Gulf Shores Events: Festivals, Concerts, Fairs and More!
Some things to do in the Gulf Shores area only come around once or a couple times a year. These Gulf Shores events range from Shrimp Festival to HangoutFest, and they usually rock! If you are able to make your vacation plans align with one (or more!) of these Gulf Shores events, you should definitely give it a shot. We’ve been to almost all of them, and have never disappointed (we’ll, there was the one time Shrimp Festival was a rain out… still yummy though!).
The Annual National Shrimp Festival (2014 Edition)
October 9-12, 2014. Gulf Shores, AL. On the public boardwalk!
2014 National Shrimp Festival Poster
Shrimp, music, beach. A lot of fun! This is the 43rd rendition of this beachside party brought to you by Zatarian’s, Eat Alabama Wild Seafood, and others. The National Shrimp Festival will have music on two stages, from Thursday Oct 9 to Sunday the October 12th.
There’s always good seafood, especially shrimp, from local restaurants, as well as a few carni type vendors for that fried food fix you may crave, all with an LA (Lower Alabama!) flavor. Area restaurants serve up some non-seafood options for those of you who don’t dig the fish and seafood thing (really?! Okay, I’ll let it slide, this time…).
Other vendors include arts & crafts, fine art, a children’s activity village, and a retail marketplace. And, of course, the beach! Because this baby is located right on the Gulf Shores public beach.
Have fun! Hope to see you there this year! We are coming down ourselves. Look for a family of 5+2 (the grandparents!), running around eating shrimp and dancing the night away… maybe with a beverage (or two) in hand!
Hangout Music Fest 2015
Gulf Shores, Alabama. May 15-17.
Hangout Fest is a very large, and seemingly always getting larger, music festival right in the heart of Gulf Shores Alabama. This Gulf Shores event is generally in May. This year it is May 15-17th.
The lineups for this year have not been released, but last year’s bands included a huge number of diverse, excellent, groups. The Black Keys and the Killers, Outkast, and Jack Johnson were all headliners, but the depth f the bands was awesome from top to bottom, with Bastille, Fitz and the Tantrums, The Flaming Lips, Modest Mouse, and Queens of the Stone Age all holding sets! Previous years have been equally strong or stronger, so I expect 2015’s Hangout Music Fest to rock just as hard. Regardless of your musical inclinations, there’s usually several bands for everyone! I lean pretty alternative, americana, and signer-songwriter, so I tend to focus on those groups, which couldn’t be better, but there’s a wide selection of different options if you choose to go.
Get tickets for Hangout Music Fest before you go. I understand they sell out.
Hangout Music Fest is held right at the intersection of Highway 59 and West and East Beach Boulevard. That is, take Highway 59 into Gulf Shores, and keep going til you can’t go no more!
We generally sell out of our vacation homes on West Beach pretty early on this event weekend. Especially the closest one’s to the action. Also, if you happen to be coming during this time, remember, we do have vacation houses that are nestled away from this action. Sure, you can get to it, no problem, but peace, love, and the ability to sleep in on one or more mornings may be just what the doc ordered, right?
Can’t wait to see what this year’s Hangout Music Fest lineup will be!
Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival
Fairhope, Alabama. March 20-22, 2015. If you want a day away from the beach, Fairhope is a nice little town with great shops and a nice atmosphere. And, it goes from quiet to very busy during the Fairhope Arts & Crafts Festival during the middle of March. 2015 will be the 63rd year for the festival!
The Fairhope arts and crafts festival not only has the requisite art, or all shapes, sizes, colors, and formats, and crafts (ditto!), but lots of good food, both local vendors and cart food, as well as live entertainment, and some children’s activities too. Its a pleasant way to wile away an afternoon, as long as you take it easy and chillax: it can be busy like Disney World can… just people, lots of them. But there’s good food, good art, and some good beverages to take the edge off. Just relax, browse, and enjoy!
Oh, and there are several golf courses nearby, including Rock Creek, which is definitely worth a stop. So if perhaps one or more of your party is a bit ‘arted out’ you could always drop them off for a round of golf, or they could drop you off for your round(s) of arts and crafts! See you in March!
What have you done?
There are many more events throughout the Gulf region. We luck into a lot of them. If you have one you particularly like, or that you really did not like!, let us know and we’ll include it!