July 4th Celebration
Anchorage, Alaska turns red, white, and blue for the Fourth of July. The city starts our Independence Day celebrations early – and not just because Alaska loves a good party.
Independence Day Early in Eagle River
The community of Eagle River gets a jump start on Independence Day celebrations on July 3. Sponsored by the Eagle River Lions Club, food, entertainment, and games in Eagle River Lions Park make the most of 19 hours of daylight. The extra sun means plenty of fun before nightfall, and a firework show when the clock strikes midnight.
Fourth of July in Anchorage
Anchorage’s Fourth of July celebrations includes everything from baseball to fireworks and an all-day festival at Downtown's Delaney Park Strip. The celebrations feature the popular parade and the annual Alaska Baseball League Fourth of July doubleheader between crosstown rivals the Anchorage Glacier Pilots and the Anchorage Bucs.
After a full day of activity and celebration, there's nothing quite like unwinding in a cozy room. Anchorage lodging choices provide the perfect combination of sophistication, comfort, and convenient amenities.
South of Anchorage
A mountain tradition two hours south of Anchorage, the party in Seward begins at 12:01 a.m. on July 4 with fireworks. The biggest bang comes later that morning with the town's famed race, Mount Marathon. The course is straightforward, but far from easy: start downtown, run to the top of the 3,022-foot mountain, then run back to the finish.
It is rumored the race originated as a bet between locals that the mountain could not be tackled in less than an hour. Runners get schooled by steep slopes and gravity, inertia and loose shale, and get introduced to oxygen debt and lung capacity. The winners are usually locals who can practice on the mountain, or Alaska Olympians who can turn oxygen into speed.
Extend the celebratory feeling into July - Forest Fair is one of the biggest events in nearby Girdwood. Music, crafts, food, and plenty of good times fill the mountain town.
