In May of 2025, Morgan Wallen hosted the inaugural Sand In My Boots Festival in Gulf Shores, Alabama, as a takeover of the annual Hangout Festival. Between the ticket sales, line-up, crowd behavior, and civic reception, the first-ever Sand In My Boots Festival was a smashing success. However, it will not be returning to Gulf Shores in 2026, as the festival has officially been canceled.
Videos by American Songwriter
On Monday evening, news circulated that Wallen’s Sand In My Boots Festival was canceled. However, the festival has hit back at those reports. “Today’s news from the City of Gulf Shores has nothing to do with the Sand In My Boots Festival,” they wrote on Instagram. “It was never planned to return next year. We’ll be back, just not in ’26.”
AEG PR provided a follow-up statement to American Songwriter, stating, “The decision to not move forward with a festival for 2026 was tied to Hangout Festival and the permitting approval timeline for the site. We will share news about future events at the site at the appropriate time.”
City of Gulf Shores Responds
The City of Gulf Shores issued the following clarifying statement today:
“The city’s initial 10-year franchise agreement for the Hangout Music Festival was
scheduled to conclude following the 2025 event. The city elected to defer
consideration of the requested extension until the festival’s outcomes could be
evaluated, with input from our residents.
This year’s festival received overwhelming community support, and in late July,
the City Council approved a two‐year extension. 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.
We’re thankful that festival leadership has taken our community’s comments about
the event seriously and is committed to delivering a world-class festival. We
appreciate that they are being thoughtful in creating a lineup that will be impactful
to our local economy. All parties are focused on planning a strong and
well‐executed music festival, and we look forward to welcoming them back in
2027.”
Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for Morgan Wallen’s One Night At A Time 2024
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