After reviewing survey results from more than 2,100 respondents and listening to more than a dozen speakers, the Gulf Shores City Council was reminded in June 2014 that the Hangout Music Festival had a broad base of support at home and far beyond.
City leaders had sought input from the public and the business community ahead of a June 30 vote on whether to extend the festival’s special events permit for another five years. The existing contract was set to end in 2015.
An open door to public opinion
"We really are here because we want your comments, your opinions, your input, your requests before we make this very important decision for the future of our community," Mayor Robert Craft said at the start of the work session. "Come to no conclusion that our mind is made up because I guarantee you it’s not. We’re gaining information."
The meeting, devoted entirely to the permit question, featured presentations on two surveys. A poll of 330 area business owners found that 76 percent believed the festival had a positive economic impact, 64 percent saw a positive community impact and 72 percent supported extending the permit through 2020. An online citizen survey drawing 1,826 respondents showed 64.6 percent in favor of renewal and 78.1 percent crediting the event with a positive economic impact.
The founder makes his case
Festival founder Shaul Zislin then took the podium to review the event’s growth. "I came before this same group five years ago with a crazy idea of let’s do a music festival at the beach here in Gulf Shores," he said. "And I believe that five years later we delivered."
Zislin said the fifth annual festival was estimated to have generated a $47.5 million economic impact in and around Gulf Shores, based on 40,000 fans attending, up from an estimated $31 million tied to 27,000 attendees in 2013. He said 80 percent of visitors came from outside Alabama, with tickets sold across all 50 states and in 30 countries.
He also pointed to the festival’s reach through social media and broadcasts as far away as Brazil, Chile and Argentina, arguing that such exposure carried long-term value for the community that traditional surveys could not fully capture.
Safety, students and local voices
Zislin credited the city’s police and fire departments with refining best practices over five years to minimize problems, saying the festival had seen no serious violent crime over that span. He also highlighted the Hangout Education Foundation’s $25,000 donation to the Gulf Shores High School Career Academy, which gave students mini-internships during the event.
Career academy coordinator Susan Nelson urged the council to preserve those opportunities. "We’ve got to keep this," she said, describing how students worked on audio, video and design projects tied to the festival.
Roughly 15 people addressed the council, with an overwhelming majority in support. Among them was former Orange Beach Mayor Pete Blalock, a longtime island resident and business owner, who called the renewal "an easy decision" and credited the festival with restoring a summer weekend of business to the coast.