Get ready for swimsuits, sunscreen, and tan lines. More than most any other shoreside festival, Hangout Music Festival is a beach party. Three of its five stages, including the two main stages, are in the sand, and attendees spend much of their time along the waterline, running in and out of the ocean. A few even surf. But, don’t expect soft rock and beach music here: Hangout Music Festival samples the Top 40 charts, creating a weekend of mostly pop music, with some rap, indie, rock, and country in the mix. In 2023, expect SZA, Calvin Harris, Paramore, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Kid Laroi, and Lil Nas X to come to the edge of the warm Gulf Shores waters.
The Hangout grounds are integrated with the eponymous beachside entertainment complex and have lots of different nooks for kicking back and partying. There’s the Monster Energy Beach Club that throws an all day beach party, the Malibu Beach house, which also throws an all day beach party. There’s a wedding chapel for the hopeless romantic – and say what you will, a beach wedding set to Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” is nothing if not memorable. Plus, Hangout offers roller disco, hammocks, a ferris wheel, and plenty of summer camp activities, including a kickball game that makes players dive on slip n’s slides to get to each base. The grounds are huge, so expect to do a lot of slogging through the sand. Many choose to watch artists’ sets beach-style, laying out on a towel and lounging instead of moshing at the front of the crowd. Drink all the beer you want here, but drink more water. The Gulf Coast sun takes no prisoners.
The Specs
- 40,000 people attend
- Tickets come in four levels: General Admission, General Admission Plus, VIP, and VIP Plus. All are only available for the whole weekend. General Admission tickets start at $359.
- Here’s the festival’s app to help guide you through the weekend.
