Is Hangout Music Festival over?
After producers of Gulf Shores’ Beachside Festival announced they were partnering with country music star Morgan Wallen for a three-day “Sand in My Boots” festival, people on Reddit and Similar warnings are being sounded on Facebook and in articles posted online in recent days.
The overriding themes of online reaction from those criticizing the changes include saying goodbye to a 15-year-old music festival that has created a national reputation in the music industry.
“Talk about putting the nail in the coffin.”
"Celebrating 15 years of Hangout Fest by canceling Hangout Fest. How poetic.”
“That’s a strange way of saying the hangout was cancelled.”
“I’m confused. Is this Hangout Fest or something else?”
Hangout producers, led by AEG Presents, which has hosted the festival in recent years, have responded decisively. “No, Hangout Music Festival is not dead. The brand will return in 2026.”
“Hangout Music Festival is not going anywhere and will return to Gulf Shores in 2026,” said Reeves Price, AEG Presents and Hangout Festival Producer. “Partnering with Morgan Wallen on the 2025 Sand in My Boots Festival is a very special opportunity and we are excited to bring his vision to life.”
However, some questions arise, such as:
Who else will perform with Warren? The controversial music star has been given significant latitude in organizing this year’s event. More announcements related to this year’s festival are expected soon, with officials telling the public that the show is not strictly a country music festival, replacing the long-standing staple Hangout Music Festival. An agreement between the festival’s producers and the city of Gulf Shores must be negotiated and voted on by early 2025. The existing 10-year agreement expires next year, so a new agreement is likely to be drawn up between now and the start of the festival. 2025 Festival with Morgan Wallen, May 16th-18th at Gulf Shores Public Beach. What will become of the catchy “Hang Loose” logo and merchandise that has long been a festival staple? The Hangout Music Festival brand has a long-standing close association with Hangout Entertainment Venues, a popular entertainment destination for visitors to Alabama’s beaches.
country festival freak out
Grant Brown, director of recreation and culture for the city of Gulf Shores, said he understands some of the initial confusion over having Warren in charge of planning this year’s festival. “It will be.”
However, he said that instead, “Sand in My Boots” represents a “special 15th anniversary celebration by doing something more unique.”
Some social media users and past Hangout Music Festival attendees are concerned that the festival will become a country music festival. A petition has also surfaced on Change.org asking that Warren not take over the festival and turn it into a country music event.
“While we have nothing against country music or Morgan Wallen, this issue arises from the potential for the festival to lose its multi-genre nature and become solely country-centric,” the petition reads. are. “Many of our loyal fans agree with me and think this could be an abandonment of the Hangout Fest tradition.”
Katie Jones-Williams, 35, of Roswell, Georgia, who has been attending the Hangout Music Festival since 2012, said the change was “not appealing” to her and other longtime supporters of the event. But it’s not diversity either.” She said the festival started as an event featuring many rock and jam bands, but evolved over time to include a mix of different music genres.
“Unless further announcements prove otherwise, at this point it looks like this festival is very much a county music focused festival that will definitely not appeal to the Hangout Music Festival fan base,” Williams said. he said. “They will lose a large portion of their long-time patrons and will need to rebuild a new fan base if possible.”
She added, “For me, diversity is the theme of this festival. There were many styles of music to suit different tastes, so the audience was diverse.”
Brown said people should wait until the full lineup is announced before worrying about the 2025 event.
“When the first announcement came out (from Warren), I thought it was going to be confusing,” Brown said. “Morgan Wallen is a huge headliner. I don’t know if it’s country or a combination or leaning towards country…I don’t know yet. Let’s wait for the lineup to be announced. ”
Brown said country music artists are not immune to past Hangout music festivals. Performers such as Zac Brown Band, Zac Bryan, and Post Malone have all been featured at past festivals.
great opportunity
Morgan Wallen said he will be bringing “good friends” to Gulf Shores for the debut of Sand in My Boots Festival in May 2025. (AEG Presents)AEG Presents
AEG Presents said in its FAQ about this year’s festival that Warren’s participation “offers an opportunity to work with some of the hottest names in country music at Gulf Shores, the most unique and beautiful venue AEG Presents has to offer.” He said that this was because he was “lost.” beach.
“This was a match made in heaven. Morgan wants to realize his vision for the festival and give it his all for the fans, and AEG Presents has the perfect venue and team to make it happen. ”, he said in a statement, and later confirmed that he had been accepted to appear in Sand in My. Boots does not replace Hangout in the AEG portfolio.
Beth Gendler, president and CEO of Gulf Shores & Orange Beach Tourism, said their organization is excited about this new commitment to the festival.
“From our perspective, events like the Hangout Music Festival, next year’s Sand in My Boots Festival, the National Shrimp Festival (early October), and the Florabama Mullet Toss (April) are what we did before. It really built us from a dead season to a strong shoulder season,” Gendler said. “These events draw tourists to Alabama’s beaches in the spring and fall, so small businesses, hotels, vacation rentals, restaurants and tourist attractions are busy well beyond the summer months. ”
Gendler continued, “We are very excited to join the City of Gulf Shores and the team at Hangout Music Festival in this new endeavor for the large-scale music event that has been the official kickoff to summer for the past 14 years. I’m excited,” he added.
brand confusion
Hangouts Music Festival File Image Logo
It’s unclear how Warren’s event will affect the Hangout Music Festival’s logo and branding this year and into 2026, when the event will be held under a new franchise agreement with the city of Gulf Shores. .
Brown said that prior to signing the franchise agreement, the city will conduct an economic impact analysis for the Hangout Music Festival by economist Kayvan Delavi. The last analysis was about 10 years ago, Brown said.
Venky Shankar, a long-time expert in brand marketing, said there could be “brand confusion” in holding the interim festival, which will be replaced by the original brand for the first time next year.
“In the music festival space, if a brand is properly and consistently promoted, it can gain a positive circle of confidence (e.g. Coachella, South by Southwest, etc.),” says Dallas’ Southern said Shankar, a marketing professor at Methodist University. “‘Hangout’ is very associated with concerts and gatherings, and even if you temporarily replace it with a phrase like ‘sand in your boots,’ it’s hard to associate it with music or concerns (and) raise more awareness.” ” However, if you plan on going back to “hanging out” soon, that might be a blessing in disguise. ”
Michael Butler, who has been involved in venue management for many years, including about 13 years at Lulu’s Gulf Shores, said the name Hangout already has a nostalgic feel to it, and that it “means a lot to a lot of people.” ” he said he believed. The festival was founded in 2009, and its first event was held about a month after the devastating Deepwater Horizon disaster and subsequent oil spill along the Gulf Coast.
Since then, it has grown into an event that draws more than 40,000 people to the Alabama Gulf Coast each year.
“I don’t know if it’s a big risk,” Butler said. “If Bonnaroo (a music festival in Manchester, Tenn.) came back after a year or two, would it lose any momentum? I think it would have a similar appeal. I don’t know for sure, but if it hangs If Out was shut down for a year and came back the next year, I think we would get just as much support, if not a surge.”
controversial star
We just voted down a resolution that would have allowed air raids that had Morgan Wallen’s name on it. Yes, it’s Morgan Wallen. People throwing chairs and using racial slurs.
no! No, thank you.
Try it in a small town…. 🤷🏽♀️ Better yet….don’t try everything. https://t.co/O1TfS3ygTw pic.twitter.com/cUkoMRGf4D
— 🥥🌴🇺🇲Delishia Danielle Porterfield🥥🌴🇺🇲 (@DelishiaForNash) May 22, 2024
City officials believe Warren’s presence will bring even more star power to this year’s festival. Although Wallen is considered one of the up-and-coming performers in the music industry, he is not without controversy and has also received attention from social media critics.
Morgan was caught on camera using a racial slur in 2021 and has since asked for forgiveness and pledged to donate $500,000 to Black-led organizations.
Wallen was criticized by fellow artists and was no longer welcome at awards shows. This criticism further increased Wallen’s appeal, and sales of his music soared.
Morgan Wallen will perform at the Stagecoach Music Festival on April 28th. George Walker IV/Invision/AP
More controversy ensued. Most recently, on April 7, Warren found herself in legal trouble after allegedly throwing a chair off the roof of a six-story bar in downtown Nashville. The chair fell about a yard from the two officers, leading to Warren’s arrest. He has since regretted that he was “not proud of my actions.”
About a month later, the Metro Nashville Council voted 30-3 against a proposed sign for Morgan Warren’s This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen. The sign would have been posted on a public sidewalk, similar to those at many nearby bars along the city’s famous Broadway District.
Some City Council members expressed concern about Warren’s past antics, citing “no” votes on less controversial issues.
Among the “no” votes was Councilwoman Brenda Gadd, who said in an email to AL.com that Gulf Shores and Warren will do everything in their power to make the festival a positive event for the coastal community. I prayed that.
“Whenever we can do something kind or donate to someone, to another person or to the community, it uplifts us and not only improves ourselves, but it also helps those around us do the same.” “It brings about that,” Gadd said. “I wish him all the best in this endeavor and hope he and all of us can continue to learn and give back.”
