May is the Gulf Coast’s last deep breath before summer. School is winding down, beach traffic is building and the humidity has not yet reached its full July weight. The May 2025 events calendar made the most of that window with hot air balloons over Foley, a fly-fishing gathering at Gulf State Park, Fairhope’s biggest street party, the debut of Morgan Wallen’s Sand In My Boots festival in Gulf Shores and the first Gulf Coast Caribbean Carnival festival in downtown Mobile. This look back at the month also traces how the region’s spring festival scene continued to change.
For anyone willing to drive a little farther, the month also opened with the second weekend of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, one of the country’s great music events and an easy road trip west on Interstate 10 from Mobile.
Hot Air Balloons Over OWA in Foley
The month began May 1 through 3 with the Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival at OWA Parks and Resort in Foley. Named the 2021 Event of the Year by the Alabama Department of Tourism, the festival promised high-flying adventure and family fun, with entertainment and arts and crafts displays at the festival site each day.
The balloons themselves were the main attraction. Balloon flights, evening balloon glows and tethered rides, all weather permitting, took place at dawn and dusk, the calmest times of day for ballooning. Admission was free.
OWA, which opened in 2017, is a resort and entertainment district developed by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. Its name comes from the Muscogee word for “big water.” The complex includes an amusement park, the Tropic Falls water park, a downtown-style district of shops and restaurants and open lawns that suit events like the balloon festival. Watching dozens of balloons lift off over south Baldwin County at sunrise has become one of the signature images of spring in Foley.
Gulf Coast Classic Fly Fishing Festival
On May 2 and 3, the 3rd Annual Gulf Coast Classic fly-fishing festival took place at the Learning Campus at Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores. The event offered seminars on fishing locations, tactics, target species, conservation programs and fly tying, along with the Mixed Bag Challenge, which was free with Classic registration.
Exhibitors included guide services, fly tackle suppliers, two fly-fishing publications, local and regional artists and several fly-fishing and conservation organizations from across the region. Many of the area’s top fly tiers were on hand demonstrating their favorite patterns.
Coastal Alabama is a growing destination for saltwater fly anglers. The bays, bayous and surf zones around Gulf Shores and Orange Beach hold redfish, speckled trout, Spanish mackerel and other species that can be targeted with a fly rod, and the sight-fishing opportunities on calm spring mornings are a big part of the appeal. The Learning Campus at Gulf State Park, built as an environmental education center, is a fitting home for an event that pairs sport with conservation.
Fairhope Rotary Steak Cookoff
On May 10, the 2025 Fairhope Rotary Steak Cookoff took over Fairhope Avenue. Billed as “Fairhope’s Premier Street Party,” the event brought 40 cook teams to compete for a range of awards, including People’s Choice honors decided by the more than 3,000 people who typically attend.
Teams grilled Piggly Wiggly steaks booth by booth for guests to sample, with live music and a family atmosphere. Children 12 and under were admitted free. As a Rotary event, the cookoff raises money for the club’s charitable work in the community.
Downtown Fairhope, with its flower-lined streets, independent shops and views of Mobile Bay from the bluff and the municipal pier, is one of the most walkable small-town centers on the Gulf Coast, and closing Fairhope Avenue for a steak-grilling competition makes for a lively evening in the heart of the city.
Sand In My Boots Debuts in Gulf Shores
The month’s biggest music event arrived May 16 through 18, when Gulf Shores hosted the inaugural Sand In My Boots Music Festival, presented by country star Morgan Wallen. The three-day, two-stage festival took the place of the Hangout Music Festival, which had been a fixture of May on the Gulf Shores beach since 2010.
Organizers pitched Sand In My Boots as more than a festival, describing it as “an invitation to live the Wallen way for a weekend.” Wallen curated the lineup himself, and the festival’s programming reflected his personal taste. The lineup was an eclectic mix of his favorite artists and inspirations, led by crossover collaborators such as Post Malone and Diplo along with a deep roster of country acts.
Ticket packages sold out, with waitlist and resale options offered through AXS. The shift from Hangout, which had leaned toward rock, pop, hip-hop and electronic music, to a country-centered event built around one of the genre’s biggest stars marked a significant change in the character of Gulf Shores’ marquee May weekend.
The First Gulf Coast Caribbean Carnival Festival
The month closed May 24 with the Gulf Coast Caribbean Carnival 2025 in downtown Mobile. With backing from Mobile Parks and Recreation, Level Up Entertainment and the Gulf Coast Caribbean Carnival Association, the streets of downtown filled with Caribbean costumes, music and family-friendly celebration.
A parade through downtown ended at Mardi Gras Park, where the parks department had approved the first-ever Gulf Coast Caribbean Carnival Festival, a celebration of Caribbean culture on the Gulf Coast. Attendance at the parade and festival was free, and VIP weekend passes offered access to additional events.
The event added a new layer to a city whose identity is already closely tied to parades and costumes. Mobile’s Mardi Gras dates to the early 1700s and is widely regarded as the oldest in the United States, and Mardi Gras Park on Government Street was created as a space to celebrate that heritage. A Caribbean carnival parade ending at the same park highlights how Mobile’s parade culture continues to broaden.
What the May 2025 Lineup Revealed
The month captured a Gulf Coast calendar in transition. Established community traditions such as the Rotary cookoff and the balloon festival shared the spotlight with a star-driven festival replacing a 15-year beach institution and a brand-new cultural celebration in downtown Mobile. The common thread was a region eager to fill its spring weekends with food, music and time outdoors.
- Community fundraisers remain the backbone of the calendar.
- Free public events, from balloon glows to parades, keep festivals accessible.
- Large ticketed festivals bring national attention and visitors to the beaches.
Planning Ahead
Many of these events recur each year, but dates, locations, lineups and ticketing change. Anyone hoping to attend a future balloon festival, fly-fishing Classic, steak cookoff, Sand In My Boots or Caribbean Carnival should check with the organizers for current schedules.
Wherever the weekends lead, May on the Gulf Coast rewards those who get out early, before the full heat of summer settles in.