A little over a week ago, I went to the Hangout Music Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama. I posted on social media about it while I was there but thought I would share a recap here for those of you who might have missed it. I have been to Merlefest and the Galax Old Fiddler’s Convention before but this was the first time I had attended a full on music festival of this size for the entire festival [though we didn’t make it to the pre-party]. My friends Avery, Wes and I road tripped from North Carolina [Wes and me] and Virginia [Avery] to Gulf Shores and Wes attended the music festival with me while Avery explored other parts of Gulf Shores and the surrounding areas.
My Experience At The Hangout Music Festival In Gulf Shores, Alabama
After attending Hangout Music Festival I realize that I am definitely a huge fan of music festivals. It was great to get to see so many music acts in one place. Basically, Wes and I laid out in these awesome beach chairs, by a pool on a beach on the Gulf of Mexico, and listened to great music for 3 days straight. There were several stages but most of the music that we wanted to take in was at the Hangout Stage so we got to be super lazy and just have a pretty relaxing time. 😀
Friday, May 18th
The act that I was most excited about seeing before the festival was Portugal. The Man. And he was the first one that we saw! Yay me! I love love love that song, “Feel It Still.” That was definitely a fun way to start off the Hangout Music Festival. We also went to a different stage to check out Zedd. The crowd was huge and I just couldn’t get a good pic. But the music was full of energy and the crowd was really into it. I LOVED his show! I now own a lot of his music and he was definitely one of my favorite acts of the entire music festival. I am now a HUGE FAN!
Saturday, May 19th
I have to say, I left a HUGE fan of the Chainsmokers. They were so good in concert! It was a high energy show and I went home and immediately downloaded a bunch of their music. The music to, “Don’t Let Me Down,” is so cool. We also saw Logic and AWOLNATION on this day. Who doesn’t love “Sail?” And it really got to my cold, black heart when Logic sang “1-800-273-8355.” I hate that songs like this are needed because people feel this way. But I love that there are people like Logic that are willing to address this tragedy. No one should ever have to feel so alone that taking their life is the only solution they can come up with. If you feel that way, please call the suicide hotline [1-800-273-8355], reach out to someone you are close to and can trust, or even write me. I will listen, I promise.
Sunday, May 20th
This was the day that Wes might have been most excited for: Kendrick Lamar! We also saw NF [who I was unfamiliar with before but left a fan] and Foster The People. FUN FACT: If you are a country fan and did not already know this, Isom Innis from Foster The People is the son of Dave Innis from Restless Heart. I really love Foster The People’s song, “Sit Next To Me” and was really happy that they played it live. I think that will be the song of the summer for 2018 – what do you think? I also met Charisse Briguera, A model for Monster Energy Drinks, while chilling in the pool, between concerts. We talked for a long time and she was very sweet. Be sure to check her out on Instagram. Kendrick Lamar was the last performance of the Hangout Music Festival and we left for home after we saw him. I had a lot of fun and feel that the festival was definitely worth the drive. I hope to get to do it again next year!
There was a lot of food to choose from while at Hangout Music Festival. I doubt you would go hungry unless you are super, super picky. While there, I tried Caribbean Jerk Chicken, pizza, a pretzel and a gyro. I thought it was all good, especially the pizza. It was really spicy, with jalapenos, but I can’t remember what the exact name was. But yum! Don’t worry if you don’t do spicy – there were tons of other varieties of pizza to choose from. I just like it hot. 😉
*Special thanks to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism for helping to secure us lodging with Gulf Shores Travel Trailer Rentals and Pandion Ridge Luxury RV Resort. When we arrived in Orange Beach, after being on the road all day, it was great to find our trailer already set up. We didn’t have to do anything except go to bed. Also, thanks to Bai for providing FREE drinks to all festival goers during the entire event! How cool was that? I tried what seems like all of the new flavors and my faves were Madagascar Coconut Mango and Costa Rica Clementine. Yum!
