Gulf Shores officials and organizers of the Hangout Music Festival are working out the details of a new neighborhood ambassador program meant to ease long-standing friction between festivalgoers and residents who live near the beachfront event site, as the city considers whether to renew the festival’s public assembly permit for another year.
Under the proposal, roving ambassadors would be stationed throughout the residential blocks near Gulf Place during the festival to keep an eye on problem behavior, but they would not confront festivalgoers directly or attempt to enforce the law themselves. Instead, ambassadors would be trained to notify police if they spot trouble, allowing officers to respond to conflicts as they arise.
Mayor Robert Craft said the ambassador program is expected to be spelled out formally as part of the festival’s public assembly permit, which the city issues annually and can decline to renew if organizers fail to address residents’ concerns.
“The details of that are going to be part of this public assembly permit because that’s a big concern of ours,” Craft said. “And in coordination with the police. They will be instructed if they see something going on, they’ll contact the police and we’ll have someone be able to go help them if there’s a conflict of interest.”
For several years, residents in the six- or seven-block neighborhood surrounding the festival grounds have complained about festivalgoers parking illegally in yards and along narrow residential streets, as well as using residents’ yards as restrooms. Those complaints have become a recurring sticking point in the city’s annual review of the festival’s permit.
Hangout founder Shaul Zislin introduced the ambassador concept at a community meeting he organized at Big Beach Brewing Company on Dec. 7, an event aimed specifically at reaching residents who live closest to the festival footprint.
“They sent out fliers specifically to people that are in the six- or seven-block neighborhood that surrounds what is used as the festival site,” Gulf Shores spokesman Grant Brown said. “The goal was to get the people that had concerns over some of the items the mayor and City Council are requesting the festival address and come up with a plan to mitigate some of those concerns in that core part of the city.”
City leaders have pushed organizers to hold public meetings like the one at the brewery so residents can air grievances directly. David Zislin, Shaul’s brother, told the Gulf Shores City Council at its Dec. 9 meeting that another community meeting is being planned for January.
“He’s going to advertise it for people that are concerned and don’t like it and limit it to that to where they’re not having proponents in there that are lobbying for it,” Craft said of the planned January meeting. “They’re trying to get the people that are not in favor of it to give them their issues so he can react to them.”
At the Dec. 9 council meeting, Shaul Zislin opened with a presentation outlining the festival’s economic and community benefits, and most attendees who spoke expressed a favorable view of the event. Residents who oppose the festival or have concerns about its effects were also given the opportunity to address the council.
“There were some residents that were willing to speak up and how the festival impacts them and their quality of life,” Brown said. “They did so in a way that the Hangout was able to hear and we believe they are going to address those concerns. That’s what they are being asked to do this year to show that they can positively affect some of those items.”
The stakes for reaching an agreement are significant for both sides. Gulf Shores and Hangout organizers have a contract keeping the festival at Gulf Place through 2025, but the agreement includes a yearly renewal clause that gives the city leverage to demand changes. If the mayor and council are not satisfied that organizers are addressing neighborhood concerns, they can decline to issue the assembly permit needed to hold the event.
The 11th annual Hangout Music Festival is scheduled for May 15-17 at Gulf Place. City officials say the ambassador program and continued resident outreach will be key factors as they decide whether to grant the festival’s permit for another year.