Hangout Fesitval on the Beach in Alabama This Weekend!

Folks are rolling into the Florida Panhandle for the big-ticket acts at the second Hangout Festival in Orange Beach, Alabama this weekend. The three-day festival passes are sold out, and they won't be selling one-day tickets either. So good luck!

The pre-party starts tonight on a funky note, with Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Moon Taxi, Andrew Duhon, Kristy Lee and Romany Rye. Tickets are $15 and are on sale now HERE.

Headliners include Paul Simon, The Flaming Lips, The Black Keys, Widespread  Panic, and more. No camping on site, you have to book accommodations at Orange Beach.

Last year was the first year for this fest, and it was marred by the oil spill in the Gulf. Organizers donated all profits to help the communities affected by the oil spill. Good to see these folks back this year with a giant beach party!!

Fest Season in Full Spring Swing

Jonesin' for jams after returning from the glorious Wanee Festival at Spirit of the Suwanee Music Park last weekend? I hear ya!

You can keep the magic going without going too very far these next few months while the southern weather's still tolerable. Here, then, is a little update on some festies around the corner...

The Gamble Rogers Folk Festival happens in St. Augustine April 29-May 1. Folk singers Richard Thompson, Sam Pacetti, Pierce Pettis, and bluesman Bill Wharton "The Sauce Boss" headline. Tickets are $66.50 advance. This is not a camping festival, and shows take place at a variety of venues in downtown St. Augustine. You will have to find accommodations in St. Augustine or camp across the bridge at the wonderful Anastasia State Park or in one of the private campgrounds.

The String Break music festival happens April 29-May 1 at the Sertoma Youth Ranch in Dade City, Fla. (About a half-hour north of Tampa, near Brooksville.)  This little camping fest features Roots Rock, Alt Country, Newgrass & Bluegrass. Performers include Paul Thorn (Miss.), The Greencards (Nashville), The Chapmans , Rockin Acoustic Circus(AZ), Bearfoot (Alaska). This event has a very organized youth program and is a family friendly event. Tickets are $85 advance, $95 at the gate. Tickets for kids (up to 17!) are $20. They have great vendors, and the venue is small and intimate. You can buy electric camping upgrades.


The Purple Hatter's Ball happens at Spirit of the Suwanee May 13-15. Tickets are $45 advance, and $60 at the gate. This is a camping festival with vendors. The park is offering a deal for a golf cart and a cabin that can sleep 4 people for $400.

The Hangout Festival happens in Orange Beach, Alabama (near Pensacola) May 22-24 with a stellar lineup including Paul Simon, The Flaming Lips, The Black Keys, Widespread  Panic, and more. No camping on site, you have to book accommodations at Orange Beach. A 3-day pass is $174 advance. There are all sorts of extra ticket options, including shuttles, late-night shows, and lodging deals.

The jammy  Orange Blossom Jamboree happens at the wonderful Sertoma Youth Ranch near Brooksville, Fla. on May 21-23. Tickets are just $45, and that includes primitive camping. An electric site is an extra $40 but there's no limit on how many folks you can have on your site, as long as you can fit 'em all.

festgrrl fave the Acoustic Cafe happens Memorial Day weekend north of Birmingham, Alabama May 27-28. Check out one of my previous posts on this gem of a fest from last year. This is a bit of a drive for us Floridians, but you will not be disappointed if you dig string music and mind-bending interpretations of bluegrass. Marcia Ball joins the pickers this year, along with Dread Clampitt and lots of others. Tickets are $50 advance, $60 at the gate. This fest is family friendly camping festival and very intimate. Not a lot of vendors, so bring a stocked cooler.


The state-run Florida Folk Festival happens  May 27-May 29 at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park along the Suwannee River in White Springs, Fl. No camping here, unless you are an official volunteer who has signed up beforehand. A weekend pass is $40 and kids (up to age 16!) cost just $4.

The kinda-monthly Farm To Family Full Moon Festival  takes place June 10-12 outside Gainesville near  beautiful Ginnie Springs. The price is right -- $20 advance, $25 at the gate. Family friendly, small, with a single stage and super kind folks.

And, of course, there's the big daddy fest of them of 'em all, The  New Orleans Jazz  and Heritage Festival, April 29-May 8, with Everyone In The World playing. This is not a camping festival. Advance tickets are $45 a weekend, $60 at the gate. Kids under 10 are $5. No lineup (or food choices) anywhere compares, but be prepared for heat and big, big crowds.

The Show Goes On, Despite the OIl Spill Looming Offshore

The Hangout Festival is anxious to let folks know that the show's on in Orange Beach, Alabama  this weekend May 14-16, and they are donating profits to Gulf Coast relief efforts.

They've got a seriously excellent lineup! (Even though one of my faves, The Flaming Lips, canceled due the the hospitalization of band member Steven Drozd, who is expected to recover in a few weeks. (And I was all set to go to the St. Augustine show - now rescheduled for October.)

Another festgrrl fave, ALO out of San Francisco, will be at the Hangout Festival in one of their rare sojourns to our part of the world.

One-day passes are $79 and three-day passes are $159.

 Here is the Hangout lowdown:

FRIDAY, MAY 14th: Zac Brown Band, Alison Krauss and Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, The Black Crowes, North Mississippi Allstars Duo, Girl Talk, Pnuma Trio, Orianthi, Brett Dennen, Jeff Austin and Friends featuring Larry Keel, Davy Knowles and Back Door Slam, Rachel Goodrich, Kirsten Price, El Cantador, Ben Arthur, and Hightide Blues.



SATURDAY, MAY 15th: John Legend, Jakob Dylan and Three Legs featuring Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, Gov’t Mule, Funky Meters, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Jerry Jeff Walker, Ozomatli, The Whigs, Toubab Krewe, Moon Taxi, A.A. Bondy, Wild Sweet Orange, Jon Black, and Rustlanders.


SUNDAY, MAY 16th: Trey Anastasio and TAB, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Ray LaMontagne, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Guster, NeedToBreathe, Matisyahu, Keller Williams, OK Go, Blind Boys of Alabama, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, ALO, Matt Hires, Kristy Lee, Roman Street, Rollin’ in the Hay, and The Cary Laine Band.

And if you don't want to go to Alabama, you can go to Georgia for the Hoopee Jam in Norristown, GA, about halfway between Savannah, and Macon, GA, a few miles north of I-16, outside Swainsboro, Ga.


There's more info on that little festie on my Hoopie Jam earlier posting. And for overall planning, don't forget my  festgrrl spring lineup posting.