It's hard to believe it's been five years since I first went to the Hangout Festival. Coming up on my 5th year anniversary, I can't help but reflect on how much itís changed for the better.
In the first year of the festival, they sold 15,000 tickets and now, they're selling 40,000, which is max capacity for the space.
The Hangout was always fun. The logistics were, to put it mildly, strained in its first two years but it turns out that itís hard to have a bad time on the beach.
As of last year, what had been some major shortcomings in logistics and planning were taken in hand by new director Sean Oí Connell.
The changes were welcome and noticeable if you had attended before. Traffic flowed better and it seemed like we spent less time getting from one place to another.
In an interview with the Pensacola News Journal, O'Connell said that while the size of the venue hasnít changed, the entire layout has been reorganized and improved.
In its sixth year, the Hangout is poised to take a commanding spot in the world of American music festivals. That point was driven home this year when Goldenvoice Entertainment, known for putting on Coachella, purchased a stake in The Hangout.
If memory serves, by this time last year, general admission tickets were sold out. As of now though, you can still purchase general admission tickets on the festival website, hangoutfestival.com.
Last year, I took a friend who had never been, and his overwhelming reaction was awe at the accommodations afforded to VIP guests. I think this goes a long way toward explaining why both VIP tickets at $1,099 and Super VIP tickets at $1599 are already sold out, while General Admission tickets at $249 are still available.
It doesn't matter what kind of ticket you have, The Hangout Festival is unlike any other festival. Its unique vibe has made it my favorite festival. I love every other festival Iíve been to, but The Hangout is in a class of its own.
This year's lineup is interesting. Beck, who scored Grammy gold this year is headlining, along with the Foo Fighters, Umphreyís McGee, Skrillex, the Zac Brown Band, My Morning Jacket, and a lot of other great bands.
Sam Smith was supposed to play, but had to drop out due to vocal chord surgery.
Either way, itís not too late to get tickets to this crazy-fun, three-day carnival ride.
For the past few years, Iíve been sponsored by Spectrum Resorts and Mikee's Seafood. These guys have made this work a lot more tolerable, and itís easy to write about them because Spectrum Resorts "The Beach Club" is like a religious experience for me. I have a hard time staying focused on the festival, because I donít ever want to leave the resort.
I've also had some great support (in the form of a mountain of seafood) from Eddie Spence, owner of Mikeeís Seafood, The Steamers, and Shrimp Basket restaurants scattered throughout the Gulf Coast region. I strongly suggest that you drop into any of his restaurants and give their food a try. They've shown me nothing but perfection in their service and food quality.
One of the really interesting things about The Hangout is the way the community has pulled together to make the best of this event. This is a small town, and there have definitely been some growing pains but Iíve seen nothing but improvements with every year that I attend. The security is smarter, the Police presence is tempered properly for this crowd, the layout gets better every year, and the music is always good. Working with Spectrum Resorts and Mikee's has emphasized for me how important this three-day weekend is to the entire community.
Go buy a ticket while you still can and make your way down to Gulf Shores this weekend. There's a blast waiting to be had.
~Fil Manley
filmanley@gmail.com
The Hangout Festival 2015 lineup includes Foo Fighters, Jack, Zac Brown Band, Beck, Skrillex, My Morning Jacket, Foster The People, Paramore Spoon, Umphrey's McGee, Major Lazer, TV On The Radio, Phantogram, Tove Lo, Damian ìJr. Gongî Marley, Jenny Lewis, Dirty Heads, Krewella, Adventure Club Lupe Fiasco, Cold War Kids, Talib Kweli, Future Islands Vance Joy, Galactic with Macy Gray, ODESZA, Sylvan Esso, Father John Misty, Beats Antique, Trampled by Turtles, GRiZ Drive-By Truckers, St. Lucia, Robert DeLong, Toro y Moi DJ Windows 98 (Win Butler of Arcade Fire) Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Gramatik, The Lone Bellow Lake Street Dive, Rubblebucket, Iration, MisterWives, Frank Turner & The Sleeping Souls, Mary Lambert Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires, Houndmouth, Zella Day Xavier Rudd & The United Nations, Deap Vally, Halsey, Kopecky, J. Roddy Walston & The Business, Young Fathers, JEFF the Brotherhood, The Mowgli's, Strand of Oaks, Grizfolk Joywave, San Fermin, The Districts, Colony House, SNBRN Skylar Spence, Elle King, Knox Hamilton, Natural Child, Goldroom Five Knives, Roadkill Ghost Choir, Floating Action, Steelism The Suffers, Firekid, Elliot Root, jackLNDN, Autograf, Mija Jillionaire, Sean Glass, Gibbz, Marley Carroll, Jamell Richardson