Great American Outdoor Show

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Coordinates: 40°17′11″N 76°53′02″W / 40.2865°N 76.8839°W / 40.2865; -76.8839
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Great American Outdoor Show
GenreOutdoor, sportsman, hunting
FrequencyAnnual
VenuePennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center
Location(s)Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Coordinates40°17′11″N 76°53′02″W / 40.2865°N 76.8839°W / 40.2865; -76.8839
Years active2014–2020, 2022–present
Attendance250,000 (2015)
SponsorNational Rifle Association (2015–present)
Websitewww.greatamericanoutdoorshow.org

The Great American Outdoor Show (GAOS) is the world's largest outdoor recreation show and expo which is held annually in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.[1] The show, which was first held in 2014, was previously called the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show (from 1956 to 2013).[2][3] The venue of the event was the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg. In 2015 the event saw a record attendance of over 250,000 people.[4][5]

The show draws outdoor and hunting enthusiasts from Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Vermont and Maine as well as hundreds from the Midwest and international guests.[6]

The expo, which was previously called the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show, occurred annually from 1955 until 2012. In 2013 there was no show, which was reported to be a $80 million loss to the local economy. In 2014 the show saw a re-branding when it returned and looking for a sponsor saw a multimillion-dollar deal with the National Rifle Association.[7]

History[edit]

The show replaced a similar event called the Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show which had been held annually in the same location since 1955.[8] That first year 25 vendors participated[9] with an estimated one to two thousand attended a two-day expo. By 1960 over 150 vendors with an attendance of 20,000 visitors were recorded.[9] During this time the outdoor show was the largest in Pennsylvania and one of the largest in the Northeast United States. The show reached its 100,000 visitors mark at the 1981 show.[10][11] The 2010 show included more than 1,000 hunting and fishing related vendors and over 500 outfitters from around the world. In January 2013 the shows promoter Reed Exhibitions announced that semi-automatic rifles would not be on display or for sale.[12] They also added companies who specialized in semi-automatic firearms would be banned from the show due to the influx in school shootings in the United States in the last five years.[13][14] This caused hundreds of other vendors and retailers to pull out of the show. Reed Exhibitions cancelled the show in late January 2013.[15][13][16]

For 2014, the National Rifle Association (NRA) picked up where the previous show collapsed, and sponsored the newly renamed Great American Outdoor Show, touting it as bigger and better than before.[17][16] The show saw a record crowd of over 250,000 at the 2015 show, this being an estimation: NRA members[who?] have said the attendance may have been as much as 325,000.[18]

The show went on hiatus for 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but returned in 2022. In 2024, former President Donald Trump was the keynote speaker for the show.[19]

Show operations[edit]

Notable speakers, presenters, guests[edit]

Phil Robertson was a keynote speaker during the 2019 show

The following people made appearances at the GAOS:[20]

Notable exhibitors[edit]

Sponsors[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Great American Outdoor Show 2019". www.visitcumberlandvalley.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  2. ^ Writer, KATHY DAMINGER | Staff. "The Great American Outdoor Show continues at the Farm Show Complex through Sunday". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  3. ^ Miniter, Frank. "Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show: What Postponement of the U.S.'s Largest Gun Show Says About America". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-09-02.
  4. ^ "Crowds Head to 'Great American Outdoor Show' in Harrisburg". WNEP.com. 2019-02-08. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  5. ^ a b "Today, February7, at the Great American Outdoor Show". pennlive.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  6. ^ "Burchfield: Navigate the Great American Outdoor Show". The Bradford Era. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  7. ^ "Great American Outdoor Show". 10times.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  8. ^ Writer, AD CRABLE | Staff. "Lancaster County residents cure cabin fever at Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg". LancasterOnline. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  9. ^ a b "This week on Pennsylvania Outdoor Life: Great American Outdoor Show & AC's Custom Lures". WNEP.com. 2019-02-06. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  10. ^ Kinney, Brendan (2019-02-04). "The Great American Outdoor Show is here for 9 days". WHP. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  11. ^ McLarty, Christine (2019-02-06). "Harrisburg hosting largest Outdoor Show in the world". WHTM. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  12. ^ "Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show postponed after vendors pull out over gun ban". PennLive.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  13. ^ a b Miniter, Frank. "Eastern Sports and Outdoor Show: What Postponement of the U.S.'s Largest Gun Show Says About America". Forbes. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  14. ^ "NRA boycott kills outdoors show that banned assault weapons". Washington Examiner. 2013-01-24. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  15. ^ AM, 2019 at 05:00. "Your guide to the 2019 Great American Outdoor Show". PennLive.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ a b "Great American Outdoor Show: With NRA in charge, all legal guns are welcome". PennLive.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  17. ^ Peterson, Alex (2019-02-02). "NRA president in Harrisburg to open Great American Outdoor Show". WHTM. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  18. ^ "Camouflage, the (almost) official uniform of the Great American Outdoor Show". pennlive.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  19. ^ "Stage set, security ready for Trump speech at Great American Outdoor Show". fox43.com. 2024-02-08. Retrieved 2024-02-09.
  20. ^ "GAOS 2019: Speaker list". s15.a2zinc.net. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  21. ^ "10 Reasons to Attend the 2019 Great American Outdoor Show". www.americanhunter.org. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  22. ^ Corayer, Todd. "Dan Kenney bringing the outdoors to you". RICentral.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  23. ^ Demko, Mark. "Phil of Duck Dynasty among celebs speaking at annual Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg". themorningcall.com. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
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