Looks like the Hangout Music Festival, rebranded this year as Morgan Wallen’s “Sand in My Boots Festival,” is kicking off its boots for at least one year—it won’t be returning in 2026.
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The Gulf Shores mayor informed the City Council that the 2026 festival was canceled due to a shortage of available artists, according to AL.com.
“We will refuse to let them go back to the acts we’ve had before, so they couldn’t do it,” Mayor Robert Craft said during a public meeting. “So they canceled the 2026 event, but they’ve got time now to pursue the type of talent we want on our beaches, to invite the right audience that we want on our beaches.”
Craft later clarified his comments in a written statement.
“The city’s initial 10-year franchise agreement for the Hangout Music Festival was scheduled to conclude following the 2025 event,” Craft explained. “The city elected to defer consideration of the requested extension until the festival’s outcomes could be evaluated, with input from our residents.”
Morgan Wallen’s Sand in My Boots Festival Could Return in 2027
The Hangout Music Festival was created in 2009 by A.J. Niland, Shaul Zislin, and Lilly Zislin. In 2015, AEG-owned Goldenvoice partnered to produce the 40,000-person event. They continued operating the festival through 2024, which featured headliners like Lana Del Rey, Zach Bryan, and ODESZA, according to Billboard.
Last year, the festival was rebranded with Morgan Wallen as the headliner, supported by Post Malone, Brooks & Dunn, Hardy, T-Pain, Diplo, The War on Drugs, 3 Doors Down and Future Islands.
Craft elaborated more, saying that “this year’s festival received overwhelming community support, and in late July, the City Council approved a two‑year extension” for the festival to return in May 2026. “However, the compressed timeline created by this decision did not provide organizers sufficient runway to produce a successful festival in 2026. As a result, the producers have elected not to proceed with a 2026 event.”
Craft added that Gulf Shores officials expect the festival to return in 2027. “We appreciate that they are being thoughtful in creating a lineup that will be impactful to our local economy,” he said. “All parties are focused on planning a strong and well‑executed music festival, and we look forward to welcoming them back in 2027.”