Sweetwater Unveils First Wave of Artists for GuitarFest

Fort Wayne, Indiana. — [Wednesday, August 27, 2025] — Plans are underway for Sweetwater’s GuitarFest, taking place Saturday, September 27, on the company’s Fort Wayne, Indiana, campus. Music legends, industry leaders, and more than 70 top brands will welcome guitar lovers to this all-day event scheduled from 9AM to 5PM. 

As the nation’s leading online retailer for music makers, Sweetwater has a full day of activities planned for GuitarFest attendees. Renowned guitar brands such as Gibson, Fender, Marshall, and many others will have booths, giving guitar enthusiasts the chance to speak directly with brand experts about their favorite brands. Guitar lovers will be able to get up close to thousands of guitars on display, including an entire section of unique and one of a kind guitars only available at Sweetwater.  

GuitarFest will also feature appearances by major artists and other music industry notables. A full list of artists will be announced in early September. Already confirmed to appear at GuitarFest include Reeves Gabrels, Chris Holt, Danish Pete, Beau Burcell, Fluff, and Ken Susi, with more to be announced in the coming days. 

Sweetwater will showcase legendary gear from the exclusive Rock & Roll Hall of Fame collection. The gear on loan includes Nita Strauss’s personal Signature Series Ibanez from her Wrestlemania tour, Slash’s Appetite for Destruction prototype that was used live from 2011 to 2025, Zakk Wylde’s iconic Gibson Les Paul, and Joe Satriani’s 1997 Ibanez JS Series Chromeboy. 

“We will have something for everyone,” said Samantha Hunter, Director of Artist Relations and Campus Events at Sweetwater. “We are creating an unforgettable celebration for music lovers. You can check out the booths from all our partner vendors, meet some amazing artists, see some amazing gear, as well as save some money with the fantastic deals we have planned.” 

This year’s GuitarFest will feature the return of DealZone, a popular destination from previous GearFests. Attendees can enjoy exclusive, in-person savings of up to 70%.  

Registration for this free event is available now at Sweetwater.com/guitarfest/, where visitors can stay up to date on all the planned activities. Registrants will also be entered for a chance to win a $2,500 Sweetwater giveaway. 

This event is family friendly and takes place on Sweetwater’s state-of-the-art campus located at 5501 US Highway 30 West in Fort Wayne. The Sweetwater campus includes the largest music store in the United States and other attractions for visitors to enjoy.