The Girdwood Forest Fair
Located 36 miles south of Anchorage, Girdwood offers this Forest Fair. The Girdwood Forest Fair is a massive festival celebrating Alaskan music, crafts, and arts. Artists and visitors come from all over Alaska to perform or to have a fun time, and the whole community comes together to make this festival happen. The Girdwood Forest Fair is the kind of event that some visitors may stumble across and return the following year to experience.
This festival first started in 1975, and it was founded by a group of local artists who wanted to sell their crafts and has been held in the same place ever since. The Forest Festival always features art, music, and a wide variety of performances, from fire throwers to tightrope walkers.
Nowadays, this free-access festival is hosted whether it’s raining or shining from Friday to Sunday (Saturday being the most important day, particularly from 2 to 4 pm). The primary focus of this festival is music, and there’s a wide variety: funk, rap, Irish, jazz, country, folk, and many more. And every performance is top-notch.
The Girdwood Forest Fair has three stages: Marlow Pavilion (main stage), Hoppin’ Barley Stage (at Beer Garden), and Beach stage. Each one of them offers a unique variety of performances. However, you’ll generally find acoustic music at the Hoppin’ Barley Stage, significant events and rock music in Marlow Pavilion, and minor events like flame throwings and belly dancing at the Beach Stage.
This festival is family-friendly! So there are a lot of activities available for the little ones. Kids can make their artwork, such as wands, and games are available every hour, like a three-legged race, egg toss, pie eating contest, bubblegum blowing competition, and even a parade every day at 3 pm led by 14-foot dolls. Besides the kid’s march, the main parade starts on Saturday morning at Alyeska and ends at the forest fairgrounds. The theme changes every year, and everyone is welcome to join!
The famous Girdwood Forest Fair is about the Alaskan community coming together to have a great time and enjoy the culture, artists, exotic foods, and handicrafts. For visitors, the Girdwood Forest Festival es a can’t-miss event.