Alaska Native Culture - 2024
Celebrations by Season
2023-09-27 12:53:50
These Alaska Native festivals and cultural events celebrate our culture and preserve our traditions.
march
FESTIVAL OF NATIVE ARTS, FAIRBANKS
This festival celebrates Alaska Native culture through music, dance, and traditional arts and includes performances from groups throughout Alaska. Held every year at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the event also features an arts and crafts fair and a variety of workshops.
CAMA-I DANCE FESTIVAL, BETHEL
The annual three-day festival features music and dancing from the Alaska Native Yup’ik and Cup’ik people in the Bethel region and beyond, drawing participants from surrounding villages and across North America. From arts and crafts to good food and sharing, this annual celebration brings folks together in the common language of dance and song.
ARCTIC WINTER GAMES, MAT-SU VALLEY (PALMER AND WASILLA)
This special one-off event in 2024 is an international sporting competition hosted much like a “mini Olympics,” with 20 different sports, 2,000 athletes, over 2,000 visitors from around the world, and infinite opportunities for cultural exchange.
june
CELEBRATION, JUNEAU
Plan a visit to Alaska’s capital city for one of the largest gatherings of Alaska Natives in the state, where an unforgettable display of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian culture takes place in a grand parade that floods the streets of downtown Juneau. The arrival of the Canoe Journey, a week-long journey through the Inside Passage in traditional canoes, kicks off this biannual festival, which also features arts, food, storytelling, and a fashion show.
NALUKATAQ WHALING FESTIVAL, UTQIAĠVIK
For a real taste of Alaska Native culture, the Nalukataq Whaling Festival is a tradition of the Iñupiaq people celebrated in Utqiaġvik. This festival is celebrated after the spring whale hunting season to say thanks for a successful hunting season through traditional songs, dances, and a high-flying blanket toss.
july
WORLD ESKIMO-INDIAN OLYMPICS (WEIO), FAIRBANKS
Each summer, Fairbanks is home to the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics, a series of traditional Alaska Native competitions of mental and physical toughness. This four-day event attracts Indigenous athletes from across the north who compete in games and events.
october
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES’ DAY, STATEWIDE
Alaska became the second U.S. state to designate the second Monday of October as Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Communities around the state celebrate at cultural events that feature dancing, traditional crafts, and words from tribal leaders.
december
ALASKA NATIVE HERITAGE CENTER HOLIDAY BAZAAR, ANCHORAGE
Join the Alaska Native Heritage Center as they celebrate the holiday season with Alaska Native arts and crafts for purchase, dancing, music, and more!
For more events, visit TravelAlaska.com/AlaskaNativeEvents
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