Gulf Shores is bracing for another massive turnout this weekend as the Hangout Music Festival returns for its tenth year, with organizers cleared to welcome as many as 45,000 fans to the beach for three days of music and entertainment.
Festival organizers say the event has evolved considerably since it launched in 2010, with each year’s lineup and amenities adjusted to keep pace with changing music trends while still delivering what they describe as the ultimate fan experience.
This year’s headliners include Travis Scott on Friday night, fresh off his chart-topping, triple-Grammy-nominated album “Astroworld” and a Super Bowl halftime appearance in February. Khalid headlines Saturday, kicking off a 57-date world tour that runs through December after a run of hits including “Location,” “Young Dumb & Broke” and a stretch this spring in which he simultaneously held the top five spots on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs chart. The Lumineers close out the festival Sunday night, returning to Gulf Shores after first playing Hangout in 2012 to a sparse early-morning crowd — long before the band’s sold-out Madison Square Garden shows and tour dates alongside U2.
The broader 2019 lineup includes Grammy winners Vampire Weekend, Cardi B and Diplo, plus nominees Hozier, The 1975, GRiZ, Mura Masa and Sofi Tukker. Gulf Coast native Elley Duhé, known for her collaboration with producer Zedd on “Happy Now,” performs Sunday at noon, and local favorites The Red Clay Strays — 2019 award finalists in several categories — take the Sunset Stage Sunday at 12:45 p.m. A Thursday kickoff party ahead of the main festival features Big Gigantic, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, CamelPhat and SNBRN.
Gene Murrell, assistant program director and midday host at 92 ZEW, which has broadcast live from Hangout every year since its 2010 debut, said the festival’s mix of big names and rising acts is part of what keeps it fresh.
“There’s always been something for everyone,” Murrell said. “[The music] is very exciting, plus the other stuff — people can get married on the beach for the weekend … they set up a piano on the beach for anyone to play — every year it’s bigger. The lineup has changed over the years, but it runs like a well-oiled machine.”
Murrell said he was especially looking forward to sets from The Lumineers, Hozier and The 1975, along with veterans Jimmy Eat World and newer acts like lovelytheband, Walk the Moon, The Interrupters, Shaed and Easy Life.
“It’s always interesting when you have bands that have never played or more newcomers,” he said. “It absolutely creates exposure being seen by the people there, the TV and radio coverage … all of a sudden you can see some of these bands thrust into the front of the line. The first year The 1975 played it was during the day, now they’re a main act. Same thing with The Killers. Grace Potter called it ‘Coachella on the beach.’”
Festival director Sean O’Connell said this year’s lineup reflects broader shifts in how people discover and consume music.
“How people listen to music has completely changed from when we started the festival to even three years ago,” O’Connell said. “We’ve literally seen a complete change in how people consume and enjoy music, which I think is amazing. I think it’s putting opportunities out there for young artists to rise to the top.”
“Our vision is huge,” he added. “We want to create the best festival experience in the world. What I mean by that is that we want to create a destination that people come to celebrate summer, celebrate friends, celebrate fun and celebrate music.”
Beyond the music, this year’s amenities include stageside pools for VIP ticket holders, a Tinder-sponsored roller disco, a “Camp Hangout” area presented with Go RVing, Corona-sponsored Gulf access, a Malibu Beach House with DJs all weekend, beach volleyball, yoga, a Ferris wheel, a puppy kissing booth, a tropical spa and sailing excursions.
The festival has operated under an 11-year franchise agreement with the city of Gulf Shores since 2015, which guarantees a conditional renewal of the festival’s assembly permit through 2025. The agreement caps admissions, requires a zero-tolerance approach to illegal drugs and underage drinking, and mandates city approval of sponsorships and amenities, along with traffic mitigation, insurance and reimbursement of city expenses.
Since 2017, the city has also shared in festival revenue, keeping 1 percent of gross admissions revenue that first year, rising to 2 percent the following year and capping at 3 percent from 2019 through 2025. Along with vendor license fees and sales tax, Gulf Shores Public Information Officer Grant Brown said the revenue-sharing deal generates roughly $700,000 for the city — a relatively small figure next to the festival’s estimated $40 million economic impact on the area in 2014.
“Anytime you bring 40,000 people to a community, it’s impactful,” Brown said. “From an economic perspective, people are traveling. It generates overnight stays — even people who are working at the site for some times as long as two weeks have to have a place to stay, food to eat, gasoline, etc.”
This year, organizers requested and received approval for a higher capacity of 45,000, citing feedback that crowd-flow changes made last year “greatly improved crowd flow and alleviated congestion during periods of crowd movement.” Organizers also pointed to continued growth in the area’s hotels and condos, which they said gives visitors ample lodging options.
Brown said the city refines its planning and emergency response every year but doesn’t expect major changes to the festival’s footprint or amenities this time around, aside from renewed attention to hydration and coordination with local hospitals given the forecast for clear, warm weather.
“Every single year we learn how to do things better,” Brown said. “We’re not doing anything specifically different, but I feel like we’ve gotten better to be on top of items that have to [be] planned for including public safety and coordination with local hospitals.”
During the festival, access to some Gulf Shores public beaches will be restricted, and traffic at the intersection of State Route 59 and East Beach Boulevard will be redirected north to First and Second avenues. Brown recommended that residents and visitors not attending the festival use alternate routes outlined on the city’s website, and he encouraged wristband holders to consider the festival’s shuttle pass for transportation to points north, east and west.
As of earlier this week, shuttle passes, general admission weekend wristbands and VIP packages remained available, though single-day passes and Super VIP packages had sold out. Three-day tickets were priced at $319, while VIP passes — which include exclusive stage viewing areas, complimentary beer, wine, snacks and cocktails, stageside pools, air-conditioned bathrooms and priority entrances — were $1,099. More information is available at hangoutmusicfest.com.
Since its 2010 launch, Hangout Music Festival has grown into one of the signature events on Alabama’s Gulf Coast, drawing national attention to Gulf Shores each May and delivering a substantial economic boost to hotels, restaurants and other local businesses during what is traditionally a slower stretch before peak summer tourist season.
The Hangout Music Festival, held each spring on the public beach in Gulf Shores, has become one of the larger beachfront music festivals in the country. The festival draws tens of thousands of fans to the city over a multi-day weekend.
Beachfront music festivals have become more common along the Gulf Coast in recent years, with multiple events in Alabama and Florida drawing national touring acts. The events have become important parts of the regional tourism calendar.
Festival logistics, including crowd management, transportation and emergency services, are significant concerns for large beachfront events. Gulf Shores has worked with the festival’s organizers to coordinate the public safety response and to minimize the impact on residents who live near the festival site.
Local governments and community partners are working through the implications of the situation, and several follow-up meetings have been scheduled for the coming weeks. Members of the public who want to weigh in on the matter can find the meeting dates on city and county websites, and written comments can be submitted through the standard channels used by the relevant agencies. Local news outlets will continue to cover the story as it develops.
Across south Alabama, similar issues are being addressed in other communities, and the lessons learned here are likely to inform how those communities approach their own challenges. Local officials have indicated they are in regular contact with counterparts in neighboring cities and counties, and they expect to share best practices as the situation continues to evolve.
The agencies involved in the matter have committed to keeping the public informed as the work progresses, and residents who want to receive updates directly can sign up for email or text alerts through the relevant city or county websites. Local community organizations have also agreed to share information as it becomes available, and several have scheduled public forums in the coming weeks to give residents a chance to ask questions of the officials involved.
For background, readers can consult the official websites of the relevant agencies, the local newspapers that have covered the story, and the public-meeting archives that document the prior deliberations on related topics. The combination of those resources should give residents a thorough understanding of how the current situation developed and how the agencies and elected officials are approaching the decisions that remain.