GULF SHORES, Ala., — Condos filled up, people dined in local restaurants, amusement parks were buzzing, and due to the overwhelming success of this years’ Hangout Beach, Music and Arts Festival, organizers are hoping to make the late spring event an annual event, building it to rival other notable music festivals across the country.

During Monday’s Gulf Shores city council meeting, Shaul Zislin, owner of The Hangout, requested the council approve a five-year permit in order to secure acts and vendors for the three-day event.

“I think that the general consensus, from what I know, is that it was a very successful event for the community and that we had a lot of positive exposure on the national level,” said Zislin.

While Zislin said that they did not sell as many tickets as they had expected, due to the early affects of the oil spill as well as the fact that it was the first year of the event, but  those in the music industry and people from outside the area who experienced Gulf Shores for the first time had nothing but positive things to say.

“There were lots of good comments, not just about the festival, but about the community and about their ability to enjoy an event down here.”

Although the inaugural event took place almost a month after the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill, and was somewhat hampered by heavy rains on Sunday, still thousands, some from as far away as Oregon, descended on the Gulf Coast for the music festival.

It was just a year ago that organizers proposed the event to a somewhat reluctant Gulf  Shores mayor and council, but this time, Zislin wanted an extended permit.

“I am here today to plead with you guys to allow us to do this again,” Zislin said. “We want to make this an event that people will mark on their calendars, an event that people will associate with this area. I told you last year that I wanted to create an event that would resonate around the country.”

According to Zislin, people came from more than 40 states, and he told the council “many of them would not have ordinarily come to this area.”

Zislin said that although they made some mistakes and missed some details, the team of organizers learned some lessons as to what can and can’t be done in the future. He also said during negotiations with those in the entertainment business, he was often asked if the event would be around in years to come.

While the council was in agreement that the event was a huge success and provided a much needed financial boost to the area, it is unlikely that a 5-year permit will be granted.

“We don’t do this for the Shrimp Festival or anything else, we just go year-to-year,” said councilwoman Carolyn Doughty.

Councilman Steve Jones said that the council was not at liberty to make decisions that would affect future councils, and told Zislin that if they decided to extend a permit, it could only be for two years.

Although Zislin put up the initial $3 milliion to fund the event, he said it will take at least four years to establish the event financially.

“My vision for this is to do whatever it takes to be sure I have the ability to get back my investment, and I know that the only way to do that is to come back every year with a product that you will approve of and that we can use to make this successful,” said Zislin.

Organizers are considering both the second and third weekends of May, to host the event annually, normally a slow period economically between spring break and summer vacation.