Anchorage Entertainment

Anchorage has a good and diverse range of entertainment options, with a thriving nightlife, an excellent community theatre and an exciting music scene, not to mention a busy festival calendar.

Nightlife

Anchorage has a lively nightlife scene, with bars and clubs opening long hours. Bars here generally open in the early morning and stay open at weekends until around 03:00.

Chilkoot Charlie’s, known locally as Koots, is one of Anchorage’s most famous and popular bars and has been open since 1970. There is a rustic traditional feel to the place, with dirt floors and wooden décor; but despite this, it has become a popular nightspot, packing in around 1,000 people in its numerous rooms at the weekends. There is a range of music played in the different areas, from grunge to techno and hip-hop.

The Snow Goose is another popular place, with award-winning home-produced beers, made at its own brewery. They frequently have special offers on their own beers and there is a pleasant outdoor deck for the summer evenings.

Anchorage has a small gay scene, focusing on two bars; The Raven and Mad Myrna’s, which both attract a mixed crowd and are welcoming, enjoyable places.

Anchorage’s daily newspaper has a Friday entertainment section, which is a good source of information about the local nightlife, theatre and music scene.

Theatre and music

Anchorage has a surprisingly good range of impressive theatre, music and cultural events, with all three being extremely popular with visitors to the city and locals alike.

The city attracts a good range of international acts, but it also has a more interesting local scene, with native Alaskan theatre and dance, poetry readings, modern theatrical productions and plenty of shows aimed primarily at children. Anchorage Community Theatre is the city’s most famous and long-running theatre company, and it’s well worth going to see a production while you’re here if you get the chance. Cyrano’s Theatre Company, based in downtown Anchorage, has a good reputation for its productions and the theatre sometimes puts on innovative works.

Anchorage Opera Company has grown from its beginnings as a volunteer organisation to being Alaska’s only professional opera company. They put on a range of productions in a relaxed environment, with all operas having English subtitles.

Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse has become a popular place for live music and tends to have solo artists during the week and established bands at the weekends; they also have a good food and beverage menu.

Festivals

Anchorage has a good festival calendar, with a range of interesting festivals taking place throughout the year, including:

• Anchorage Folk Festival takes place in January each year, with a range of different types of folk music performed by local and international musicians. The festival takes place at a number of different venues and is free-of-charge.
• July’s Bear Paw Festival is one of Anchorage’s most popular festivals. There are a huge range of different events including a five kilometre run, a chilli cook off, fair rides, a teddy bear's picnic and one of Alaska’s biggest parades.
• Alyeska Blueberry and Mountain Arts Festival in September is a slightly unusual event involving local musicians and artists, who play tributes to the blueberry! There are also a number of fun events for visitors and good food and wine.
• Anchorage International Film Festival takes place in December each year. The festival attracts a range of filmmakers from all over the world and there are also a number of additional events and receptions associated with it.