And what a lineup they got. With three distinct stages, Sand In My Boots anchored each night with a setlist that flirted between heartbreak and Southern swagger, previewing tracks from Bailey Zimmerman, ERNEST, and Riley Green that added grit and twang in equal measure to the hype of 36 Mafia, Wiz Khalifa and T-Pain (our personal favorite set of the weekend). Alabama’s own Ella Langley nearly brought the crowd to its knees when she belted out “You Look Like You Love Me” during Riley Green’s set later Saturday.
One of our favorite things about this location and venue is the layout. There are so many people and so many things to do, but it never feels like you’re too far away from any one thing. The two main stages sit at opposite ends of the grounds, but the walk in between is broken up by sprawling food boots, shopping, drink stations, DJ dance parties and of course, photo opportunities. Sand In My Boots carved out clever, interactive spaces that turned downtime into prime time. The Midway revived childhood joy with carnival games and greasy fair eats. (the BBQ Mac & Cheese will forever be supreme). ‘98 Braves Boulevard turned tailgating into an artform, and for those craving a recharge with a view, the 7 Summers Sandbar served up iced drinks, shaded loungers, and front-row comfort as one of the coolest VIP Experiences we’ve gotten to see.
Even the style stations felt curated with purpose, where festival-goers left sporting space buns, glitter beards, and temporary tattoos that shimmered under the Gulf Coast sun.
The real star, though? The setting. There’s something surreal about hearing a steel guitar cry out over crashing waves or watching dusk paint the sky behind a stage blazing with lights and the breeze that rolled off the Gulf of Mexico at sunset cooled everyone down just enough to get rowdy for the headliners. Sand In My Boots was perfectly timed to catch that golden-hour magic. It wasn’t just a backdrop, more like it was part of the performance.
