Prize(s) Winners in Concert Lighting Installation
Lighting Design/Product Company Raw Cereal
Lead Designers Cort Lawrence
Client Morgan Wallen
Photo Credits Courtesy of SAND IN MY BOOTS
Other Credits Mila VanderWall (Creative Producer), Christie Lites, Clear All Visuals, Lambda Productions, Atomic
Completion Date May 16, 2025
Project Location Gulf Shores, Alabama
Entry DescriptionThe Sand In My Boots Music Festival reimagined what a beachfront music event could be, transforming the Gulf Shores shoreline into a world-class stage experience for 40,000 fans daily over three days. The challenge was to create a design monumental enough to anchor a 160-foot-wide, 70-foot-tall custom structure, yet intimate enough to connect every fan on the beach. At its center stood a sculptural proscenium with Art Deco detailing and nearly 2,000 linear feet of pixel LEDs, crowned by a 50-foot custom marquee sign. A secondary “Dangerous” stage faced the main stage from the opposite end of the beach, allowing performances to surround the audience in an unconventional two-stage layout.
A standard but versatile concert lighting rig supported the variety of artists across the weekend, with careful programming adapted for each set. The coastal location demanded environmental sensitivity to keep the sand clean, and the festival was held long before the sea turtle nesting season to protect the shoreline.
What could have been a typical festival build became an immersive canvas, balancing theatrical minimalism with bold architectural presence for a trip back to the 90’s. The result was an environment that delivered both spectacle and intimacy, establishing a new benchmark for large-scale beachfront festival design.
Sustainability ApproachThe coastal location demanded environmental sensitivity to keep the sand clean, and the festival was held long before the sea turtle nesting season to protect the shoreline.
