Coachella . Bonnaroo . Lollapalooza . Governor ’s Ball . All great . The job with those , though , is you ’re either paying jacked - up prices to stay in a braggy urban center , or inhabit in a collapsible shelter and going four or five day without a cascade . Would it not be perfect if a fete brought in a net ton of A - leaning names , set it right on the beach , and had passel of air - conditioned , shower - adorned condos within staggering distance?Oh , but such a paradise exists . It ’s called the Hangout Festival , and it happens every May in Gulf Shores , Alabama , the most beautiful lieu in that state . premature headliners have include Foo Fighters , Paramore , and the Zac Brown Band , and every twelvemonth the batting order gets better . And as it does , more people get .
Throngs of first - timers head to the Hangout Festival every year . And favourable for them , we here at Thrillist are salty , veteran old hand . And after our long time of experience , here is our insider ’s guide to how to make the most out of the Hangout Music Festival .
Getting there
drive is best … The festival traffic is the absolute worst between about 3 - 5pm every day , but specially low on Thursday . Plan to come in Gulf Shores by lunch on Thursday or early , early Friday morning .
The two master routes to get to Gulf Shores from the due north are Hwy 59 South and the Baldwin Beach Express from I-10 . Though Hwy 59 fit direct into Gulf Shores , The Beach Express can save about 20 bit because there are few traffic lights . It will cost you $ 3.50 at the toll bridge , but if you ’re gon na be fighting dealings , it ’s deserving it .
If you fell … The just aerodrome to fly into is Pensacola Regional Airport , about 45 bit off . However wing there can be prohibitively expensive , and you may regain it chintzy to fly into Birmingham or New Orleans and rent a car . Birmingham is about five hours by motorcar , New Orleans is three - and - a - one-half hour .
Hangout Music Festival
Where to stay
The nearby beachfront condo are a better stakes than AirbnbMost multitude let beachside condos when they come to Hangout , and more than probable that ’s your best bet too . There are shuttle buses ( more on that below ) that run during the festival and drive home most fete - goers to and from their condo each day . You might be lure to go the Airbnb route for housing , and that CAN work , but if you ’re not familiar with the domain it ’s a crapshoot , and you ’ll probably be further from the festival than you want to be .
You ’ll find well deal , a better selection , and a aerodynamic checkout - in process by going through one of the local rental companies , likeBrett / RobinsonorMeyer Vacation Rentals . Most have offices in Gulf Shores , and you may just stop in and get your keys much like you would with a hotel . And since they ’re basically property managers , if any emergencies get up they can be puzzle out more cursorily than most Airbnbs .
While most condo amount with linen paper and cooking utensils , most do n’t have daily maid avail , and you will likely need to throw down a cleanup fee . Hotels are your worst betIf you ’re hellbent on getting preferred guest point during your misstep , Gulf Shores has properties from most of the major big brand , but the rate are jack up up , and you ca n’t fit nearly as many people inside . The local “ dress shop ” hotel – including Island House , Perdido Beach Resort , and Phoenix All Suites – are n’t bad options either , but still pose the same disadvantages as the big chain . Save money and stay in other citiesThe two near cities to Gulf Shores are Orange Beach and Foley . Orange Beach makes up the other one-half of the coastal roadblock island and is about 10 hour east . Foley is landlocked and about 20 second northward on Hwy 59 . Rooms here – especially in Foley , which does n’t have a coastline – are well tatty . Of course , you ’ll then have to ride into Gulf Shores for the festival . Parking can be trickyAnd if you are follow for the weekend , most condos administer two parking spaces per renting . Which can be tough when you ’ve got ten masses from four different cities remain with you . Your near choice is to park the excess cars in the front yards of local residents , who rent out spaces for about $ 10 a sidereal day .
Flickr/Pikmin
If you ’re just coming for one daylight , or driving in from Foley or Orange Beach , the Hangout Festival Hangout offers a turgid parking lot north of townspeople on Highway 29 that is approachable via their Beach Club / North line shuttle . More on those subsequently .
Stocking up
The best place to buy food for your condoIf you ’re planning to stock your condominium for the integral four days , see what every Quaker you have from Florida wo n’t shut up about , and hit themega - Publix in Orange Beach . It not only has everything you ’ll need for preparation , it also has tons of beach gear from electric chair to towels to red cups and ping - niff ball . If you ’re not up for search Orange Beach , Rouse ’s is the closest supermarket to the strip of condos , although there isanother Publixnorth on Hwy . 59 as well . If you need grocery store while you ’re at the festival … The finish at Hangout is to park your automobile on Thursday and not touch it again until Monday . So if you have some last - min grocery need , the Dollar General a block north of the fete has most of your basic stuff and nonsense like milk and cereal grass . There ’s also a Walgreens about a geographical mile up Hwy 59 if you ’re feeling strong .
Pregaming
Part of the fun at Hangout is the all - morning beach party , effectively a pregame for the show . The beach is fine with your impromptu beachside beer - lympics , and set up a tent , ask over over whoever is closest , and playing an afternoon of drinking game is the good way to make new friends at the festival .
But , you should bang meth is not allowed on the beach , and all personal items will be remove from the beach one hour after sundown , so you ’ll have to find something to do with that bitchin ’ inflatable Jäger chairwoman if you ’re not going to bring it into the fete with you .
Going to the festival
Take the bird , but leave earlyHangout course shuttlesup and down Perdido Beach Blvd and north to the Pelican Place Parking mass during the entire fete . A liberty chit will be you $ 50 for the weekend and is utterly deserving it . Unless you ’d plan to get in your exercise by walking two to four miles each way .
The shuttle are sold out for 2016 , unfortunately . So you ’re good to buy those tickets at the same clip as your festival tag .
If you ’re stay outside the city , get to one of the fete ’s planet lots and take the shuttles in . And budget about an hour to 90 instant of transit time before the first turn you contrive to see . Get in too soon , allow for when you wantThe earlier the just , really . Part of the fun of Hangout is that it runs ahead of time , so you may spend the dawning playing flip cupful on the beach and still get to the fete long before the star go on .
Gulf Shores, Alabama | Darryl Vest / Shutterstock.com
you could also come in and go as you please , so arriving ahead of time wo n’t chain you at bottom until your favorite band comes on . Plan to get in about an hour before the first act you want to see on subsequent day so you have ample time to get beer , food , H2O , and beer .
Pro tips
How to see your favorite acts from more than 500 1000 awayLook , Zoogma is a great band and we entail no contempt to their fans , but they will be drawing a considerably smaller crowd than , say , Lenny Kravitz . So if Zoogma ( or another dance band that ’s not a massive draw ) is playing betimes on the same stage as your favorite star , go check them out . It ’ll expose you to some fresh music , and then you ’ll be set up up in prime literal estate for the bigger name band coming next . Beer is fair ( and certificate is slopped ) , but water is costless . So play a CamelBak . Beers are a festival - sensible $ 7 , though if your condo is close enough , go forth for a prompt king hr back home is much more economical . If you ’re cogitate of the DIY alcohol itinerary , there ’s middling tight security system checking bags at the entrance , but there are alwaysways to sneak spirits , if you try hard enough .
CamelBak , of all masses , has set up free water station throughout the fete . And security will lease you in spite of appearance with an empty container to fill up up . Much as it pains us to buy into their ingenious marketing , investing in a CamelBak for the festival is a overbold idea , especially if it ’s hot . Watch the festival from the waterHangout has two places where you’re able to follow the festival from the water , Pandora Point and the Bud Light Party area . Each spot only allows 100 people in the water at a fourth dimension , so get there ahead of time .
After the show
ticktock the masses to the shuttlesWhen the festival finishes each dark , descent for the shuttles get hectic , crowded , hot , sweaty , and occasionally puke - wye , so you might not require to stick around for that curtain call of the Nox . Leave halfway into the set and you ’ll avoid the bang wholly . If you ’re a die - hard acrimonious - ender , just remember the last birdie lead half an hour after the last carrying out , and it ’s a loooong walk back . The best parallel bars to postgameWe’ve told you about aboutFlora - Bama , the measure on the state transmission line near Pensacola , where you candrink in two states at once . And it ’s an absolute must - go while you ’re there . But also check out Live Bait for alive medicine , or Anchor Bar and Grill in Orange Beach for some seriously ramped - up stripe food . LuLu’sis the Buffett category frontier settlement in Gulf Shores , take that for what it is .
Where to eat
Never underestimate the wait for a board at HangoutYour natural temptation will be to take hold of a meal at the Hangout restaurant , aka the place that start it all . This is all well and unspoiled if you ’re one of the lucky few who gets there at 10 am and snags a table . The restaurant has a striking survey of the beach and the main stage , but table there do n’t ferment over . So get in for breakfast if you even need a prospect , and tap your waitress well .
Locals picks > YelpMuch like they do for people travel to the beach , the Gulf Shores Tourism Department has put together a list of curated local pick calledEat Your Way Around the Beach , a far more reliable and less ad - driven resourcefulness than Yelp ! But if you do n’t sense like explore their hint , here are the best smirch for we ’ve launch in our visits to Gulf Shores . Breakfast : Hazel ’s NookPicture a small Southern dining car with bosom - stopping grits , fluffy flapcake , and surprisingly great coffee , and you ’re probably picturing Hazel ’s . decent down to the waitress who ’ve in all probability worked there since the sixties . Breakfast here might not be the heavy culinary experience of your life-time , but it ’s decidedly a lesson in southerly cordial reception .
Barbecue : Hog WildThis spot was actually featured in the PBS documentary filmAlabama ’s Barbecue Legends , and for proficient reasonableness : they slow smoke their meats in - household . A giant platter of their child - back rib is a perfect pre - show warmup repast for your whole crew .
Josh Brasted/FilmMagic/Getty Images
Pizza : Papa Rocco’sThe pizza offerings in Gulf Shores do n’t extend much past internal chains and slices inside the fete . If you want a whole pie , this topical anaesthetic ' favorite is the closest to a big - city pizzeria you ’ll find , and also slings hamburger and submarine .
Burgers : Pink Pony PubThis historic , bright pink bar serves hands - down the good Warren E. Burger in Gulf Shores , nachos with enough meat that two people can easily split an gild , and a huge list of polonium - boys if you need a small local flavor .
Seafood : DeSoto ’s Seafood KitchenThis dark-skinned , nerveless spot a twain of blocks from the fete entry is known for its coconut shrimp . But the rest of the bill of fare is probably the good seafood you ’ll find in Gulf Shores , and still has some good pasta choice if you have non - seafood eaters in your group .
Hog Wild Beach & BBQ
Ice cream : Matt ’s Homemade Ice CreamDefinitely get the banana pud .
Going home
Obviously , you ’ve get your own agenda to keep to . But in make it , debate the high dealings time leaving Gulf Shores is between 10 am and 12 necropsy on Monday . Make a stop at Hazel ’s on your way out of townspeople and wait it out if you could .
If this is your first Hangout Festival , barricade disaster it likely wo n’t be your last . And if you ’ve got any tips from this year , or previous ones , please feel free to share them below . Enjoy your weekend in the Alabama cheer , and we ’ll see you on the beach!Sign up herefor our daily Thrillist e-mail , and get your fix of the best in food / crapulence / fun .
Matt Meltzer is a staff writer at Thrillist . See his Hangout pictures on Instagram@meltrez1 .
