a few.

Gearfest 2019_2
A look at the crowd at Sweetwater Gearfest 2019.

For those who couldn’t attend GearFest in person, more than 28 hours of workshops and sessions were streamed live online, with 250,000 fans watching from afar. Most of those videos can now be found on Sweetwater’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.

GearFest 2020 is scheduled for June 26 & 27.