There’s no better place to celebrate summer solstice than downtown Fairbanks, Alaska—basking in 24-hour daylight just 140 miles south of the Arctic Circle. The historic Midnight Sun Festival is Alaska’s largest single-day event which celebrates sunshine in the Golden Heart City. The free 12-hour street fair is marked by thousands of attendees perusing hundreds of exhibitors offering Alaskan merchandise, delicious food and services. In addition, there are three stages with over 30 live music performances as well as gold panning, break dancing, a climbing wall, pony rides and so much more!

“The abundance of sunlight around solstice is the occasion for this Festival’s outpouring of Fairbanks’ color, talent and fare in the heart of downtown.” - David van den Berg, Downtown Association of Fairbanks

 

Midnight Sun Festival dragon

The Midnight Sun Festival invites both visitors and locals to join in celebrating the summer solstice as Fairbanks basks in 24-hours of daylight. With a 40+ year history, the festival has grown to become Alaska’s largest single-day event with more than 30,000 attendees and hundreds of exhibitors and vendors.

“The tradition of bringing the community together to celebrate the solstice survives and has grown over the last 40 years to include three performance stages, community activities like 3-on-3 basketball and Spin-for-a-Cause.” - Isaiah Mangum, FairbanksAlaska.com

 

 

Enjoy food trucks, shopping, Alaska-made crafts, activities and live entertainment throughout the day with performances by Modern Native, the Fairbanks Community Jazz Band, North Star Strings Orchestra, Cirque Alaska and more. Head downtown for a joyful celebration of the sun.

“Growing up in Fairbanks, the Midnight Sun Festival was always a highlight of our exceptional summers and the perfect time to come together as a community and experience the energy of Fairbanks firsthand, support local musicians and bands, food and merchandise vendors as well as highlight downtown businesses.” - Liv Dowling, Fairbanks Brand Studio

 

Golden Heart Plaza with sunburst