Hangout’s Bus Bummer

Orange Beach is adjacent to Gulf Shores, Ala., where Hangout takes place. Mayor Tony Kennon requested an apology from Zislin for what he considered a lack of coordination with the city and with the buses, according to the Mobile Press-Register.

On May 16 – the first full day of the beachfront festival – 44 buses began running a route that included a U-turn in the middle of Perdido Beach Blvd., causing traffic gridlock. Kennon said he was almost run off the road with his wife and son in one instance, the paper reported.

“I have sent a letter to Shaul Zislin and the Hangout Festival requesting them to get with us on the future of their shuttle service,” Kennon reportedly said. “We want their plans and details written and well evaluated prior to thinking about next year. And I want a written apology for the black eye that Orange Beach got because of their irresponsibility in not getting with us on their shuttle program and putting us in a precarious position of having to make a decision that was a no-win situation.”

Zislin acknowledged to the newspaper there were problems with the shuttle service in Orange Beach and offered to make a personal apology to the mayor, council and city.

“I think the mayor is absolutely right,” Zislin told the Press-Register. “We are very conscious of the fact that we will absolutely elevate the level of involvement and planning and engagement with the staff in Orange Beach for next year. We’re constantly looking for ways to improve.”

The city stopped festival-goers from boarding the shuttles at about 3:30 p.m. the first day of the festival until organizers met with city staff.

The routes were reopened two hours later, with the number of buses cut back to 20.

The mayor called the situation a “public safety issue.” Zislin told the paper the city will have Hangout’s full cooperation next year.

“We’re looking forward to developing it to a point where it minimizes the negative impact on visitors and citizens of Orange Beach,” he said. “I think we’ll come up with a great plan.” Zislin was unavailable for further comment at press time.