In the 14 years since Hangout Music Festival landed in Gulf Shores the festival’s economic impact on the area has been large, bringing people to the area at a time when they traditionally didn’t come.

Hangout Fest returns this weekend for its 12th lineup of music acts and fun at the beach – there was a two-year hiatus where the festival was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic— and it is now considered an integral part of life in the city of Gulf Shores—and by extension, Orange Beach and the rest of south Baldwin County.

A study commissioned by the city of Gulf Shores in 2013 found that the economic impact of the festival that year was $31 million and 518 full-time jobs. That year, the festival had 27,000 attendees. Today, attendance is capped at 40,000 attendees, and according to the Hangout Festival website, this year’s festival is 90% sold out.

Grant Brown, a spokesperson with the city of Gulf Shores, says that the economic impact is likely much higher today, not just because of the increased capacity at the festival but also because inflation has driven up the cost of putting the festival together, increasing revenue.

For Beth Gendler, CEO of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism, the festival transformed the month of May, which had traditionally been a slower month for the islands, into a tourism boon. Previously, the tourism season on the island was spring break and the summer months. The month of May, after spring break but mostly before Memorial Day, was a bit slower.