Alabama hosts numerous annual festivals celebrating its culture, food, and music.
* **Mardi Gras:** **Mobile** is the birthplace of Mardi Gras in the United States, hosting elaborate parades and mystic society balls weeks before New Orleans. * **Music Festivals:** The **Hangout Music Festival** takes place directly on the public beaches of Gulf Shores, drawing major international headliners. * **Cultural Celebrations:** The **W.C. Handy Music Festival** in Florence celebrates the "Father of the Blues." The **National Peanut Festival** in Dothan honors the local agricultural staple. * **Natural Phenomena:** The **Jubilee** along the shores of Mobile Bay is a rare natural phenomenon where blue crabs, flounder, and shrimp swarm the shallow waters, prompting locals to gather massive catches.