Have you ever run with the reindeer? Polka’ed with some musk ox back-up dancers? Followed up a roller derby match with a world-renowned, Grammy-level cello concert? Cheered on a costumed skier as they yeeted themselves across a pond of slush? Taken a helicopter to a mountaintop concert? Well let me tell you- Alaska is a wild place, and these are just a few examples of the wild events I’ve experienced while living here. Whether you’re a local or a tourist, indoorsy or outdoorsy, there’s a little something for everybody, no matter the season in Alaska. Check out the graphic below for an overview of major events throughout the year, and check out the links below for more information!
Craft Brew & Barley Wine Festival
Held in January in downtown Anchorage each year, the Craft Brew & Barley Wine Festival brings together the best brew flavors from around the state, plus. There is a little bit of everything, from lagers to liquers, and having access to all of them during the festival is a lot of fun!
Anchorage Folk Festival
Anchorage Folk Festival is an annual January event that is free to the public, and it’s more than just an entertaining, musical experience! While you’re more than welcome to drop in for a listen, I’d also totally recommend attending a lesson or jam session. And it’s not just instrumental experiences that you’ll find- there is a dance component to the festival as well! The festival typically lasts about ten days and is hosted by the University of Alaska Anchorage campus.
World Ice Art Championships
Held in Fairbanks every February at the Tanana Valley State Fairgrounds, the World Ice Art Championships is an amazing combination of creativity and the elements. There are many different categories that artists from around the world come to compete in, and the results are amazing! Check out the calendar of events page on their website to catch the artists in action as you wander through this beautiful outdoor “gallery,” and be sure to bundle up! Winter temperatures in Fairbanks are no joke, and the first time I went I thought for sure I was going to end up sacrificing a few toes to the ice art gods!
Plan B: Although the sculptures are up throughout February and part of March, ifyou can’t make it to Fairbanks during the championships, the Aurora Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs is open year-round!
Denali Winterfest
Denali Winterfest takes place over the course of a weekend in February and includes events such as hockey games, cross country ski races, snow sculpting competitions, sled dog kennel tours, guided snowshoe walks, and community bingo.
Fur Rondy & the Iditarod
Fur Rondy is a winter festival held every year to kick off Alaska’s famous Iditarod race. Events start the end of February in Anchorage and go into the beginning of March, spanning throughout the state. Anchorage hosts the ceremonial start of the Iditarod race and is the location of most of the Fur Rondy events, but if you’re looking for a more local feel then check out the official start in Willow the first weekend of March. You’ll find tailgaters on the frozen lake lining the route where the mushers come through, and if it’s a nice day it’s such a fun experience!
If you’re a bit more mechanically inclined, you may also be interested in following the Iron Dog Race, which takes snowmobilers through 2,600 miles of Alaskan backcountry.
Ski Train
The Alaska Railroad is fun any time of year, but throw in a polka band and some snowshoes and it’s a real hoot! An annual event that takes place in March, the Ski Train is a great option for any level skier, and any variety of group. I went with a bunch of friends, but a lot of them grew up partaking in the ski train festivities with their families.
The four hour Ski Train ride takes you to Alaska’s roadless backcountry, more specifically to an area just north of Curry, which was once home to a ski resort before it burned down. Once there, it’s a day full of cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. When we went, a few people even brought their backcountry skis and later in the afternoon a kickball game broke out! Ski Train is really what you make of it and a wonderful way to get out with friends while seeing beautiful parts of Alaska. An added bonus? Your ticket helps support the Nordic Skiing Association of Anchorage.
Nenana Ice Classic
Now you’re probably thinking, “Ooh! Ice Classic! More ice sculptures? Maybe some ice climbing? A hockey tournament?” Good guesses, but no. The Nenana Ice Classic is an annual event focused around breakup, and no, not the romantic kind. Every year in the town of Nenana, just south of Fairbanks, a black and white tripod structure is erected once the river freezes. November 1st through April 5th the Nenena Ice Classic Office sells tickets asking for the date and time people think the river will be thawed enough to trigger the signal on the tripod. That’s right- we literally make bets on the exact minute the breakup snow and ice will melt. It doesn’t get much more Alaskan than that. And I’m talking a lot of bets…the jackpot in 2021 was $233,591! If you’re wanting to participate but don’t live in Alaska, don’t worry, they have options for non-residents!
Alyeska Slush Cup & Spring Carnival
Usually celebrated the second week of April, Slush Cup & the Spring Carnival make the best of the worst, taking the meltiest, messiest ski conditions and giving them a really fun spin! There are various events to this end-of-season weekend, but my favorite is the actual Slush Cup competition itself.
Skiers and snowboarders (often in costume) are challenged with making it across a slushy, icy pool of water after a brief plunge down a brief slope.Spectators line the descent, and the atmosphere is so fun. I’ve been twice now, and between the food trucks and the events it’s a very Alaskan way to spend a “spring” day. Slush Cup is an annual event, but for the most up-to-date information and a list of events hosted by Alyeska, check out the resort’s events page.
Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival
The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival takes place in Homer each May and is the largest wildlife viewing festival in Alaska. Throughout the festival you can expect workshops, speakers, guided birding excursions, wildlife viewing and kayaking tours.
Kodiak Crab Fest
If you’re looking for big, bold celebrations, maybe skip this one. That being said- Kodiak Crab Fest is a tiny celebration, but I totally love it. I always tend to think of Crab Fest as a summer kick off, and I love using it as an excuse to visit Kodiak at the end of May.
Mother’s Day, Alaska Style
Now I know what you’re thinking: “Mother’s Day? That’s celebrated everywhere!” Yes…but does your Mother’s Day celebration usually include beautiful Native Alaskan performances and art? What about musk ox? Mother’s Day falls in that sweet spot of Alaskan seasons where days are long and summer is on the horizon- we want any and all reasons to celebrate surviving another winter! Below are a few of my favorite Mother’s Day events, a la Alaska.
Sitka Music Festival
Sitka Music Festival is wild, in the most refined of ways. Each year Sitka welcomes musical talent from around the world during June. While Sitka in itself is beautiful, making it the location of a musical festival really results in the most amazing event. Imagine sitting in the Sheet’ka Kwaan Naa Kahidi Tribal Community House as Zuill Bailey, a Grammy Award-winning cellist, plays on stage. Even if you’re not someone who attends fancy music events- I promise you, it’s worth it. Just go!
Summer Solstice Celebrations
No matter where you are in Alaska on the solstice, there’s a good chance that people will be celebrating! Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, and when you live in the Land of the Midnight Sun, what better excuse to throw a party than an excess of daylight! Below are a list of organized festivals, but if you’re out and about there’s a good chance you’ll find people celebrating in more informal gatherings, too.
Palmer Colony Days
Each year in the second week of June Colony Days takes place in Palmer, about an hour north of Anchorage. Palmer was founded in 1935 when more than 200 families relocated to Palmer from Midwest states as part of the New Deal under FDR, and Colony Days celebrates the valley’s agricultural history.
Girdwood Forest Fair
Forest Fair’s famous tagline is: “No Dogs ~ No Politics ~ No Religious Orders.” The event is held in July at Girdwood’s community park and hosts entertainers, food, and vendors from all over the state, with free shuttle service provided from the Alyeska Resort Daylodge. Girdwood maybe be a small town, but they are big on events and Forest Fair has become a staple for many locals.
Mount Marathon & 4th of July in Seward
The Mount Marathon race is so ridiculously Alaskan, so what better way to celebrate than wrapping it into 4th of July celebrations! The story goes that two guys were sitting in a Seward bar, when one pointed to the Mount Marathon peak and bet his buddy he couldn’t make it up the mountain and back in an hour. Naturally in the land of super athletes, mountain runners, and olympians there is now a whole horde of people who train for this intense event each year. (Fun fact: Alaska had the second most Olympians per capita for winter Olympic events in 2018, having been bested by Vermont.)
If you’re not interested in competing, it’s still a fun event to witness and there is always the variety of Independence Day events to fall back on. Seward is a pretty popular spot in the summer, so keep an eye out for fun goings on. I once attended a labor day concert at the top of mount marathon, and it was amazing- you never know what kind of wonderful event ideas people may come up with!
World Eskimo-Indian Olympics
The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics is held on the third Wednesday of July in Fairbanks each summer. The games themselves are so interesting, and most of them are derived from skills related to activities such as hunting and fishing. In addition to the Olympic games themselves, there are also dance performances, fish cutting contests, talent shows, Maktak eating contests…you name it!
Tanana Valley State Fair
The Tanana Valley State Fair is held in Fairbanks at the end of July/beginning of August and is the oldest fair in the state, turning 100 in 2024. It’s your typical state fair with a little interior Alaska flair! The Tanana Valley is larger than the state of Indiana, and the state fair is a great representation of the local Fairbanks flavors. If you can’t make it to the fair, there is also a Tanana Valley Farmers Market held throughout the summer from May through September on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Salmonberry Folk Fest
Salmonberry Folk Fest used to take place in Nome, Alaska during the month of August. You’ve probably heard of Nome because of the Iditarod, but this event is a fun celebration without all the snow and cold!
Unfortunately the Folk Fest been on a brief hiatus for the last few years, but I’m hoping that it will make a comeback. If you happen to be in Nome during the summer and Folk Fest isn’t happening, check out the Safety Roadhouse just outside of town. The last Iditarod checkpoint, it’s a beautiful drive out to Safety Roadhouse and when I visited the atmosphere could best be described as having a Labor Day picnic vibe. People were socializing and eating outside while local pickers played a little tune, and it was just a downright awesome, community vibe.
And if Safety Roadhouse is too far out of the way (I mean, you’ve already gone all the way to Nome but so be it…) may I recommend the community square dance in Anvil City Square? If I remember correctly, once upon a time they were a Wednesday night weekly event…
Salmonfest
Salmonfest started in 2011 and was originally known as Salmonstock. Held over the course of a three-day weekend in early August, the event features a variety of musical acts, vendors, and food trucks. Musicians play on four stages throughout the Ninilchik fairground with the goal of promoting, preserving, and protecting salmon and salmon habitat. The festival has donated over $100,000 to Alaska’s premier salmon and environmental conservation organizations since 2015 and continues to grow in popularity. Great music to promote a great cause- what’s not to love?
You can check out a few shows or camp nearby if you’re hoping to make a whole weekend out of it. There are lots of food trucks and vendors, and it’s a great time! And if you’re looking for even more summer music fest action- you may want to check out Chickenstock.
Blueberry Festivals
Wild Alaskan blueberries…if you know, you know. Though the wild berries are typically smaller than those you’d find in other parts of the world, they’re a big deal to some Alaskans! There are many blueberry festivals throughout Alaska to celebrate this end-of-summer staple. Below is a list of a few different spots you can check out, or opt out into the wilderness to find some blueberries of your own! (Check out my mom’s Blueberry Buckle recipe if you’re looking for a yummy blueberry dessert option!)
Alaska State Fair
The Alaska State Fair in Palmer takes place over a two week span at the end of August/beginning of September, featuring events for every interest and age group. Live music, great food, Lumberjack shows, and did I mention the giant produce? Oh yeah- cabbages and pumpkins weighing hundreds of pounds. And cabbage fairies. It’s the perfect mix of state fair meets Alaskan quirks and oddities.
Seward Music & Arts Festival
Seward Music & Arts Festival is honestly one of the first reasons I fell in love with Alaska, and it’s a great excuse to appreciate the beauty that is Seward in September! (I would highly recommend camping on the coast- there is nothing quite like waking up to Resurrection Bay.) The festival is run by the Seward Arts Council, which describes it as, “a family-oriented festival with children’s activities and artist’s projects throughout the weekend.” There’s a beer garden for the adults, activities for the kiddos, plus a variety of art, music, food, and vendors for everyone! While the Music & Arts Festival takes place as the summer hubbub of Seward is winding down, in the spring Seward has a Mermaid Festival to celebrate the opening of the harbor for the season! While I’ve not made it yet myself, I have a lot of friends who really love it!
Anchorage Pirate Pub Crawl
If you find yourself surrounded by buccaneers, wenches, and the occasional parrot wandering around downtown Anchorage, it may be Pirate Pub Crawl season! Each September Pirate Pub Crawl establishes a treasure map of various locales for participants to visit, with raffle prizes for those who make it to every stop and proceeds going towards supporting the Blood Bank of Alaska. It’s a ton of fun, and supporting a good cause is just an added bonus.
Fat Bear Week
If the Nenana Classic wasn’t your flavor of betting, maybe bears will be! Each year at the end of September, the Katmai National Park bears start loading up on calories for the winter, and the National Park Service holds a March Madness style bracket of betting on the bears’ weights! You’re not really winning a whole lot more than betting rights, but it is crazy to witness just how much weight these bears put on to prepare for winter.
Anchorage Design Week
Anchorage Museum’s website describes Anchorage Design Week as “an annual forum to gather creative minds, promote and provoke design, collaborate, and to imagine the future of our city and the landscapes and lifeways of Northern regions. It presents new faces and phenomena in design and highlights both local and international conversations. Events are for both professionals and the general public.” Hosted by the museum each October, this event offers both the opportunity to to see the products of brilliant, creative minds and build community.
Ok(x)toberfest
Oktoberfest is a very popular fall event in Alaska, with many iterations taking part throughout the state. Take a look at the list below, and find the one that works best for you! Or check out all of them- no judgment here!
- Oxtoberfest at the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer
- Alyeska Oktoberfest in Girdwood
- Humpy’s Oktoberfest in Anchorage
- Oktoberfest at Silver Gulch in Fox
- Oktoberfest at HooDoo Brewing Company in Fairbanks
- Valdez Oktoberfest & Home Brew Competition
- The Great Alaska Beer Train from Anchorage to Portage
- HooDoo Choo Choo from Fairbanks to Nenana
- Anchorage Oktoberfest
Alaska Federation of Natives Conference
The Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) Conference in October is the largest representative annual gathering in the United States of any Native peoples. Alaska Native representation from communities across the state come together in downtown Anchorage to discuss important issues shaping life in Alaska, with some core main goals in mind:
- Advocate for Alaska Native people, their governments and organizations, with respect to federal, state and local laws;
- Foster and encourage preservation of Alaska Native cultures;
- Promote understanding of the economic needs of Alaska Natives and encourage development consistent with those needs;
- Protect, retain and enhance all lands owned by Alaska Natives and their organizations; and
- Promote and advocate for programs and systems which instill pride and confidence in individual Alaska Natives.
While this event is a chance for many Native Alaskans to build/reconnect with community and have important conversations, many of the speeches, sessions, expo booths, art displays and dance events are open to the public. Events like the Alaska Native Customary Art Fair and dance performances are great ways to take in the beautiful cultures represented.
Zoo Lights
Zoo Lights is an annual event hosted by the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage. Each year the zoo sets up a custom light display to help brighten up the long, dark winter. That being said, by winter I mean they have “encore” showings going through March…
Holiday Bazaars
Holiday Bazaars are a must if you’re in Alaska in the weeks leading up to the winter holidays. Anchorage Dispatch News typically releases a guide to the happenings at the end of November, because there are quite a few options. (Check out this example from 2019 if you’re interested in investigating more!) In general, the Made in Alaska program promotes locally made goods throughout the state and is recognizable by its polar bear stickers, so if you’re looking for something authentic keep an eye out for that. From Native Alaskan art to German artisan crafts, there is so much to be discovered. Even if you’re not a big shopper, just seeing the beautiful things that people have available at the bazaars is a fun experience, plus there is often food available and sometimes other activities included in the Bazaar.
Hotel Captain Cook Gingerbread Village
Each year the Captain Cook Hotel’s Pastry Chef, Joe Hickel, cooks up one of the most intricate gingerbread displays you’ve ever seen! If you happen to be checking out the holiday bazaars, maybe swing by the Captain Cook to check it out. Joe has been creating gingerbread villages for over 38 years as of 2021, and it’s truly amazing how much he is able to accomplish. Hickel uses over 2,300 lbs. of sugar, icing, and chocolate and 80 pans of gingerbread, and if you’re not able to witness it in person definitely check out the website for live footage and time-lapses of the construction!
Talkeetna Winterfest
Talkeetna’s Winterfest is a month-long event in December, which starts with a tree lighting and includes a parade of lights, Wilderness Woman Competition, Bachelor Auction, and Taste of Talkeetna.
Anchorage International Film Festival
The Anchorage International Film Festival is all about building community and sharing perspectives, bringing filmmakers from all over the world to Anchorage. The festival is run by a non-profit with the goal of, “…[Supporting] new media and independent film making in Alaska and around the world while enriching cultural and entertainment opportunities for Alaskans.”
While some of these events feel more uniquely Alaskan than others, be sure to keep an eye out for farmer’s markets, First Fridays, live music, cultural events, and food trucks throughout the year! And this was by no means meant to be an exhaustive list- I’d love to hear any and all suggestions for events I may have missed! Already on my list to check out in the the future is the Chickenstock Music Festival, Sitka Seafood Festival, Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, and the Ketchikan Shellfish Festival.
Truly, there is so much to learn about a place through when and how it celebrates. Clearly Alaskans love to celebrate many different aspects of the Alaskan lifestyle, and I am totally here for it!