Alaska's stacked weekend of BIG EVENTS

Alaska's first weekend of August is stacked — live music on the Kenai, fighter jets over the Interior, giant vegetables in Fairbanks and blueberry everything in Ketchikan.

Salmonfest anchors the music. The festival marks its 15th anniversary Friday through Sunday, July 31–Aug. 2, at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik, pairing three days of camping and music with salmon conservation. The 2026 lineup includes Trampled by Turtles, Goth Babe, Guster, Molly Tuttle, Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country, Anders Osborne, Jackie Greene, AJ Lee & Blue Summit and The Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band.

Fairbanks gets a double bill. The Tanana Valley State Fair opens Friday and runs through Aug. 9 with carnival rides, livestock shows and a giant-vegetable competition — opening weekend brings the Baby Show and Fairbanks' Got Talent. Then on Sunday, Red, White and Midnight Light: Fairbanks 250 Communityfest takes over the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. with live music, food and kids' activities.

Eielson Air Force Base opens its gates Saturday and Sunday for the Arctic Lightning Airshow and Open House — free and all-ages, with aerial demonstrations and static aircraft displays. Friday's preview day is limited to Defense Department ID holders.

In Ketchikan, the Blueberry Arts Festival has owned the first weekend of August since 1975. This year brings more than 180 artist and vendor booths, the Pet and Doll Parade, the Slug Weigh-In and Race, a blueberry pie-eating contest and Sunday's handmade human-powered blueberry boat race at Bayside Dock.

Valdez gets a head start: Gold Rush Days runs Wednesday through Sunday, July 29–Aug. 2, five volunteer-run days celebrating the town — Wet Yer Whistle Walk included — with proceeds going to local charities, especially those serving kids.

Schedules, gates and camping vary by day, so check each organizer's page before you go.