The Beach is Calling

May is the Month for Music on the Gulf Coast

No matter what month you visit Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Ala., there’s no shortage of live music. From mellow beach tunes to classic country and smooth rock n roll, the Gulf Coast has more than its share of great bands and musicians ready to rock out on any day or night of the week. But, if your trip to the coast happens to be in May, there are two annual events you may want to put on your itinerary.

The annual Hangout Music Fest is slated May 18 to 20 and will boast three days of music right on the sugar-white sand beaches of Gulf Shores. More than 60 bands are set to hit multiple stages with headliners like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Dave Matthews Band and Jack White. While general admission tickets are sold out, a few VIP and Super VIP festival passes remain. Festival lodging partners are also offering tickets with accommodations while supplies last. The festival opens at 11 a.m. and ends at 11 p.m., nightly.

If you’re in Gulf Shores Memorial Day weekend (May 26 and 27), don’t miss the annual LuluPalooza Weekend Music Fest. In its eighth year, the family-friendly, two-day event features free concerts by Eric Lindell, Honey Island Swamp Band, Dread Clampitt, Roddie Romero and the Hub City All-Stars and more. Held at Lulu’s at Homeport Marina, there will be plenty of music, activities and great food for the young and young at heart. Music starts at 4 p.m., but you’ll want to arrive early and treat yourself to some of Lulu’s famous LA Caviar or a Cheeseburger in Paradise.

Not in the area on these dates? Don’t fret. If there’s one thing you can count on during your vacation to the Gulf Coast, it’s a steady lineup of live music. Take a peek at the Calendar of Events to get plan your itinerary.

Throw a Few Fish at the Annual Mullet Toss and Beach Party

If you’re looking for a little something different to do on your next visit to the Gulf Coast, head down to the Flora-Bama Lounge and Oyster Bar April 27 to 29, 2012 for a competition all its own. In its 28^th year, the annual “Mullet Toss and Gulf Coast’s Greatest Beach Party” will hit the sand for a weekend of friendly competition and live entertainment.

Located on the Alabama/Florida state line, the star attraction consists of competitors throwing a mullet from Alabama across the state line into Florida. More than two decades of games have proven that tossing a slippery, wet fish more than just a few feet can be a difficult, yet entertaining task, and champions come back year after year to defend their title. The children’s toss will begin at 10 a.m. daily and the adults toss is at noon. Admission is $10 for ages 21 and older and $15 for those under 21.

The weekend of events doesn’t stop with the fish toss. Throughout the three days, there will be three stages of live music, beach games and great food.  The annual event is a fundraiser by the Flora-Bama for local youth charities, including an education and prevention program by the Community Drug and Alcohol Council. Each year, the event generates more than $20,000 in donations.

If tossing mullet isn’t for you, there are plenty of other activities in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. From charter fishing to shopping or just simply relaxing on the beach, come on down and enjoy what the Gulf Coast has to offer you.

Celebrate Easter in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach

Whether you are looking for a special service or just the fun of an egg hunt, the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area has plenty of options for visitors to the area.

Sunrise Services, Sunday, April 8

Bellingrath Gardens

12401 Bellingrath Gardens Road
Theodore, Alabama 36582
251- 973-2217
6:00 AM- 8:00 AM

As the sun rises over Bellingrath Gardens and Home on Easter Sunday, April 8 please come and enjoy a special Sunrise Service with friends and family on Live Oak Plaza between the Bellingrath Home and the Boehm Gallery. The service will begin at 6:30 a.m. and is open to everyone in the community. During the service an offering will be collected to benefit The Interfaith Hospitality Network – The Family Promise Ministry. Chairs will be set up, but guests may bring their own.

The Hangout 

101 E Beach Blvd,

Gulf Shores Al, 36542
251-948-3030
6:30 AM

The Hangout offers a service followed by a family-style, all-you-can-eat breakfast from 7:30 – 11:00 AM, kids 10 and under eat free.

The Flora-Bama Lounge

17401 Perdido Key Drive,

Pensacola, Florida 32507

850-492-0611
11:00 AM

Worship on the Water at the Flora-Bama Lounge.

Egg Hunts, Sunday, April 8

The Hangout

101 E Beach Blvd,

Gulf Shores Al, 36542
251-948-3030

11:00 AM

 

The Easter Bunny arrives at The Hangout at 11:00 AM. The free egg hunt starts at 12:00 PM. Games and costume contests start at 1:00 PM. The Hangout suggests you arrive early to ensure that your children don’t miss out on the fun.

LuLu’s 

200 East 25th Avenue

Gulf Shores, AL. 36542

251-967-LULU (5858)

Let your kids experience an Easter egg hunt in the sand at LuLu’s at 2:00. The Easter Bunny will oversee the events.

 

Red Hot Chili Peppers and The 2012 Hang Loose Band Competition

The Hangout Music Festival officially added Grammy award-winning alternative music super stars, Red Hot Chili Peppers to the 2012 line up last week. Dave Matthews Band and Jack White round out the list of headliners.  For a complete line-up click here.

2012 Hang Loose Band Competition

If you dream of seeing your own band on the line-up of performers at this year’s 3-day event, you have a chance to make your dreams come true! This year, the festival, in conjunction with ReverbNation will host a contest called “The 2012 Hang Loose Band Competition” that will give one band the opportunity to join the stage with national talents.

To enter, click here to create a ReverbNation account and direct your fans to the profile you create.  Ten ReverbNation artists will be selected by Hangout Music Festival to have their song streaming on the Hangout website. Fans will then vote for the band they want to see at Hangout, may the best band win. If selected as a finalist, get your fans to vote you into Hangout’s 2012 artist line-up! Entry is free and runs through February 28th. Accepted genres include alternative, DJ, electronica, folk, hip hop, pop, R&B/soul, rock, Americana, dance, indie, jam, and rap.

Good luck!

 

The Hangout Music Festival 2012

Tickets went on sale Friday for this year’s event of the season, The Hangout Music Festival. Now in its third year, this massive three-day festival offers a beachside opportunity to hear some of the hottest musicians around. This year is no exception. The line-up, announced last week includes Dave Matthews Band and Jack White in the headliners tent along with, along with dance tent headliner Skrillex and the following:

More artists will be added – check here for updates. .

The 2012 Hangout Fest will offer even more room for amenities and the comfort of fans, with capacity capped at last year’s limit of 35,000 attendees per day, but with a considerable amount of new space added to the festival grounds. Hangout takes great effort in making sure that every concertgoer receives star treatment, and that VIPs are treated like royalty. All fans will enjoy a plethora of amenities including: Hammock Beach, a shaded area with art installations; the Sky-bar tower, offering 360-degree views of the festival; amusement rides; water stations with free refills for all guests; plus live comedy performances and a family-friendly kids’ stage at The Hangout club.

Gulf Shores offers a wide range of lodging options, from luxury to budget to family-friendly, many within walking or biking distance of the site – packages are available at www.hangoutmusicfest.com/info/lodging/. Travel package information is available at www.hangoutmusicfest.com/tickets/travel-packages/.

 

More Treasures at the Orange Beach Festival of Art, March 10 – 11

With hundreds of artists representing visual, literary, performance and culinary arts, visitors are sure to find more great treasures than they can carry. The real treasures, though, are the artists themselves. This festival is a great opportunity to find something unique that speaks to you and to be able to discuss it with the artist directly. Having that connection to a piece, makes it that much more special when you display it in your home.

Last week we addressed some of the remarkable artists visiting the area to share their craft. This week we want to highlight just a few more so you can see just how diverse and intriguing the roster of artists truly is.

Pottery - Larry Allen

Mr. Allen comes to the festival from Kentucky where he has been making magic with pottery since the 70s. His style brings together modern architectural symmetry with bold color and classic lines.  He says he has been inspired by a variety of events and cultures in his time. Mr. Allen’s specialty is a technique called Sgraffito. In Sgraffito (or sometimes spelled Scraffito) the Pottery Artist applies two layers of a contrasting colored slip (clay in a liquid form) to an unfired ceramic form. The artist then scratches or incises his design on the slip, which in turn exposes the lower layer slip color.

See his works on his Orange Beach Festival of Art Facebook page.

 

Music – Lisa Zanghi

Ms. Zanghi, a talented singer-songwriter, left this area in the early 90s to pursue a career in Nashville. Her influences include Bonnie Raitt, Carole King and Joni Mitchell. After honing her songwriting craft, she returned to the Gulf Coast area in 2005. Her performance at the festival promises to be emotionally powerful and a toe-tapping good time.

Learn more about her on her Orange Beach Festival of Art Facebook page.

Interactive Art – The Tannehill Forge School of Blacksmithing

The Tannehill Forge School of Blacksmithing will share its artisanship with festival-goers by allowing them to participate in creating rustic beauty during the festival. Children and adults get to join in the fun as molten metal is turned into sculptural design. This is a great opportunity for children especially to connect to the kinds of skills so essential to our forefathers.

Find out more about it on the Orange Beach Festival of Art Facebook page.

 

Mardi Gras Along the Gulf

Laissez le bon temps roulez! Mardi Gras – Fat Tuesday for the uninitiated – is the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday each year. This year, Mardi Gras falls on February 21^st. Like our neighbors to the west in New Orleans, we love a good parade or two or twenty here in the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area.  In fact, we like it so much we start celebrating in January!

We have a parade or celebration for the young and young at heart alike. In nearby Mobile alone, 34 separate parades mark the season starting on February 3^rd and taking place almost daily until February 21^st. For a list of those events, click here . To enjoy an event closer to the beach, or more off the beaten path, consider one of the parades listed below.

January

21^st   1:00 PM  Krewe De La Dauphine Mardi Gras Parade on Dauphin Island

28th   1:00 PM  Island Mystics Mardi Gras Parade on Dauphin Island

February

11^th   7:00 PM  KOER Knights of Ecor Rouge Mardi Gras Parade in downtown Fairhope

17^th    6:30 PM  Mystical Order of Mirams Parade on Perdido Beach Boulevard in Orange Beach

17^th   7:00 PM  Maids of Jubiliee Mardi Gras Parade in downtown Fairhope

18^th – 21^st 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM  Pleasure Island Mardi Gras Festival at the Wharf in Orange Beach

18^th   2:00 PM  Krew of Mullet Mates Mardi Gras Parade at Mullet Point Park in Point Clear

18^th   5:30 PM  Mystics of Pleasure Mardi Gras Parade on Perdido Beach Boulevard in Orange Beach

18^th   6:45 PM  Shadow Barons Mardi Gras Parade on the streets of Olde Town Daphne

20^th   2:00 PM  The Wharf Kids Mardi Gras Parade at The Wharf in Orange Beach

20^th   5:00 PM  The Wharf Mardi Gras Parade at The Wharf in Orange Beach

20^th   7:00 PM  Order of the Mystic Magnolias Mardi Gras Parade in downtown Fairhope

21^st  10:00 AM  Gulf Shores Mardi Gras Parade on Gulf Shores Parkway in Gulf Shores

21^st  2:00 PM  Orange Beach Mardi Gras Parade on Perdido Beach Boulevard in Orange Beach

 

2012 Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash

If you have been thinking about a visit to the Gulf Shores & Orange Beach area, have we got good news for you! For two weeks you have the opportunity to enter the 2012 Gulf Coast Seafood & Tourism Bash, sponsored by BP for the chance to win a 4-day, 3-night vacation package for four in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana or Mississippi.

The contest started January 2, and is a two-week celebration of Gulf Coast seafood, culture and tourism in conjunction with the Allstate Sugar Bowl on January 3^rd. It will include Gulf Coast seafood at official Allstate Sugar Bowl and Allstate BCS National Championship galas and pre-game parties; promotional announcements during the games; vacation giveaways to Florida, Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana; seafood samplings for fans and media in New Orleans, and more. Locally, the Hangout will host a Beachside watch party for the big Alabama/LSU game on January 9^th.

For your chance to win, text GULFCST to 76060. Four prizes will be given away including a trip to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach valued at $7500. The contest concludes on January 13^th, so don’t delay. Each registrant may enter one time to win.  For more rules and information, click here.

 

 

Ring in the New Year Gulf Coast-Style!

Whether you are looking for family-friendly entertainment or classic all-night bash, you can celebrate in style in Gulf Shores & Orange Beach. We have events going on during the day, on New Year’s eve itself and even on New Year’s day so that you start the new year off properly. Listed below are some of the scheduled events.

We would love for you to join us at these events and have a great time. We want you to come back and see us many times, so we ask that you indulge responsibly and take advantage of our area taxis if needed.

 

NOTE: For those of you new to the area, it is customary in the South to eat black-eyed peas, greens and cornbread on New Year’s day to ensure health, prosperity and good luck in the coming year. So don’t be surprised if you are offered these delicacies. It would be considered most ungracious to refuse this hospitality.

New Year’s Eve

10:00 AM - 4:00 PM Family Celebration Day at the Wharf

 

Discount Ferris wheel rides, corn hole tournament, largest sand pile contest, special movie presentations, face painting, kids games, jump houses, fishing pond. For more information contact Rob Lynch 941-780-0538, roblynch@revexpo.net.

The Wharf - 4985 Wharf Pkwy. Orange Beach, AL 36561

10:00 AM - 5:00 PM LuLu’s Noon New Years Eve Celebration

LuLu's opens early every New Year's Eve Day for a very special and family friendly way to bring in the New Year. Bring out the whole family and join Lucy Buffett for the big countdown to NOON! There will be lots of fun events including clowns, face painters, sand castle contests, bubble wrap and much, much more. Patti Hall with the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo will be on hand with some of her amazing animals. Musical entertainment provided by Amanda Shaw immediately after the countdown. Too much family fun to miss!

200 East 25th Avenue, Gulf Shores, AL 36542

7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Early Bird New Year's Bash featuring Brent Burns

Join us on December 31st for the Early Bird New Year's Eve Bash featuring 2010 Trop Rock Songwriter of the Year, Brent Burns. Admission is $15 in advance or $20 at the door. Payments are being accepted via Paypal (www.brentburns.com) or call 251.948.8863. Cash ticket sales are available at the CSC Office, 317 Dolphin Ave, Gulf Shores, 9am - noon, Monday - Friday. BYO Eats, Drinks and Table Decor. Spirits are permitted. Confetti, glitter and open flame are not. Prizes will be awarded for the most outrageous table decoration. Buy a table of 8 and get reserved seating!

Erie Meyer Civic Center, 1930 @. 2nd St., Gulf Shores, AL

7:00 PM – 2:00 AM The Wharf Rockin' New Year's Eve Bash

Main street party, two stages with live bands all night, giant Marlin drop at midnight. Spectacular firewarks display at midnight, $100 giveaway every hour until 2:00 am.

The Wharf - 4985 Wharf Pkwy. Orange Beach, AL 36561

 

8:00 PM – 2:00 AM New Years Eve Fire & Ice Unleashed with Kristy Lee at the Hangout

Tickets are $20. Champagne Toast at midnight along with Kristy Lee. Burlesque dancers, DJ and the Kristy Lee band to ring in the new year. 21 and up, doors at 8pm and the party goes until 2am. Don't miss out on this Unleashed Event at the Hangout. For more information give us a call 251-948-3030 or send an email jimmy@thehangoutal.com

The Hangout - 101 East Beach Blvd - Gulf Shores, AL 36542

 

9:00 PM Papa's New Year's Eve Party

Party favors, free champagne at midnight and music by Smokey Otis & Mark Laborde.

Papa Rocco’s - 101 West 6th Avenue Gulf Shores, AL 36542

 

New Year’s Day

11:00 AM Flora-Bama New Years Day Polar Bear Dip

On Friday, New Year's Day, at high noon, 'Polar Bears' will dip in the Gulf of Mexico at the Florida/Alabama line.
Deckstage Entertainment:
11:00 LeaAnne & Rick
3:30 Jezebel's Chill'n
8:00 Adam Holt
Tentstage Entertainment:
10am Worship on the Water
11:30 Hung Jury

12:00 Noon 1st Annual Kiwanis Club of Gulf Shores Slip & Slide Polar Bear Dip

Slip and slide your way into the Gulf of Mexico for a non-traditional Polar Bear Dip with the Kiwanis Club of Gulf Shores on Sunday, January 1, 2012 at high noon at Gulf Shores Public Beach in front of The Hangout. The local Kiwanians, with the cooperation of the City of Gulf Shores, will set up a 33 ft. two lane slip & slide that will deposit sliders directly into the Gulf of Mexico. Of course, some participants may choose to take a more traditional route into the Gulf. But, regardless of how you get there, all participants will be treated to a free buffet at The Hangout afterwards.

Gulf Shores Public Beach - 101 East Beach Blvd - Gulf Shores, AL 36542

 

2012 Pepsi Concert Series

The first concert for the 2012 Pepsi Concert series was announced last week. Eric Church – Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour will kick off the season on March 10, 2012. Eric's chart-topping album, Chief, has earned him his first ever Grammy nomination for Best Country Album at the 54th annual Grammy Awards.  Church’s 2006 debut album, Sinners Like Me, established him as one of the most acclaimed new songwriters in country music. Brantley Gilbert & Drake White will join the marquee as special guests.

The show starts at 7:30 pm and tickets range from $36.75 to $44.50.

For those new to the area, the Pepsi Concert series brings headlining talent each Spring and Summer to the Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Beach.  Last year the series brought close to 20 amazing acts ranging from Jason Aldean to Steely Dan to Kid Rock. This year promises to be equally exciting as acts are constantly added to the roster of shows.  Keep looking here regularly for current information and special deals.

To purchase tickets and for more information regarding shows, click here.