No matter how many times you return to Gulf Shores, every time will offer a slightly different vacation experience, especially when you choose to attend any or all of the following top events in Gulf Shores 2024. Providing an authentic peek into what we love most, you can be enjoying a Mardi Gras parade during one visit, listening to free music in outdoor auditoriums in another, and devouring s’mores with marshmallows you roasted over a campfire at the beach during another. This guide to the top Gulf Shores events in 2024 will help you plan an idyllic Alabama vacation made even more special simply because you chose Poole & Associates for your Gulf Shores sanctuary.
January
January is a quiet month in Gulf Shores as families are concentrating more on returning to school and work after the winter holidays and less on planning fabulous beach vacations in Gulf Shores, but it is still a truly excellent time to visit, providing serene adventures and luxurious moments spent at home with Poole & Associates.
Winter Concert Series, January 29-30, February 15-16, and February 22, Erie H Meyer Civic Center in Gulf Shores
This winter concert series is always an enjoyable one, with ticket prices ranging from $27.50 – $35. Their January performance was called a Motown Experience and presented the best music of the golden days of Motown, including songs that were originally performed by Marvin Gaye, Tina Turner, and Michael Jackson.
February
Although February will be over by the time you read this, these events will come around again in 2025, so maybe now would be the perfect time to start planning your first vacation of next year?
Mardi Gras Parade, February 13 at 10 AM
Gulf Shores is located just a little over three hours outside of New Orleans, so it should be of no surprise that our Mardi Gras Parade is a much-loved February tradition. Parades have seemed to fall out of favor with Americans as of late, with the exception of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in New York City, but here in Gulf Shores, we wait anxiously for Mardi Gras and a chance to participate in or watch from the sidewalks the best parade in the state. Featuring fanciful floats, high school marching bands, and all the colorful beads, this parade has delighted so many for nearly 50 years.
Orange Beach Seafood Festival & Car Show, February 24th at the Wharf
Although they are two entirely different towns, Gulf Shores and Orange Beach are so close that we will be including events that take place in Orange Beach in this Gulf Shores guide, and the Orange Beach Seafood Festival & Car Show is worth waiting almost another year to attend. 2024 was the 32nd anniversary of this fun festival, offering arts & crafts created by 125+ vendors, live music, a kids’ zone, and of course, the sweet, delicious seafood for which this region is famous. The car show portion of the festivities feature colorful classic cars from over the decades, bringing joy to the car enthusiasts in your traveling party.
Annual Fort Morgan Oyster Fest, February 25th at the Beach Club Resort & Spa in Fort Morgan
Ok, you got us, this next festival wasn’t held in Gulf Shores either, but the oysters are all you can eat, beer, wine, and cocktails will be available for purchase, and live music and more Arts & Crafts vendors, make this another popular event. Add in the fact that Fort Morgan sits practically on Gulf Shores doorstep and there really isn’t any excuse not to add this event to our calendar.
March
March is the beginning of the season of promise, and we promise that everyone visiting this month will have the best times of their lives participating in the following events and festivals.
Waterway Village Series, Every Thursday from March 7-April 11, Waterway Village
This concert series is a free one being held in the Waterway Village community, beginning at 5:30. Offering food and beverage trucks for hungry and thirsty concert goers to purchase, the Gulf Coast Arts Alliance will also be open extended hours so you can check out the art scene while dancing to the music played by local favorites performing a varied selection of musical genres including blues, rock, and country.
Orange Beach Festival of Art, March 9-10, Orange Beach Waterfront Park
Could there be a more perfect way to enjoy a pre-spring day than by attending this fantastic festival that lies so close to Wolf Bay you can hear the water slapping against shore’s edge in between free musical performances? Offering food, beverages, and vendors selling all the things you never knew you needed until you were standing next to the table they were being sold from, this year’s festival was its 50th return, and it just seems to get better every year.
The Wharf Boat and Yacht Show, March 15-17, The Wharf in Orange Beach
If you live near the lake, sea, or river in your own hometown, you will understand the excitement we feel when the Wharf Boat and Yacht Show comes to town in March. This is the largest on water show in the Gulf Coast, with over 115 exhibitors showing their wares and even if you don’t plan on purchasing a boat in the near future, seeing the advancements in technology and the luxurious extras on the yachts being shown will make this event one your newest obsession.
Breakfast with the Bunny, March 23, Erie H Meyer Civic Center, 1930 W 2nd Street
Easter is held on March 31st this year, but the Bunny comes early to Gulf Shores, probably because he is so busy on Easter Sunday. We promise that this exciting event will be the one event that makes your child realize that their parents are heroes for allowing them to participate, offering a traditional pancake breakfast (shared with the whiskered fellow himself) the chance to meet the Easter Bunny and have photos taken with him, and meet and greets with fuzzy favorites transported from the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo. Cost is $5 each for kids 4 and older; your tiniest tots can participate for free.
April
Spring has officially sprung in the Gulf Shores area and this time of year the temps are just about perfect, the sun is shining cheerfully, and these Gulf Shores events and festivals bring us joy.
Waterway Village Zydeco & Crawfish Festival & 5K Run, April 19 & 20, Waterway Village
We are good at a lot of things, but for some reason we excel at festivals and feeding people, and the Waterway Village Zydeco & Crawfish Festival & 5K Run is another wonderful example. Zydeco music is a genre popular in Louisiana, offering French origins and blending the music of the Caribbean with blues. In addition to the 5K Run (which allows you to eat as much as you want without worrying about counting calories), tasty crawfish, and arts vendors selling their creations, there will be a children’s zone filled with fun activities for the littles.
May
As we edge closer to summer, the month of May is filled with lots of fun events, guaranteed to enhance your vacation experience while convincing you that you don’t have nearly enough fun in real life!
The Hangout Music Festival, May 17-19 Gulf Shores Public Beach
This festival is a celebration of exuberance, offering not just music but carnival rides, beach volleyball, and Gulf-front hammocks you will never want to get out of! The Hangout Music Festival is an acclaimed one, the music rocks day and night, and if getting married in a party atmosphere sounds interesting, you should definitely check out the wedding chapel where participants can fake getting married or email the festival peeps to schedule a REAL ceremony with the expectation and almost certainty that you will live happily ever after, simply because you said I do at the Hangout Music Festival.
S’Mores on the Shore, May 23, Gulf Shores Public Beach
Finding family friendly activities that everyone will enjoy can be difficult anywhere else except during your spring vacation to Gulf Shores, and the S’mores on the Shore event is one very popular reason why. Offering campfires to roast the marshmallows you need to build the perfect s’mores, this event begins at 6 PM and also offers live music. It is the perfect time to work on your sandcastle building skills in the hours before darkness takes over.
June
June is another one of those quiet months in Gulf Shores, at least where festivals and events are concerned, but it is still a fantastic time to visit. Visitors in early June will discover that the normal costs associated with vacations are lower, and the beaches are less crowded.
Music at Meyer Park, June 21, July 18, and August 15, 400 E 22nd Avenue, Gulf Shores
The theme of this music series for the June event is Make Music at Meyer Park and attendees are encouraged to be a part of the music by shaking the tambourines and egg shakers that are provided by the city of Gulf Shores.
July
America celebrates its 248th birthday in July and our all-American coastal village offers a variety of ways to celebrate, including the events listed below.
Independence Day Celebration, July 4th, Gulf State Park Fishing and Education Pier
The pier closes early (7AM) to prepare for the fireworks display that will start at about 9 PM but will open to the public again at noon. The pier closes again at 8:30 but when the fireworks start, we promise that you won’t mind the inconvenience of not being able to hang out on the pier.
Blue Marlin Grand Championship of the Gulf, July 10-14, The Wharf, 4673 Wharf Parkway in Orange Beach
The Greatest Show in Sports Fishing features more than 60 of the best Marlin Fishermen and 1.5 million dollars in prize money. Whether you are an avid angler or just fascinated by the sight of prize winning Marlin, the wharf is the place to be during this fun long weekend in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.
August
August is the hottest and most humid month of the year, so we Alabamans tend to cocoon inside our homes. The only event that takes place in this sultry month is the second S’mores on the Shore event, duplicating the one that takes place in May.
September
The kids are back in school, the Labor Day Weekend festivities have ended, but September is still an ideal time to visit Gulf Shores, offering lower temperatures, humidity, and prices all around. The Sunset Series, a concert series that takes place on Thursday nights at Gulf Shores Public Beach helps take the sting out of the end of summer adventures. Bring a blanket and a lawn chair (you can probably find one in the closet of your Poole & Associates vacation sanctuary) and celebrate the season with this live music series.
October
Cool days and even cooler nights make October one of our favorite times of the year and these fun events add to the excitement of the fall season.
Movies at Meyer Park, October 24, November 21, and December 19
2024 offers the advent of a new Gulf Shores event, the chance to watch free movies under the stars in Meyers Park.
Annual National Shrimp Festival, October 10-13, Gulf Place
If there is anything better than a festival celebrating the flavor of thousands of pounds of fresh Gulf shrimp and seafood, we really can’t imagine what it would be! This four-day festival features a sand sculpture contest, fresh seafood, live music, and more vendors selling their wares during the most magical time of the year.
November and December
As the winter holidays take center stage, visitors to Gulf Shores can take part in local festivities, including a Thanksgiving Buffet at Coast, held on November 28 at Coast Restaurant and a variety of Christmas Gulf Shores events that may include checking out the lights and watching the lighting of the Gulf Shores Christmas tree. But if you are looking for something a little more unique, the Frank Johnson International Songwriters Festival takes place November 7-17 in over 2 dozen venues across our coastal village.
Come Home to Poole & Associates
However you spend your time in Gulf Shores, coming home to our Poole & Associates vacation sanctuaries will be the highlight of your escape to Alabama. Reserve your favorite home sweet vacation home today!
