Vic C.

The Alaska State Fair has already passed, it was from August 16- September 2. This state fair has been around since 1936 and has plenty of things to see and do for everyone. You can see monstrous size vegetables, shop for Alaskan made gifts and craft items, ride all the fun rides, watch the 4-H shows and animals, check out all the local art and stuff your face with all the tasty culinary treats While visiting Alaska, My husband and I made time in our trip to visit the state fair. We came on a Friday evening, a little after 8 pm (it cost $17/ person on Fridays through Sundays. Parking is free). We found parking and paid for our admission and then proceeded to walk around. We just happened to see an American Ninja Warriors flag by the Holland America Princess Event Tent and so we decided to go inside since we are fans of the show. Unfortunately at that time, the course challenge they had scheduled at 5 pm had just recently ended. But Nick Hanson, also known as the famous Eskimo Ninja, came over and greeted us. He was so kind to talk to us and give us some suggestions on local places to eat and also tell us a little bit more about the Eskimo culture. That definitely made my evening to meet a local celebrity. For the reminding time, we enjoyed seeing those gigantic vegetables, many different variations of beautiful flowers, various farm animals and small animals, artistic items made by locals and eating funnel cake. One major downfall on our visit was that it was raining and eventually started to pour towards the end of the evening. Also wished we had arrived sooner but we weren't able to get down to Palmer any earlier. Overall, it was a fun visit and would come back if I lived here.

Leah M.

I've never been to a state fair before and today was the last day so I was glad to make it. The Alaska State Fair lived up to what you believe a state fair to be, large fruits and vegetables and fried everything! There were a lot of vendors, performers and food galore. I enjoyed the raindeer sausage with toppings of onions, jalapeños and spicy mustard. The jerky was a favorite of mine as well, I like hot food so I got the pepper jerky it was good and spicy not too chewy very flavorful. As far as the vendors they were standard some head very nice handmade jewelry. people from all over the world living or visiting Alaska selling their handmade items was a nice touch. Nothing was overpriced. The most impressive part of the fair was the performance by the Native Americans passing down the traditions for many generations. During the performances they told stories the meaning of the dance or the song it was very inspirational and enjoyable.

Carrie G.

Born and raised Alaskan here, I've gone to the fair every year that I can remember. When I was a kid I'd ride the big purple slide and I kept a giant green frog I won at one of the games, and I kept a large purple smiley face balloon for way too long. Now that I'm an adult I still love the fair. My #1 is fried cheese curds(they do attend bear paw usually too) oh the fried cheese curds are so amazing. I always get a corn dog, kettle corn, and others. This year on my list was: Fried cheese curds($9) kettle corn($5) fried peaches(really good) ($11) fried pickles (they were ok, cornmeal and payed extra for ranch $15!!) Talkeetna spinach bread (really delicious) ($9) I also like to get corn dogs, Parmesan taco from taco dans, funnel cake, veggies and potatoes, and probly ice cream and nachos. Our friends are a new food truck this year, the Hungry Deckhand. They are by the concert venue and they make giant sandwiches with hearty insides ($19) We checked out the new expedition BBQ place and their tacos with Macadamia nut honey glaze were SO GOOD We actually went twice in 2022 because we saw Darci Lynn perform. They added metal detectors and a whole bunch of rules of what you could not bring in. Some people had to have their belongings in a bag to be picked up after the show. I think they were having trouble with people with wagons full of kids taking up a lot of room on the grass. That was our issue last year when we saw Portugal the man. But I saw some people with bags bigger than what they said was allowed. So not sure. Prices for the shows are based on the performer. It is cheaper to sit on the dead grass then It is to be in the area with chairs or no chairs closer to the stage. Slower singers and misc. acts get chairs(like darci Lynn) but no chairs for rock or high energy shows. Also no cover for the venue. I've heard rumors before that they are hoping to upgrade the venue to cover it since it always rains and you never know what the weather will be when you buy tickets a long time ago. I honestly doubt they will upgrade it tho. They said they were going to pave the parking lot when they started charging for parking as well. There is also a wet and dry side. Ive seen Hot Chelle Rae, Phillip Phillips, pentatonix, Portugal the man, and Darcy Lynn at the fair. Other things at the fair are a kids zone, reptile house, art, baked goods and photography contests. Sewing quilts, petting zoo, animals like goats, cows and sheep and pigs are usually the last weekend of the fair. The giant vegetables are weighed in and displayed for the last week of the fair. There are TONS of activities going on but it depends what day you go. They have a program for each day and each day is a different theme or sponser. Starting in 2020 till now they open on a Thursday, they are open for three weekends in a row and they are closed on tuesdays and wednesdays. Typically the last two weeks of august and the first week of setember with labor always being the last day. Must not forget about the LUMBERJACK show!!! It is the same exact thing every single year but I still love it every year. You must not skip that event. Parking is $5. Admission varies it is around 10-15$ you can get concert tickets with fair admission included or not. $10 added to the concert ticket if you do. 2022. Regular adult is $16 for the weekend Kids are 11. Thursdays and mondays are 14 and 10. Seniors are kid price. We always get the Costco 4 pack and share with my parents. So it's $10 a ticket. Overall I think it's a great event we have. I'm bummed we have kinda regular food, nobody does the crazy fried twinkies or fried Oreos or weird food. Not every vendor is friendly. But most are just so busy slammed. It is pretty clean as well. Lots of volunteers and staff make this happen. Bathrooms are ok. Spread throughout. They get some new rides once in awhile. Not sure about ride prices. Everything you can find about the fair is on Alaskastatefair.org

Mecca B.

Nice experience, not a super big fair. Great way to support small business. A lot of food vendors to choose from, most don't accept card. Small variety of carnival games, and rides

Chip M.

Not as big as the State Fair of Texas, BUT my wife says we don't have lumberjacks in Texas! It was a fabulous day with the music of Billy Idol going on and some excellent crab cakes and shopping! BEAUTIFUL setting!!!

Staff member was horribly rude, took people out of line/order. I would go any place else.

John J.

I love our fair. It's like a big family gathering with familiar faces, food smells that remind you of your childhood, music for every generation, good or bad weather everyone complains about, chatter about crops, canning, cattle, and crafts, and its best if you go some time between visits.

Rick S.

As far as State Fairs goes, but also being from California, I'd say this is a solid one in terms of being a place you can take the family and it's not all too expensive. Whereas in the Los Angeles area, the food vendors would charge x3 as much for items, here in Alaska, pricing is not gauged and is reasonable. The only thing, and this is coming from an out of town tourists perspective, that was missing was maybe vendors and exhibits featuring more of the local history and culture of Alaska. The had the same 4H fair exhibits, food vendors, random merchandise vendors, but nothing that to me, seeking souvenirs shouted out "This is unique to Alaska" But for locals, and tourists alike it was a fun experience. I think parking was $5 and admission was $15 for adults and $10 for seniors.

Lard Belly E.

I like this fair since it's really my only option near Anchorage. I could go to Fairbanks or Tok, but those options are over a 5 hour drive and this one is under an hour. Another nifty travel option is to take the train round trip that costs $16 and there is no hassle of driving or parking. Downside is that it takes almost 2 hours each way to travel, but there are great views and could be a good time to visit with friends in the bistro car. There are a few entrances to the fair, but I usually go through the main entrance which is located on the south side of the event. There are many booths and presentations and there is almost always some event taking place throughout the day. This year I came twice and each time was memorable. For eats I got fresh crab legs, raw oysters, and Indian Valley hot dogs. I also got a cup of coffee that wasn't too shabby. I like hitting Raven Hall because I like to buy cooking gadgets at a reduced rate. So far I have bought my Vitamix here and a set of Vollrath pans. The booths are cool, but having been to some other festivals I noticed an upcharge on some of the products which made me a little miffed. The rides are great, though don't some of them scream imminent death at the loss of the cotter pin holding it all together? No dogs, so please don't bring them and leave them in your car. There were some hot days out there and I saw a few people in line with dogs on a leash so I don't know if they made it in or had to go back to the car.

Vic E.

I came down here earlier today with some family and friends to take full advantage of the sunny weather we were fortunate enough to get from a mostly cloudy, dreary month of August. The State Fair has been a longtime favorite for me over the years with memories that go back into the mid-80's when I came here for the first time. We decided to go on a Tuesday and sure enough, our hunch was right on it not being too crowded. We arrived at the gate around noon and the timing couldn't have been better. A lady standing next to us had some extra coupons on a buy one ticket, get one ticket free and was gracious enough to give us a couple for our group. Score! We saved a significant amount of money for several of us at $13.00 a ticket. A great start for our visit! Once we came in, all of us looked at each other and we all instinctively knew what we had to get first after waiting in anticipation all morning: FOOD! We headed down to the Midway area south of the Purple Trail to grab some not-so-healthy goodies. Since I had a light breakfast, now was the time to throw caution to the wind and eat whatever my heart desired. I went to a booth called the Fatty Shack and ordered a Hog Dog to start off the eating spree. This was a very unhealthy, but oh so good deep-fried Corn Dog that was layered with strips of bacon and then deep-fried again on top of that. I could feel my arteries clogging up as I happily finished this, but that's all a part of the fun. Some of us opted for a more traditional offering like Corn on the Cob, always a delicious and reliable choice for Fair food. The next place I stopped at was a booth that specialized in pretzels located east of the farm exhibits. One item on the menu caught my eye: a ginormous Pretzel Breadstick stuffed with pepperoni and mozzarella sprinkled with lots of oregano. This was unbelievably good and the size rivaled the Chicken Bakes you would see at Costco. A family friend decided to try out the Pineapple Fried Rice with Chicken at one of the Chinese food booths a couple of doors down. She said the portion was so huge and delicious she couldn't even finish half of it. The next place we stopped at was a booth that served peanut potatoes with a mayonnaise-style dipping sauce. The unique taste of peanuts and potatoes fried together was an awesome combination that made me wonder why sports bars or franchises don't serve this on a mainstream level especially with football season upon us. Last but not least, we decided to get dessert at the St. Michael's Catholic Church tent where they are famous for their homemade pies. I ordered a slice of Strawberry Rhubarb and another friend chose a slice of Dutch Apple Pie. The pies here are some of the best you'll ever have, no joke. After dessert, we decided to join in on some of the shows and check out the usual favorites like the Farm Animal and Vegetable Exhibits. We even caught a show on bicyclists performing daredevil stunts on ramps and doing freestyle moves. After a few hours of walking, we were all tired and ready to go. All that food was making me feel sleepy, so I decided to get a coffee drink on the way home. I made a stop over at the Kaladi Bros. coffee stand close to the exhibit that had a really cool display of gigantic bumble bees made with various flowers like the floats you would see at the Tournament of Roses Parade down in Pasadena. I wanted something strong to keep me alert and sure enough, Kaladi's never disappoints and had a special offering for the fair. I ordered the Death Wish Mocha which was a 20oz. mocha flavored with cocoa and amaretto that had six shots of espresso! I drank the whole thing and after a short while, I happily volunteered to drive everyone back home. This was another fun and memorable year for us as we look forward to next year for more creative and artery-clogging delicacies.

Al P.

The AK state fair is a rollicking good time. The flower exhibit is my favorite, with the biggest, brightest, most beautiful flowers ranging from dahlias and roses to the most temperamental orchid and lilies. Then, of course, there's the gargantuan produce that can only grow under the long summer days you get in the northern latitudes. Then, there's the food. It's hard for me to not immediately stuff myself with fresh mini-doughnuts, Denali cream puffs, Doughnation cookies, crab cakes, halibut, salmon quesadillas, fried zucchini, oysters, and even a doughnut burger upon arriving that I can't stay upright to peruse the many and varied booths. I'm riding a massive sugar high even as I type. The diversity of wares is nice, ranging from local faves like AK Starfish, Mermaid Imports, Lulu e Bebe, AK Grown, and Woolies for clothes, and local honey, syrup, and confection conveyors. Housewares, jewelry, knock knack, stickers, signs, you name it, they got it. Throughout the fair, there are fun shows to attend, like today's Garrison Keillor Prairie Home Companion, and music events (though I'm bummed Pat Benetar had to cancel). My last visit here was ten years ago, but it's as fun as I remember (and even the fanatical pro-life crazy asses have upped their game since then, having taken down their gory pathos-fest posters in favor of more family-friendly oppression propaganda). A great way to ring in the end of summer/fall season and prepare for the long dark winter haul with a full belly and happy memories and maybe a few souvenirs.

Ivan B.

What a fun event to attend during my second trip to Alaska. Summertime in Alaska has great weather in the 50-60s. There are plenty of sunny days and you can go to the State Fair with your friends and family. Gather the kids and stroll around the fairgrounds for a day of fun. I came with my sister, brother in law and their two children to see what was going on. They had bought the tickets in advance so I am unsure of the pricing. Like almost every other State Fair you get all of your fun carnival rides to include the Ferris Wheel, bumper cars or the Zipper. Those crazy rides the shoot you in the air are also here. Then you get a lot of booths that are also found normally at the downtown market. Providing local food and souvenirs to buy. I ate a salmon quesadilla with an amazing cilantro sour cream dip. There are also sections where you can view the prized vegetables and flowers. You will see many farm animals and shows as well. Tons of pigs, horses, goats and cows all for show. Children will enjoy the animal shows and you can pet almost all of them. There was even an exhibit where they had animatronic dinosaurs and mammoths. Parking is split into a few lots which can be quite a pain in the butt after driving through long traffic. I wish they could have organized that a bit better since we were a little annoyed. The traffic on the highway goes so far that I have heard of some people turning away due to the crowds. Be aware of this if you plan on coming.