2008 Summer Traditional Music Festivals
Alaska and the Yukon

  • April 7-13, 2008 - Alaska Folk Festival - in Juneau every April. This is one of the best of any folk festival I've been to - a real musician's festival. It takes over the town. Broadcasts on the radio every evening. Dances from Thursday through Saturday nights concurrent with performances. Workshops. Jam sessions all night for any kind of folk music. A crammed weekend at the end - a physical discharge and a musical recharge for all. Musicians come from all over the Northwest. Not to be missed. Call 463-3316 or check the website above for further info. For those of you who like to plan ahead, dates for future years: AFF AFF 35 April 13-19, 2009, AFF 36 April 5-11, 2010, AFF 37 April 4-10, 2011, AFF 38 April 9-15, 2012. In case you wonder why the dates rotate around, the historic criteria for scheduling AFF dates is usually First full week in April if it does NOT end on Easter, or the Second full week if the First full week does not work. With the advent of the rotary Pillars series, they ALSO try to avoid the Third Wednesday in April. As long as THEY can figure all this out and let us know, I'm pleased.

  • May 23-25, 2008 - Trapper Creek Bluegrass Festival at the Boots Bison Ranch. Directions: between mile 114 and mile 115 of the Parks Hwy. Take Susitna River Road East and then turn right on Bradley Road. Go to the very end of the road after the bridge and you are there. Contact Scot Dunnachie, Falkirk Productions, falkirk@clearwire.net, 1241 West 27th Ave, Suite #421, Anchorage, AK 99503, 907-229-5398 cell, 907-495-5511 fax for further info. A tribute webpage from the former promoter of Hunter Creek and other Railbelt festivals, Ken Terry, is for the moment at www.americanbluegrass.com

  • Sat. June 14, 2008 - Fairbanks Summer Folk Fest - 21st Annual - at the Borealis Pavilion at Alaskaland/Pioneer Park. Contact fairbanksfolkfest@gmail.com for further info.

  • June 14-17, 2008 - Alaska Midnight Sun Song Camp at the Alaska State Fairgrounds in Palmer. Further info from Rick or Sheila Miller, (907) 243-5758 or email rdmiller@alaska.net. This year, it is an Alaskan songwriting retreat without outside instructors.

  • June 20-21, 2008 - Seldovia's Annual Music Festival featured Outside and Alaskan artists and a beautiful setting. further info Susan Mumma, Festival Director, (907) 234-7416 or via email.

  • July 4-6, 2008 - Girdwood Forest Fair just south of Anchorage, has a bunch of music, not exclusively folk styles, but a healthy potpourri. Info on the music, contact Andy Mullen mullen@ak.net.

  • July 13-66, 2008 - Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival is broadening its reach into more trad music with a first week of an American Roots Series and also Slovenian accordion classes. Actually, there is quite a diversity of music and arts at this two week long event.

  • July 18-20, 2008 - Dawson City Music Festival, held the second to last weekend in July, bringing a large influx into this small Yukon community. Contact: info@dcmf.com or 867-993-5584.

  • July 24-27, 2008 - Southeast Alaska State Fair. 766-2476 or seakfair@aptalaska.net .

  • July 25-27, 2008 - Anderson Bluegrass Festival - near Clear Air Force Station off the Parks Hwy mile 283. They usually have guest artists. This is a wonderful family affair, minimal entrance fee, plenty of camping space, even running water! Further info andersonbluegrass@yahoo.com. For musician scheduling, contact Trudy at: trudy@acousticadventures.com or 488-0556.

  • July 26-27, 2008 - Homer Concert on the Lawn - a two day affair the last weekend of July with Sunday's concert broadcast live over KBBI. Further info from radio station KBBI or Paulette Wellington - Music Director paulette@kbbi.org. For musician scheduling, it is kbbicotl@hotmail.com

  • Aug. 1-3, 2008 - Talkeetna Bluegrass and Music Festival, (South of Talkeetna Jct, Parks Hwy). Their website will have lots of info, so check it out. Contact: 495-6718 (Olive) / 488-1372 (Ernie or Gia). The opposite of Anderson Festival in a number of ways. There hasn't been much bluegrass music at Talkeetna since the mid-1980's when the festival outgrew the town of Talkeetna. It is a mammoth sybaritic party where the bikers keep the peace. Reminiscent of Altamont, which I was at, and the Hell's Angels were the security, although there were 375,000 people at Altamont. I don't expect quite that many at TBGF, but they definitely try! With music going 20 hours out of 24 in a day, don't expect to get sleep. Also, they do have the best festival posters, IMHO.

  • Sat. Aug. 2, 2008 - Galway Days on G St. in Anchorage is an Irish Music Fest going on all day. Why it is not just Galway DAY is open to question. 566-2028 or woollies@alaska.com.

  • Aug. 24-30, 2008 - Acoustic Alaska Guitar Camp to be held in Wasilla. More info: Joe Becker, Acoustic Alaska Guitar Camp, 2674 S Patton Court, Denver, CO 80219, Toll Free 1-866-293-6827 or 1-303-937-1787 OR via email camp@acousticalaska.com

    Other Alaska events that include music

    Yukon / Western Canadian music festivals, courtesy of the Dawson City Music Festival folks.

    Previous year's festivals remain because I have no updated information about them. They might be defunct or not.

  • June 20-22, 2003 - 3rd Annual Nome Midnight Sun Folk Fest - With guest band Panhandle Crabgrass Revival from Juneau. Festival includes a dance or performance by the guest band on Friday night, a full afternoon of performances by the guest band and others, a Saturday evening jam, and then a final performance by the guest band out in the country at the Dexter Roadhouse. This is all carefully coordinated with Nome's long-standing Midnight Sun Festival events, which on Saturday include a beach run, a Polar Bear Swim in the Bering Sea and a parade, and on Sunday the Nome River Raft Race, featuring competitors on homemade rafts. Any musicians wanting to visit Nome should sign up to perform! Call Bob at 443-5115 or email Carol Gales at gales@nook.net for details.

  • July 16-17, 2004 - Bear Country Music Festival in Kodiak.

    Annual affairs none-the-less

    Folk and other music can also be found at various "county" fairs around the state. The two fairs claiming to be the "official" state fairs are:

  • Tanana Valley State Fair, Fairbanks. Usually in early to mid-August. 452-3750.

  • Alaska State Fair, Palmer (just north of Anchorage), 4th Friday of August through Labor Day, 745-4827 or 766-2476.

    Other fairs in the state with acoustic music are:

  • Salcha Fair, just south of Fairbanks on the Richardson Hwy tries to have local banks. Usually the 3rd week of June. Peggy Burns at salchafair@alaska.net

  • Sutton Summerfest over the July 4 weekend.

  • Deltana Fair, Delta Junction (100 miles south of Fairbanks), late July, 895-3247 or 895-FAIR.

  • Southeast Alaska State Fair mid-August. 766-2476 or seakfair@aptalaska.net .

  • Kenai Peninsula State Fair in Ninilchik mid-August. Ninilchik Fair Association, Box 39210, Ninilchik, AK 99639. Contact (907) 567-3670 kpsfair@gci.net.

  • Kenny Lake Fair mid-August. This is a small community 7 miles down the Edgerton Hwy. From Glennallen, go south on the Richardson Highway to Mile 82, turn left on Highway 10 going toward Chitina. Turn left at mile 11.1 by the black mailbox. Further info contact Pete Peschang - ppeschang(at)yahoo.com or 907-822-5471 / fax 822-5472.

  • Kodiak State Fair, 487-4440, may also offer music.

    A list of western Canadian festivals can be found on the Dawson City Music Festival links page.

    If you can update me on any of these festivals or have links with more information, email me at gary(at)alaskafolkmusic.org

    Festivals Page Alaska Folk Music