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Gulf Shores Scraps 2026 Hangout Festival, Targets 2027 Return

The mayor blamed missed booking timelines under a deal that uses the 2025 edition as the benchmark.

Overview

  • Mayor Robert Craft announced at a council meeting that neither Hangout Music Festival nor Sand in My Boots will take place in 2026.
  • He said organizers waited too long to secure the caliber of performers the city expects and ruled out reverting to prior lineups.
  • Last year’s one-off rebrand as Morgan Wallen–curated Sand in My Boots sold out 40,000 tickets and drew an audience many local leaders praised, which the city now treats as the standard.
  • A limited franchise approved in July lets organizers choose the festival’s name and genre subject to city review and uses 2025 as the benchmark, highlighting unresolved questions about who controls bookings.
  • Officials said they intend to approve a 2027 comeback to allow more time to book marquee acts, and AEG Presents had not publicly responded as of Monday night.