The Sand in My Boots festival will take place as a transition from the annual Hangout Music Festival. The Sand in My Boots festival will take place in Gulf Shores, Alabama on May 16-18, 2025. It has featured dozens of artists, such as Billie Eilish, Travis Scott, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lana Del Rey, and Zach Bryan, highlighting the music variety. This year, country artist Morgan Wallen is headlining the rebranding. Wallen has had multiple Billboard number one hit songs and albums, with many songs and albums currently reigning high on the current charts. Other artists such as Post Malone, T-Pain, Hardy, Ella Langlet, and more will be performing.  

The Sand in My Boots festival will mainly focus on the country music genre and will feature new, undisclosed elements. The festival will still include other music genres, such as hip-hop and indie alternative. However, they will be less prevalent than before.  

Response to the change has been very mixed. Senior Lena MacDonald stated that when she went for the first time last year with her friends, “the music ranged from pop, country, rap, EDM, and so much more. It was good because there was so much variety to listen to, and now the change is reducing that. Personally, I do not want to go to another local country concert. That is what Rock the South or Gulf Coast Jam is for. Also, with this event kicking off the start of our senior summer, it is more disappointing, as the Hangout Music Festival brought musical diversity to our area rather thananother mostly country music festival.” 

Junior Selena Ortiz added that “I don’t like how it’s mainly a country music festival now, as it has been a fun tradition for many students to look forward to, and now they’re changing it to something that fewer students can look forward to.” 

Senior Leah Kolb expressed her disappointment by sharing that “I don’t like how it’s turning into the Sand in My Boots festival, since there are already so many country music festivals around here and the Hangout Music Festival was so much more fun because of the variety of music, as there was an artist for any of my friends to enjoy regardless of their music taste.” 

Not all students mind the change as junior Cooper Allison said that he does not mind that it is going country, as “it will still be an exciting event to go to for my first year.” 

Whether the Sand in My Boots festival will draw in the same number of students and crowds that the Hangout Music Festival did. It is certain to be a fun time for country music lovers.