Gulf Shores, Ala. – (OBA) – Spring break and the summer season are blossoming for 2026, but plans are already in the works to bring visitors back to the Alabama Gulf Coast for fun this fall. Upcoming events are athletic events, auto-show drive-ins, and a food truck festival. Three of those are coming up soon, and we are seeking permission from Gulf Shores to have the events at or near the public beach at Gulf Place.

The city council will meet in a work session on April 20 at 4 p.m. in the council chambers at City Hall. These items will likely be voted on at the next regular session on April 27. Organizers of these events are requesting assembly permits from the city.

The Brett Robinson Alabama Coastal Triathlon will have its 19th event on Sept. 12 with headquarters at the Hangout. Athletes can choose between the “tri-it-on” sprint triathlon or the full Olympic-distance triathlon.

During the sprint, racers will swim 300 yards in the Gulf, ride 12.4 miles on a bike, and run 2 miles. Olympic-distance competitors face a .93-mile swim in the Gulf, a 24.8-mile bike ride, and finish with a 10K or 6.2-mile run. Registration is open until the day before the event. Click here to register.

The Gulf of America Jeep Fest comes to the Hangout on Sept. 24-27. Activities will take place daily, 9 a.m.-11 p.m., including a poker run, more than 50 vendors, light and sound competitions, and live music.

Also returning to the Alabama Gulf Coast is the Coastal Alabama Food Truck Festival on Nov. 7-8 at the town green area of Gulf Place. Food trucks will offer a variety of food and craft beers as the festival returns for its fifth year.

During the work session, the council will also discuss:

• Declaring April 13-20 as International Dark-Sky Week in the city of Gulf Shores “to raise awareness of the effects of light pollution, provide free education, resources, and solutions to the public, and encourage the protection and enjoyment of dark skies and responsible outdoor lighting.”
• Honoring the firefighter of the quarter, Jonathan Smith, who “has exemplified who we are as a department and helps cultivate the culture that we have as a department. He strives to be the best firefighter he can and is willing to help those around him,” a memo from Fire Chief Mark Sealy states.
• Honoring the March lifeguard of the month, Nick Brown.
• Awarding a contract to Crowder Gulf for disaster recovery assistance following natural or manmade emergencies in Gulf Shores. After opening proposals, Crowder Gulf was awarded the contract on March 26.
• Authorizing the approval of three new credit cards for the rental supervisor, revenue supervisor, and EMS officers positions who need cards to perform their jobs.
• Awarding a taxi franchise for 2Saintz Tours and Entertainment to operate a taxi, shuttle, tour, and party bus service with a 1997 International 3800 school bus.
• Awarding the bid to Pennick Forest Products for landscape and playground mulch products.