diff --git a/cypress/integration/rendering/gantt.spec.js b/cypress/integration/rendering/gantt.spec.js
index c0156eee3..c302b51a6 100644
--- a/cypress/integration/rendering/gantt.spec.js
+++ b/cypress/integration/rendering/gantt.spec.js
@@ -435,4 +435,39 @@ describe('Gantt diagram', () => {
       { gantt: { topAxis: true } }
     );
   });
+
+  it('should render when compact is true', () => {
+    imgSnapshotTest(
+      `
+      ---
+      displayMode: compact
+      ---
+      gantt
+        title GANTT compact
+        dateFormat  HH:mm:ss
+        axisFormat  %Hh%M
+
+        section DB Clean
+        Clean: 12:00:00, 10m
+        Clean: 12:30:00, 12m
+        Clean: 13:00:00, 8m
+        Clean: 13:30:00, 9m
+        Clean: 14:00:00, 13m
+        Clean: 14:30:00, 10m
+        Clean: 15:00:00, 11m
+
+        section Sessions
+        A: 12:00:00, 63m
+        B: 12:30:00, 12m
+        C: 13:05:00, 12m
+        D: 13:06:00, 33m
+        E: 13:15:00, 55m
+        F: 13:20:00, 12m
+        G: 13:32:00, 18m
+        H: 13:50:00, 20m
+        I: 14:10:00, 10m
+    `,
+      {}
+    );
+  });
 });
diff --git a/demos/gantt.html b/demos/gantt.html
index 613dc8694..88f52ef5c 100644
--- a/demos/gantt.html
+++ b/demos/gantt.html
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
     axisFormat %d/%m
     todayMarker off
     section Section1
-    Today: 1, -01:00, 5min
+    Today: 1, 08-08-09-01:00, 5min
     </pre>
     <hr />
 
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@
     axisFormat %d/%m
     todayMarker stroke-width:5px,stroke:#00f,opacity:0.5
     section Section1
-    Today: 1, -01:00, 5min
+    Today: 1, 08-08-09-01:00, 5min
     </pre>
     <hr />
 
@@ -166,6 +166,37 @@
     </pre>
     <hr />
 
+    <pre class="mermaid">
+    ---
+      displayMode: compact
+    ---
+    gantt
+    title GANTT compact
+    dateFormat  HH:mm:ss
+    axisFormat  %Hh%M
+
+    section DB Clean
+    Clean: 12:00:00, 10m
+    Clean: 12:30:00, 12m
+    Clean: 13:00:00, 8m
+    Clean: 13:30:00, 9m
+    Clean: 14:00:00, 13m
+    Clean: 14:30:00, 10m
+    Clean: 15:00:00, 11m
+
+    section Sessions
+    A: 12:00:00, 63m
+    B: 12:30:00, 12m
+    C: 13:05:00, 12m
+    D: 13:06:00, 33m
+    E: 13:15:00, 55m
+    F: 13:20:00, 12m
+    G: 13:32:00, 18m
+    H: 13:50:00, 20m
+    I: 14:10:00, 10m
+    </pre>
+    <hr />
+
     <script>
       function ganttTestClick(a, b, c) {
         console.log('a:', a);
diff --git a/docs/config/setup/modules/defaultConfig.md b/docs/config/setup/modules/defaultConfig.md
index 3b2e33842..9cfb563e8 100644
--- a/docs/config/setup/modules/defaultConfig.md
+++ b/docs/config/setup/modules/defaultConfig.md
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 
 #### Defined in
 
-[defaultConfig.ts:2093](https://github.com/mermaid-js/mermaid/blob/master/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts#L2093)
+[defaultConfig.ts:2103](https://github.com/mermaid-js/mermaid/blob/master/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts#L2103)
 
 ---
 
diff --git a/docs/config/setup/modules/mermaidAPI.md b/docs/config/setup/modules/mermaidAPI.md
index 4b8f57bd7..5a5a63786 100644
--- a/docs/config/setup/modules/mermaidAPI.md
+++ b/docs/config/setup/modules/mermaidAPI.md
@@ -88,6 +88,7 @@ const config = {
     numberSectionStyles: 4,
     axisFormat: '%Y-%m-%d',
     topAxis: false,
+    displayMode: '',
   },
 };
 mermaid.initialize(config);
diff --git a/docs/syntax/gantt.md b/docs/syntax/gantt.md
index 6a7af3331..1b12063d7 100644
--- a/docs/syntax/gantt.md
+++ b/docs/syntax/gantt.md
@@ -257,9 +257,41 @@ The pattern is:
 
 More info in: <https://github.com/d3/d3-time#interval_every>
 
+## Output in compact mode
+
+The compact mode allows you to display multiple tasks in the same row. Compact mode can be enabled for a gantt chart by setting the display mode of the graph via preceeding YAML settings.
+
+```mermaid-example
+---
+displayMode: compact
+---
+gantt
+    title A Gantt Diagram
+    dateFormat  YYYY-MM-DD
+
+    section Section
+    A task           :a1, 2014-01-01, 30d
+    Another task     :a2, 2014-01-20, 25d
+    Another one      :a3, 2014-02-10, 20d
+```
+
+```mermaid
+---
+displayMode: compact
+---
+gantt
+    title A Gantt Diagram
+    dateFormat  YYYY-MM-DD
+
+    section Section
+    A task           :a1, 2014-01-01, 30d
+    Another task     :a2, 2014-01-20, 25d
+    Another one      :a3, 2014-02-10, 20d
+```
+
 ## Comments
 
-Comments can be entered within a gantt chart, which will be ignored by the parser. Comments need to be on their own line and must be prefaced with `%%` (double percent signs). Any text after the start of the comment to the next newline will be treated as a comment, including any diagram syntax
+Comments can be entered within a gantt chart, which will be ignored by the parser. Comments need to be on their own line and must be prefaced with `%%` (double percent signs). Any text after the start of the comment to the next newline will be treated as a comment, including any diagram syntax.
 
 ```mermaid-example
 gantt
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/commonDb.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/commonDb.ts
index 42ffde004..a9ad0f54b 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/commonDb.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/commonDb.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { getConfig } from './config';
 let title = '';
 let diagramTitle = '';
 let description = '';
+
 const sanitizeText = (txt: string): string => _sanitizeText(txt, getConfig());
 
 export const clear = function (): void {
@@ -36,10 +37,10 @@ export const getDiagramTitle = function (): string {
 };
 
 export default {
-  setAccTitle,
   getAccTitle,
+  setAccTitle,
+  getDiagramTitle,
   setDiagramTitle,
-  getDiagramTitle: getDiagramTitle,
   getAccDescription,
   setAccDescription,
   clear,
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/config.type.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/config.type.ts
index 157304149..68441732b 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/config.type.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/config.type.ts
@@ -335,6 +335,7 @@ export interface GanttDiagramConfig extends BaseDiagramConfig {
   axisFormat?: string;
   tickInterval?: string;
   topAxis?: boolean;
+  displayMode?: string;
 }
 
 export interface SequenceDiagramConfig extends BaseDiagramConfig {
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts
index 666efc364..6a13e70b3 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/defaultConfig.ts
@@ -659,6 +659,17 @@ const config: Partial<MermaidConfig> = {
      */
     numberSectionStyles: 4,
 
+    /**
+     * | Parameter   | Description               | Type   | Required | Values    |
+     * | ----------- | ------------------------- | ------ | -------- | --------- |
+     * | displayMode | Controls the display mode | string | 4        | 'compact' |
+     *
+     * **Notes**:
+     *
+     * - **compact**: Enables displaying multiple tasks on the same row.
+     */
+    displayMode: '',
+
     /**
      * | Parameter  | Description                  | Type | Required | Values           |
      * | ---------- | ---------------------------- | ---- | -------- | ---------------- |
@@ -684,7 +695,6 @@ const config: Partial<MermaidConfig> = {
      * Default value: undefined
      */
     tickInterval: undefined,
-
     /**
      * | Parameter   | Description | Type    | Required | Values      |
      * | ----------- | ----------- | ------- | -------- | ----------- |
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagram-api/frontmatter.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/diagram-api/frontmatter.ts
index d6811388c..a9c4995e6 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagram-api/frontmatter.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagram-api/frontmatter.ts
@@ -11,6 +11,8 @@ export const frontMatterRegex = /^-{3}\s*[\n\r](.*?)[\n\r]-{3}\s*[\n\r]+/s;
 
 type FrontMatterMetadata = {
   title?: string;
+  // Allows custom display modes. Currently used for compact mode in gantt charts.
+  displayMode?: string;
 };
 
 /**
@@ -33,6 +35,10 @@ export function extractFrontMatter(text: string, db: DiagramDb): string {
       db.setDiagramTitle?.(parsed.title);
     }
 
+    if (parsed?.displayMode) {
+      db.setDisplayMode?.(parsed.displayMode);
+    }
+
     return text.slice(matches[0].length);
   } else {
     return text;
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagram-api/types.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/diagram-api/types.ts
index 081136563..8c5d14eb8 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagram-api/types.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagram-api/types.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ export interface InjectUtils {
 export interface DiagramDb {
   clear?: () => void;
   setDiagramTitle?: (title: string) => void;
+  setDisplayMode?: (title: string) => void;
   getAccTitle?: () => string;
   getAccDescription?: () => string;
   bindFunctions?: (element: Element) => void;
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttDb.js b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttDb.js
index 475ee4de4..fa872027d 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttDb.js
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttDb.js
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ let links = {};
 let sections = [];
 let tasks = [];
 let currentSection = '';
+let displayMode = '';
 const tags = ['active', 'done', 'crit', 'milestone'];
 let funs = [];
 let inclusiveEndDates = false;
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ export const clear = function () {
   rawTasks = [];
   dateFormat = '';
   axisFormat = '';
+  displayMode = '';
   tickInterval = undefined;
   todayMarker = '';
   includes = [];
@@ -110,6 +112,14 @@ export const topAxisEnabled = function () {
   return topAxis;
 };
 
+export const setDisplayMode = function (txt) {
+  displayMode = txt;
+};
+
+export const getDisplayMode = function () {
+  return displayMode;
+};
+
 export const getDateFormat = function () {
   return dateFormat;
 };
@@ -143,11 +153,11 @@ export const getSections = function () {
 };
 
 export const getTasks = function () {
-  let allItemsPricessed = compileTasks();
+  let allItemsProcessed = compileTasks();
   const maxDepth = 10;
   let iterationCount = 0;
-  while (!allItemsPricessed && iterationCount < maxDepth) {
-    allItemsPricessed = compileTasks();
+  while (!allItemsProcessed && iterationCount < maxDepth) {
+    allItemsProcessed = compileTasks();
     iterationCount++;
   }
 
@@ -719,6 +729,8 @@ export default {
   getAccTitle,
   setDiagramTitle,
   getDiagramTitle,
+  setDisplayMode,
+  getDisplayMode,
   setAccDescription,
   getAccDescription,
   addSection,
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttDb.spec.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttDb.spec.ts
index d65f2fdfd..812cfd9b8 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttDb.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttDb.spec.ts
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ describe('when using the ganttDb', function () {
     beforeEach(function () {
       ganttDb.setDateFormat('YYYY-MM-DD');
       ganttDb.enableInclusiveEndDates();
+      ganttDb.setDisplayMode('compact');
       ganttDb.setTodayMarker('off');
       ganttDb.setExcludes('weekends 2019-02-06,friday');
       ganttDb.addSection('weekends skip test');
@@ -53,6 +54,7 @@ describe('when using the ganttDb', function () {
       ${'getExcludes'}          | ${[]}
       ${'getSections'}          | ${[]}
       ${'endDatesAreInclusive'} | ${false}
+      ${'getDisplayMode'}       | ${''}
     `)('should clear $fn', ({ fn, expected }) => {
       expect(ganttDb[fn]()).toEqual(expected);
     });
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttRenderer.js b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttRenderer.js
index 7a012beb5..78bf2fcea 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttRenderer.js
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/ganttRenderer.js
@@ -24,12 +24,43 @@ export const setConf = function () {
   log.debug('Something is calling, setConf, remove the call');
 };
 
+/**
+ * For this issue:
+ * https://github.com/mermaid-js/mermaid/issues/1618
+ *
+ * Finds the number of intersections between tasks that happen at any point in time.
+ * Used to figure out how many rows are needed to display the tasks when the display
+ * mode is set to 'compact'.
+ *
+ * @param tasks
+ * @param orderOffset
+ */
+const getMaxIntersections = (tasks, orderOffset) => {
+  let timeline = [...tasks].map(() => -Infinity);
+  let sorted = [...tasks].sort((a, b) => a.startTime - b.startTime || a.order - b.order);
+  let maxIntersections = 0;
+  for (const element of sorted) {
+    for (let j = 0; j < timeline.length; j++) {
+      if (element.startTime >= timeline[j]) {
+        timeline[j] = element.endTime;
+        element.order = j + orderOffset;
+        if (j > maxIntersections) {
+          maxIntersections = j;
+        }
+        break;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
+  return maxIntersections;
+};
+
 let w;
 export const draw = function (text, id, version, diagObj) {
   const conf = getConfig().gantt;
+
   // diagObj.db.clear();
   // parser.parse(text);
-
   const securityLevel = getConfig().securityLevel;
   // Handle root and Document for when rendering in sandbox mode
   let sandboxElement;
@@ -56,7 +87,40 @@ export const draw = function (text, id, version, diagObj) {
   const taskArray = diagObj.db.getTasks();
 
   // Set height based on number of tasks
-  const h = taskArray.length * (conf.barHeight + conf.barGap) + 2 * conf.topPadding;
+
+  let categories = [];
+
+  for (const element of taskArray) {
+    categories.push(element.type);
+  }
+
+  categories = checkUnique(categories);
+  const categoryHeights = {};
+
+  let h = 2 * conf.topPadding;
+  if (diagObj.db.getDisplayMode() === 'compact' || conf.displayMode === 'compact') {
+    const categoryElements = {};
+    for (const element of taskArray) {
+      if (categoryElements[element.section] === undefined) {
+        categoryElements[element.section] = [element];
+      } else {
+        categoryElements[element.section].push(element);
+      }
+    }
+
+    let intersections = 0;
+    for (const category of Object.keys(categoryElements)) {
+      const categoryHeight = getMaxIntersections(categoryElements[category], intersections) + 1;
+      intersections += categoryHeight;
+      h += categoryHeight * (conf.barHeight + conf.barGap);
+      categoryHeights[category] = categoryHeight;
+    }
+  } else {
+    h += taskArray.length * (conf.barHeight + conf.barGap);
+    for (const category of categories) {
+      categoryHeights[category] = taskArray.filter((task) => task.type === category).length;
+    }
+  }
 
   // Set viewBox
   elem.setAttribute('viewBox', '0 0 ' + w + ' ' + h);
@@ -74,16 +138,6 @@ export const draw = function (text, id, version, diagObj) {
     ])
     .rangeRound([0, w - conf.leftPadding - conf.rightPadding]);
 
-  let categories = [];
-
-  for (const element of taskArray) {
-    categories.push(element.type);
-  }
-
-  const catsUnfiltered = categories; // for vert labels
-
-  categories = checkUnique(categories);
-
   /**
    * @param a
    * @param b
@@ -157,11 +211,15 @@ export const draw = function (text, id, version, diagObj) {
    * @param w
    */
   function drawRects(theArray, theGap, theTopPad, theSidePad, theBarHeight, theColorScale, w) {
+    // Get unique task orders. Required to draw the background rects when display mode is compact.
+    const uniqueTaskOrderIds = [...new Set(theArray.map((item) => item.order))];
+    const uniqueTasks = uniqueTaskOrderIds.map((id) => theArray.find((item) => item.order === id));
+
     // Draw background rects covering the entire width of the graph, these form the section rows.
     svg
       .append('g')
       .selectAll('rect')
-      .data(theArray)
+      .data(uniqueTasks)
       .enter()
       .append('rect')
       .attr('x', 0)
@@ -582,12 +640,9 @@ export const draw = function (text, id, version, diagObj) {
    * @param theTopPad
    */
   function vertLabels(theGap, theTopPad) {
-    const numOccurances = [];
     let prevGap = 0;
 
-    for (const [i, category] of categories.entries()) {
-      numOccurances[i] = [category, getCount(category, catsUnfiltered)];
-    }
+    const numOccurances = Object.keys(categoryHeights).map((d) => [d, categoryHeights[d]]);
 
     svg
       .append('g') // without doing this, impossible to put grid lines behind text
@@ -625,7 +680,6 @@ export const draw = function (text, id, version, diagObj) {
         }
       })
       .attr('font-size', conf.sectionFontSize)
-      .attr('font-size', conf.sectionFontSize)
       .attr('class', function (d) {
         for (const [i, category] of categories.entries()) {
           if (d[0] === category) {
@@ -682,31 +736,6 @@ export const draw = function (text, id, version, diagObj) {
     }
     return result;
   }
-
-  /**
-   * From this stack exchange question:
-   * http://stackoverflow.com/questions/14227981/count-how-many-strings-in-an-array-have-duplicates-in-the-same-array
-   *
-   * @param arr
-   */
-  function getCounts(arr) {
-    let i = arr.length; // const to loop over
-    const obj = {}; // obj to store results
-    while (i) {
-      obj[arr[--i]] = (obj[arr[i]] || 0) + 1; // count occurrences
-    }
-    return obj;
-  }
-
-  /**
-   * Get specific from everything
-   *
-   * @param word
-   * @param arr
-   */
-  function getCount(word, arr) {
-    return getCounts(arr)[word] || 0;
-  }
 };
 
 export default {
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/parser/gantt.jison b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/parser/gantt.jison
index 2223aa378..0eb45ec41 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/parser/gantt.jison
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/diagrams/gantt/parser/gantt.jison
@@ -131,9 +131,10 @@ statement
   | includes {yy.setIncludes($1.substr(9));$$=$1.substr(9);}
   | todayMarker {yy.setTodayMarker($1.substr(12));$$=$1.substr(12);}
   | title {yy.setDiagramTitle($1.substr(6));$$=$1.substr(6);}
-  | acc_title acc_title_value  { $$=$2.trim();yy.setAccTitle($$); }
-  | acc_descr acc_descr_value  { $$=$2.trim();yy.setAccDescription($$); }
-  | acc_descr_multiline_value { $$=$1.trim();yy.setAccDescription($$); }  | section {yy.addSection($1.substr(8));$$=$1.substr(8);}
+  | acc_title acc_title_value { $$=$2.trim();yy.setAccTitle($$); }
+  | acc_descr acc_descr_value { $$=$2.trim();yy.setAccDescription($$); }
+  | acc_descr_multiline_value { $$=$1.trim();yy.setAccDescription($$); }
+  | section { yy.addSection($1.substr(8));$$=$1.substr(8); }
   | clickStatement
   | taskTxt taskData {yy.addTask($1,$2);$$='task';}
   | directive
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/docs/syntax/gantt.md b/packages/mermaid/src/docs/syntax/gantt.md
index 7c446d91f..eaa07c707 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/docs/syntax/gantt.md
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/docs/syntax/gantt.md
@@ -189,9 +189,27 @@ The pattern is:
 
 More info in: [https://github.com/d3/d3-time#interval_every](https://github.com/d3/d3-time#interval_every)
 
+## Output in compact mode
+
+The compact mode allows you to display multiple tasks in the same row. Compact mode can be enabled for a gantt chart by setting the display mode of the graph via preceeding YAML settings.
+
+```mmd
+---
+displayMode: compact
+---
+gantt
+    title A Gantt Diagram
+    dateFormat  YYYY-MM-DD
+
+    section Section
+    A task           :a1, 2014-01-01, 30d
+    Another task     :a2, 2014-01-20, 25d
+    Another one      :a3, 2014-02-10, 20d
+```
+
 ## Comments
 
-Comments can be entered within a gantt chart, which will be ignored by the parser. Comments need to be on their own line and must be prefaced with `%%` (double percent signs). Any text after the start of the comment to the next newline will be treated as a comment, including any diagram syntax
+Comments can be entered within a gantt chart, which will be ignored by the parser. Comments need to be on their own line and must be prefaced with `%%` (double percent signs). Any text after the start of the comment to the next newline will be treated as a comment, including any diagram syntax.
 
 ```mmd
 gantt
diff --git a/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts b/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts
index 83a1bed99..f2bc35c7e 100644
--- a/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts
+++ b/packages/mermaid/src/mermaidAPI.ts
@@ -650,6 +650,7 @@ function addA11yInfo(
  *       numberSectionStyles: 4,
  *       axisFormat: '%Y-%m-%d',
  *       topAxis: false,
+ *       displayMode: '',
  *     },
  *   };
  *   mermaid.initialize(config);