GULF SHORES — For months now, the Hangout Music Festival, the first large scale music festival to be hosted along the Alabama Gulf Coast, has been lining up performers and workers, preparing to bring top notch entertainment to Gulf Shores.

Then it happened.

An explosion and destruction of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Rig, which claimed the lives of 11 workers and has caused a catastrophic oil leak just 50 miles off of the coast of Louisiana had many questioning if the festival would happen.

According to organizers and city officials in Gulf Shores, the show will go on.

As a result of the events of the past two weeks, the Hangout Festival is launching a three pronged effort aimed at Gulf Coast recovery by organizing clean up volunteers, raising public awareness, and fundraising for the communities, people and habitats that have been affected by the oil spill.

Nationally known artists and Grammy winners that will take the stage during the three-day event include the Zac Brown Band, Trey Anastasio, John Legend, The Roots, Michael Franti, Ben Harper, the Black Crowes, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Ray LaMontagne, Matisyahu, Gov’t Mule, Keller Williams, Guster, Alex B, Gift of Gab and Big Gigantic.

In a press release from the City of Gulf Shores released last Thursday, it was announced that the Hangout Music Festival scheduled for May 14, 15 and 16 would proceed as planned.

”We presently have no reason to expect a serious problem, and perhaps no problem at all,” said Mayor Robert Craft.  “In the unlikely event we are alerted to a health threat by state officials, we’ll take appropriate action as dictated by conditions at the time, but the weather continues to be beautiful and the beaches and waters are clean”.

Festival attendees are urged to bring donations and supplies to The Hangout and drop them off at a specifically designated booth. Supplies needed include baby blankets, towels, heating pads, large Rubbermaid containers with lids, heating lamps, Rubbermaid troughs, and large portable backyard swimming pools.

A letter writing campaign will also be staged at the festival, where fans can write to their Congressional representatives concerning offshore drilling and energy reform.