Fairfield’s Crystal Classic celebrated its 15th year by drawing in more groups from outside the state than in any previous event.

The annual show choir competition at Fairfield High School always draws in schools from out of state. But this year, its reach seemed to extend further than normal, said Kenny Rhodus, the technical director.

“We’re loading them in as best we can,” he said, referring to the stage crew that had to assemble then dismantle each setup for each group. There were 18 different groups performing in the high school’s arena alone; about that many more also sang in the Performing Arts Center.

Some of the schools represented include Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Md.; DeKalb High School from DeKalb, Ill., Atlee High School from Chickahominy, Virginia and Carmel High School from Carmel, Ind.. Area schools were represented as well, including Edgewood High School, Hamilton Junior High and Ross High School. Fairfield Schools participated but did not compete, since they were the host.

“We have a lot of powerful groups, so it gets pretty intense,” Rhodus said.

With so many groups performing, the Crystal Classic draws in thousands of visitors, which has a notable economic impact on the city, said Tim Bachman, the director of development.

“When you have an attraction this large that’s bringing in show choirs from as far away as Maryland, those people have to be accommodated somewhere and they’ve got to eat somewhere. Certainly those are bringing in what I would call tourism dollars. They wouldn’t be here otherwise,” he said.

Simply Irresistible from Edgewood High School performed a set that included “With or Without You” by U2 and “Forget About the Boy” from the stage show “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” which included a playful nod to the band One Direction.

Victoria Amundson of Trenton, who had never been to the Crystal Classic before, came to see Cutting Edge from Hamilton Junior High School perform. She was impressed with the scale of the event.

“They really make it a production,” she said.

Aubrey Cole of Hamilton said, “They put a lot of hard work into pulling it off.”