A big party is kicking off on the beach at Gulf Shores.
The fifth annual Hangout Music Festival opens with a kickoff party at the Hangout restaurant on Thursday afternoon.
The main action begins Friday, the first of three days of concerts on the public beach. More than 70 bands are appearing this year including The Avett Brothers, The Black Keys, The Killers, Jack Johnson, Outkast, Queens of the Stone Age and The Flaming Lips.
More than 40,000 tickets have been sold, and the festival website says it's sold out. Tickets are still available for Thursday's opening party.
The festival began as a way to bring tourists to the beach after the BP oil spill in 2010, and it features Alabama seafood on the concert site.
