It’s official: The Sand in My Boots music festival will return to Gulf Shores in May 2027.
Event organizers made the announcement via social media Monday afternoon, without any additional detail. As far as a lineup, all they said was, “Stay tuned, y’all.”
Sand in My Boots is a variation on the long-running Hangout Music Fest, last held in Gulf Shores in 2024. For 2025, organizers presented Sand in My Boots as a “takeover” curated by country superstar Morgan Wallen.
Featuring generally the same production and site plan as the Hangout Fest, Sand in My Boots shifted the lineup heavily toward country. It also featured rock, rap and other genres, with T-Pain, Wiz Khalifa, The War on Drugs and Future Islands among the non-country acts featured. Its headliners included Post Malone, a pop star with a successful country album.
Among the featured country acts were Alabama natives Riley Green and Ella Langley. The two had enjoyed a breakout duet with “You Look Like You Love Me,” but Langley was a few months away from releasing her record-setting single “Choosin’ Texas.”
While many Hangout Fest fans lamented the shift to country, the inaugural Sand in My Boots fest sold out almost instantly. It also drew a more affluent audience that seemed to make a better impression on Gulf Shores officials as well as many residents and business owners.
Sand in My Boots was presented during the last year of a 10-year franchise agreement between the city and Hangout Fest organizers. During negotiations for a two-year extension, city officials expressed a strong preference for organizers to cater to the Sand in My Boots demographic when planning future events.
It took until late July 2025 for the city and producers to agree on the extension, a delay that appeared to put the 2026 event in jeopardy. In December, Gulf Shores Mayor Robert Craft announced that the annual music festival would not take place in either form in 2026. Organizers said that while they did plan to bring Sand in My boots back at some point, they had never expected to do so in 2026.
Though the inaugural Sand in My Boots traded heavily on Wallen’s stature -- the name itself is a reference to one of his songs -- it has not yet been announced whether he will again be among the headliners.
The lineup for the 2027 Sand in My Boots fest is expected to be released in November. The festival traditionally takes place the last weekend before Memorial Day weekend.
More on the Hangout Music Fest
- Will higher gas prices hurt Gulf Coast beach tourism? Some think they might help
- Long-running Alabama beach music festival called off for 2026, Gulf Shores mayor says
- Is news on the next Hangout Fest (or Sand in My Boots) ‘coming soon?’
- Another year: Gulf Shores vote opens way for 2026 Hangout Music Fest
- Gulf Shores proposal could shape Hangout Fest’s future
