Sweetwater to Host Second Annual GuitarFest, an “Over the Top Music and Retail Festival Experience”

The second annual GuitarFest is almost here! Held at Sweetwater’s Fort Wayne, Indiana, campus, GuitarFest will be a music lover’s dream event.

It’s no surprise that Sweetwater is putting on the epic event. The company is the leading online retailer for music makers, and is home to the largest music store in the U.S.

Samantha Hunter, Sweetwater’s Director of Campus Productions and Artist Relations, told American Songwriter that this year’s festival will be “even bigger” than its first outing.

There will be more vendors and artists on site, making for “an over the top music and retail festival experience.”

Taking place on Sept. 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., GuitarFest will welcome 70 vendors to Sweetwater’s campus. Attendees will be invited to chat with experts from brands such as Gibson, Fender, and Marshall. Guests will be able to browse instruments, which they’ll have the opportunity to purchase at “blowout prices,” Hunter said.

More than 20 artists are also scheduled to appear at the free event. Musicians such as PhilX, Yvette Young, Ariel Posen, Reeves Gabrels, Chris Holt, Al Joseph, and Phil Demmel are in the lineup. 

Upon attendees’ arrival, they’ll be given a giant commemorative guitar pick, which they’re invited to get signed by all the artists present. They can do so at one of the day’s two signings or at any time throughout the event, as artists will be stationed at booths, available to chat with fans.

Those present can also look forward to a display of guitars on loan from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Attendees will see instruments including Slash’s “Appetite for Destruction” prototype, Zakk Wylde’s Gibson Les Paul, and Joe Satriani’s 1997 Ibanez JS Series “Chromeboy.” 

How to Attend Sweetwater’s GuitarFest

GuitarFest is a family-friendly event, which is totally free to attend.

To get in on the action, guests simply need to register online. Doing so will get them access to everything GuitarFest has to offer. That includes face-time with brand experts, artist signings, and incredible displays.

“GuitarFest is the perfect intersection of everything that Sweetwater does on its campus seven days a week, from retail, to live entertainment and education, to community building,” Hunter said. “You can really think of it as a one day festival of everything that Sweetwater stands for. We really just wanted to bring all those individual components together for one giant festival blowout. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”