He took over mainstream country music, now he's taking over the Hangout Music Festival.

Hangout Fest producers announced Thursday that they have partnered with country star Morgan Wallen. Over the weekend of May 16-18, Hangout Fest and Wallen will bring the debut of Sand in My Boots to the sugar beaches of Gulf Shores.

According to AEG Presents, the “new three-day festival and beach vacation” will be an experience driven by Wallen's tastes and ambitions. It will feature “a highly curated, multi-genre lineup featuring some of Wallen's closest friends, favorite artists and those who have inspired him and with whom he has always wanted to perform.” Each artist, activity and experience will be handpicked by Wallen , driven by his passion for sharing great music and creating memories with fans, friends, family and like-minded people.”

Thursday's announcement pitches Sand in My Boots as a year-long takeover of Hangout Fest, using the same website and layout. The new event is presented by Wallen, Hangout Festival and AEG Presents, meaning it will be largely produced by the same team that has put on Hangout Fest for the past few years.

According to Thursday's announcement, it will be produced by the team behind Hangout Fest and the team behind Stagecoach, a major California country festival. The full lineup and ticket details will be announced “soon,” Thursday’s announcement said.

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“The opportunity to bring Morgan’s world to life on the beach in Gulf Shores is very special,” said Reeves Price, producer of AEG Presents and Hangout Festival. “The fact that it coincides with the 15th anniversary of Hangout Festival just makes it even more special. We can’t wait to see everyone back on the beach in May.”

“Hosting a festival with Morgan was a dream come true…and one of the most fun I've ever had booking a show!” said Stacey Vee, executive vice president of AEG Presents production company Goldenvoice and producer of Stagecoach. “I can’t wait for fans to experience one of the most diverse and electrifying line-ups and on-site experiences the world has ever seen.”

Wallen said he and his team had been working on the concept for “a while.” “We're heading south to the beaches of Gulf Shores, Alabama, and I'm bringing some good friends with me,” he said in a short video statement.

“We’re excited about it,” said Grant Brown, director of recreation and cultural affairs for the city of Gulf Shores. “We’re really excited to see them moving in this direction by 2025.”

Wallen's breakthrough came with the No. 1 country album “If I Know Me” released in 2018, but Wallen scored a huge success with his record-breaking release Dangerous: The Double Album in 2021.” Among other things, the album spent the first ten weeks at No. 1 on the overall Billboard album chart. His most recent release is the 2023 album “One Thing at a Time”; Among other things, it set a record of 19 weeks – the longest time for a country album to remain at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

“Sand in My Boots” is the title of the first track from “Dangerous”. It's the story of a man who found love on a trip to the beach, “but all I came back with was some sand in my boots.”

Wallen's rise has not been without some turmoil. In early 2021, he weathered industry backlash after a video surfaced of him using a racial epithet; The incident, for which he apologized, did little to harm his rising popularity or album sales. He was recently charged with reckless endangerment after a chair he allegedly threw from the roof of another country singer's bar in Nashville landed near police officers.

He continued to be a strong draw. An unprecedented 2021 concert at the Mobile Fairgrounds drew an estimated 31,000 people, and he was among the headliners at the Gulf Coast Jam held in June in Panama City Beach, Florida. This event sold out six months in advance, similar to how Hangout Fest has struggled to achieve this since COVID-19 as the event shifted to a more youth-oriented pop lineup.

The 2025 Hangout Fest is the last to be governed by a multi-year agreement between festival producers and the city of Gulf Shores. This means the agreement will need to be extended or renegotiated before a festival can take place in 2026. Brown said he expects discussions to begin in early 2025.

For updates and information about the festival or to sign up for notifications, visit www.sandinmybootsfest.com or www.instagram.com/sandinmybootsfest.