Morgan Wallen’s Sand in My Boots Festival won’t be returning in 2026

Morgan Wallen’s music festival won’t be returning in 2026, which was announced during a city council meeting on Dec. 8.

The mayor of Gulf Shores, Alabama, announced next year’s Hangout Music Festival has been canceled because of a lack of artists secured, according to Gulf Coast Media.

This year, the Hangout Music Festival was rebranded as the Sand in My Boots Festival when Morgan Wallen took it over for one year.

“We will refuse to let them go back to the acts we’ve had before, so they couldn’t do it,” Mayor Robert Craft said, according to the outlet. “So, they cancelled the 2026 event, but they’ve got time now to pursue the type of talent we want on our beaches, to invite the right audience that we want on our beaches.”

During the same city council meeting, the city approved permits for the festival to return in 2027 allowing more time for the festival organizers to secure acts.

According to the outlet, the Recreation and Cultural Affairs director for Golf Shores said the decision to not have the festival next year was made by AEG Presents, the event organizer.

"Their choice. However, we want a good, safe, quality event and support their decision if it's in the best interest of all parties involved," he said, per Gulf Coast Media.

In a previous meeting, the mayor said that if the 2026 lineup was not like Sand in My Boots and would draw a more “mature” crowd, the city would not agree to move forward with the festival. He added that Sand in my Boots attendees, compared to those at Hangout Fest, were "more mature” and “better behaved.”

Wallen held the Sand in my Boots festival from May 16-18, the same weekend he dropped his latest album, “I’m The Problem.”