Since 2019 ​Alabama Coastal Foundation and Share The Beach hosts Turtle Fest, an annual event in…read morecollaboration with Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL. It is held at the Gulf State Park Pier with festivities all about the amazing sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. You can learn about these marine animals from the naturalists during the Pier tour. Join in on photo ops, crafts, face painting, games, a scavenger hunt, pier walks and more! There's exhibits, talks, and everything sea turtles! The Alabama Gulf Coast hosts many varieties of sea life, including adult and juvenile sea turtles. Turtle Fest celebrates and raises awareness of the importance of these ancient an majestic animals. Cost: $3 per person, this will also allow visitors to sightsee on Pier. https://www.facebook.com/alabamacoastal https://www.facebook.com/groups/336764342893/ https://www.facebook.com/GulfShoresPierFishing/

This just wrapped up last night here in Gulf Shores and it's a really big deal for the local…read moreeconomy. I volunteered to walk the beach for the turtles so didn't have to buy a ticket. The festival was first held in 2010 and has since become a major draw for music lovers of all ages. The three-day event takes place on the beach in Gulf Shores, with multiple stages set up to showcase a wide range of musical genres. Past performers at the festival have included some of the biggest names in music, such as Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Zac Brown Band, John Legend, Ben Harper, The Black Crowes, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Mumford & Sons, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Dave Matthews Band, and Steve Winwood. In 2009, shortly before the festival's opening, the Gulf Coast was hit by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which impacted its attendance and general public perception of this area. The festival was attended by 13,000-15,000 people per day in 2010. But it was a huge hit and it's gotten to be a local phenom, as music festivals go, and there's 40,000 tickets sold every year and they sell out within hours, yeah pretty darn big. Ticket prices are a bit pricey $349 for General Admission, $569 for GA Plus, $1,299 for VIP and $2,399 for Super VIP. The Hangout Music Festival is one of the premier music events in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Held annually in Gulf Shores, Alabama, the festival attracts thousands of music fans from around the country who come to enjoy a diverse lineup of performers, as well as the beautiful beach setting and festive atmosphere. In addition to the music, the festival features a variety of food and drink vendors, art installations, and other activities to keep attendees entertained throughout the weekend. The festival is also known for its unique amenities, such as the "Hangout Hammocks" where attendees can relax and enjoy the music from a comfortable vantage point, and the giant Ferris wheel that offers stunning views of the beach and surrounding area. One of the things that sets the Hangout Music Festival apart from other music events is its focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility. The festival has implemented a number of initiatives aimed at reducing its environmental impact, such as using compostable plates and utensils, providing recycling bins throughout the festival grounds, and partnering with local organizations to promote conservation efforts in the Gulf Shores area. Overall, the Hangout Music Festival offers a fun and unique experience for music fans of all ages. With its beautiful beach setting, diverse lineup of performers, and focus on sustainability, it's no wonder that the festival has become such a beloved event in the Gulf Coast region. Whether you're a die-hard music fan or just looking for a fun weekend getaway, the Hangout Music Festival is definitely worth checking out. The big downside for us locals are the influx of a lot of visitors from all over. Many of us go into a self imposed hibernation during the 3 day invasion. Roads and resident parking, as well as several restaurants are closed plus the traffic can be frustrating but it's a bihlg deal and we support tourism.

Kickass festival with a great location on the beach. Although they don't let you get in the water!…read more Liability risk I guess. We went with a big group, and even though the lineup wasn't my favorite we had a good time.

It was ok. I have been to several festivals and had higher hopes. Elberta fur das gute Leben. I…read moregrew up in Germany... I have such high standards for sausages. They were good Slightly charred. Mom wanted goulash.... She was so disappointed. It was super Americanized. The craft vendors were great. Local kids were rude to my parents... both in their 70s. This is why i knocked it down some.

"What can I say about the annual 'Elberta German Sausage Festival' other than you simply don't want…read moreto miss it? Yes, the sausage is incredible, but there's so much more to this event that deserves recognition. The local vendor booths are fantastic, showcasing an impressive variety that's hard to sum up in just one message. You'll find everything from Veterans Organizations encouraging support for local vets to food stands offering delicious treats and unique crafts. Take the time to visit, mingle, and discover ways to support the many local programs that truly need our backing. It's a day full of fun, community spirit, and good causes. Thanks, Ron (or as they call me in the biker world, 1/2 Time--because half the time I remember, and half the time I don't!). Be safe, keep the rubber on the road, and watch out for motorcyclists!"

As beer festivals go, you could do a lot worse for the money. For the past few years, I've attended…read morethis Festival and had a great time. Weather permitting, it's usually a great afternoon sampling beers from all over the Southeast, as well as a few from all over the globe. If you can keep your cool in the hot Coastal weather, you'll have a great time mingling with home brewers, beer advocates and lushes while you sip on everything from American-style pilsners to Belgian trippels. There's even food and live music. If you're nice, you can pick up some great free schwag from the brewers, too.

This was our first visit to the Zydeco and Crawfish Festival. They closed up a little early due to…read morethreats of inclement weather, which didn't really matter to us because it only took a little over an hour to see and do everything there. It's much smaller than most of the festivals around here. That's positive in a way because parking is easier. There were about 20-30 vendors set up and they had some cool and unique items for sale. My favorite local candle lady/photographer was there with her candles and wax melts. There were several people selling jewelry, paintings, and other things you typically expect to find at these kinds of events. The bands were good, but the stage was so close to a couple of the booths you could barely hear the vendors. Now for the negative... tickets for food and drinks. Are you kidding me? Everything you buy to eat or drink (except beer) is purchased with tickets, which are $1 each. We had to go look at different vendor booths, figure out what we wanted, then go buy that number of tickets. The beer is cash only and was like $5-$6 for domestic beer like Miller Lite. There were plenty of cool crawfish tables set up, but there was nowhere to wash your hands. Next year, we'll probably just eat before we go. There's room for improvement but we enjoyed it. All in all, it was worth checking out and we will go back again.

Okay this was great. Entertainment, sales booths and crawfish. Now we are northerners and I've…read morenever had crawfish but when in Rome.... lol. The people were great after impromptu how to eat crawfish I was off and running. I'm hooked I love em thanks to all the friendly people we met.

It's the 48th annual shrimp festival on Gulf Shores beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama (October 2019)…read moreLive music, 84° sunny weather, sandy beaches, arts & crafts, lots of food and oh yeah SHRIMP!! Me & my limpy sweetheart just chillin', eatin' & beachin' the afternoon away. Beach life is a good life, especially when you know you have earned it. For 48 years this volunteer-driven event has been a Gulf Shores tradition. Food, music, art, and so much more make up an event that draws over a estimated 250,000 people from all around the planet. The 1/4 million draw is a far cry from the humble beginnings which wasn't much more than a glorified shrimp boil that had a half dozen booths and lasted all of 6 hours. It really has evolved into a world-class event that last four days with over 300 exhibitors that has everything from fine art, arts & crafts, food demonstrations, and a retail marketplace plus vendor booths from Chevy trucks to memory foam mattresses and a lot more. It's an area that covers nearly half a mile with 4-6 walking double isles that stretch from the beaches edge out into beach boulevard, it's pretty darn big and keeps getting bigger. The Annual National Shrimp Festival remains a FREE event open to everyonesince its inception in 1971 when it began as a way to keep the tourist at the beach after Labor Day, which was traditionally the end to the season. Unlike areas, like Cape Cod, where many businesses close their doors until Memorial day, mostly due to cold weather, the weather in Gulf Shores is traditionally still very summer-like in October. Today on Oct 11th it was 89° and there were plenty of beach goers and even some who were having a hard time dealing with the heat. Mainly those folks working from early in the day behind those big tents with big fryers that find the midday heat a little hard to handle however there's plenty of places for event goers to find shade and places to sit, hydrate and catch the ocean breeze. Parking is tough because they close beach boulevard around the fest and lots of prime areas are taken up by vendors so every inch of available space is $10 to park everywhere. The exception is handicap parking which is pretty plentiful and free close to the fest. The good news is there's a lot of shuttles coming in from miles around in all directions. Wristbands for the shuttle can be purchased for $5.00 per day. CASH ONLY. Children 6 and under do ride for free. For all the particulars on shuttles visit their website at: http://www.myshrimpfest.com/shuttles.html Before I talk shrimp music is a big deal here and you can catch local talent and national recording artists on two different stages of during all hours of the festival performing everythinh from classic rock to country. You can bring your chairs & blankets for a good seat to any or all of the shows however be advised that there are no coolers allowed. Another note, everything is handicap accessible right down to all the restrooms with ramps at several locations throughout. Okay let's talk food. There's food vendors from one end of the fest to the other with everything from chicken, burgers, sausages, phillies, pizza, hot dogs, pasta, salads, bloomin' onions, nachos to gator & shark on a stick, Alaskan king crab, all kinds of crawfish, scallops, bunches of different fish dishes, jerky, fritters, lobster and of course a pltheroa of shrimp and a whole lot more. Yes there is beer vendors as well as lots if tea & lemonade stands everywhere and course lots of ice cream choices. We ate fritters, fried shrimp, grilled scallops with fried rice & fries and had some big fresh squeezed lemonades. [I have one complaint .... there's a bunch of Nanny's lemonade stands that advertise regular & sugar-free lemonade. I asked for sugar-free but them was told they only have swee n low, whaaaaaat? No other sweeteners? That is a serious southern thing that is not just not cool because that stuff tastes icky to me] no more complaints. Bottom line: The volunteers truly make this event a real hit because it's many locals, neighbors and muli-generational people who take pride in their hometown. The organizers also continue to push the limits in exhibits, entertainment, amenities and put a huge premium on safety and comfort. It's truly a world class event that appeals to the entire family year after year.

This is such a joke because you're hard-pressed to find any fresh shrimp. The only place that I…read morefound it was at the local grocery store that had fresh bowl shrimp and everything else is fried and the shrimp are coupled with fried green tomatoes and fried lobster and everything else fried you can imagine and they are all cooked in the same grease. Very few vendors sell anything with a shrimp on it. Basically this is just a county fair with no rides. I live down here and was excited because we hadn't had it for two years but never again will I waste my time!

Ballyhoo festival kicks off the festival season here on Alabama's Gulf Coast every year with a…read morefocus on fine arts and cultural exchange from all across the southeast, local seafood, and lots of live music! It's a great event for young and old so bring the whole family and you can bring your puppies too! The location was formerly at Waterway Village but moved to Gulf State Park at Lake Shelby 2 years ago. In my 2020 review I said "I wasn't impressed because the organization seemed lacking, couldn't find many of their signs and, in my opinion, they could do a whole lot better better at their communications, maybe they'll do better next year." They have live music both Saturday and Sunday with lots of booths almost exclusively from local artists. The only downside that the state park venue is alcoholic beverages are not allowed there otherwise it's all a big step up. There were signs and ads everywhere around the area with a nice social media push, 9 food trucks and assorted programs on both days and terrific organization and was very enjoyable. On Saturday we were there for the tribal dancing with the Poarch Creek Indians. They are a federally recognized tribe of Native Americans and are descendants of a segment of the original Creek Nation, which once covered almost all of Alabama and Georgia. It was an excellent demonstration with great history and information. See more at: https://www.facebook.com/PoarchBandofCreekIndians We also enjoyed live music with "Rolling in the Hay and Sunday there was the Crosby Family with bluegrass music and a fiddle and banjo competition. Bottom line: It's a good time and super way to get the family-friendly season started. Recommended!!

Packed with local artists. Beautiful location by the water. Music and food trucks added to the…read moreexperience. I only wish I had more money to spend. Deciding what to leave behind was the only negative.

The third annual Wharf Uncorked Food & Wine Festival pretty well describes what you get. Friday…read morenight is the wine pairing dinners. This year there were six participating restaurants. We had our dinner at Villaggio Grille who had teamed with Wagner Family Wines (Caymus). Dinner was simply great. Saturday afternoon is the wine and food tastings. You give the ladies at entrance table your ticket (or show them your ticket on your phone) and you get a wrist band and a wine glass in return. Then you head to the Rouse's tent where you get one of those plastic plates with a slot for your wine glass so you have a free hand to eat with. Then you pile some of Rouse's food on your plate. From there, you go from tent to tent, sampling food, wine, and some spirits. One tent was dedicated to cooking demos from renowned chefs. I won one of the items at the silent auction benefiting the Make A Wish foundation. Happy about that. There were several TVs set up so people won't miss the 'bama football game. We had a good time and will probably try to come back next year.

Don't waste your time Ran out of food and wine 32 minutes…read moreinto event Rude, unsocialized people for a VIP event Oversold tickets and way too crowded. Front door staff didn't have a clue I could go on and on