Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft announced there will not be a Hangout Music Festival or Sand in My Boots Festival in 2026, but planning is already underway for a 2027 festival.
Craft made the announcement Monday during the city council’s regular meeting.
“We will not have an event in 2026,” Craft said. “We are already approving the event in 2027. We delayed too long, or they did, in their application to be able to get the kind of acts that we required them to have to be successful in 2026. We will refuse to let them go back to the acts that we’ve had before and so they couldn’t do it. “
When approving a contract extension with Hangout Music Fest, LLC earlier this year, the city required the festival to obtain City Council approval for future acts and genres of music.
“They canceled the 2026 event, but they’ve got time now to pursue the type of talent we want on our beaches to invite the right audience that we want on our beaches, that we proved last time, the last event, that could happen,” Craft continued. “We’re determined if it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen that way again.”
The Hangout Music Festival was held in Gulf Shores from 2015 to 2024 and was renamed the Morgan Wallen’s Sand in My Boots Festival in 2025.
The city collected public comments leading up to the expiration of the original agreement between the city and the festival franchisee. Concerns included noise, waste, traffic and the impact on the quality of life for residents. However, much of the feedback was positive and showed an interest in continuing the festival.
The dates for the next festival are May 20-23, 2027.
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