Experience the
Alaska Music Scene
Like a Local
As a touring musician, my travels are always centered around experiencing local music scenes and I've realized, it is the coolest way to experience a place. The Alaska music scene is a special one, here's a catelog of my favorite local Alaska bands, Alaska festivals and a travel itinerary to plan the perfect romantic getaway for music lovers.
The entire state has a small-town, community vibe. Traveling around the Kenai Peninsula, I’d recognize the same familiar faces traveling with me from one festival and concert to the next. The community is vibrant and the summers are packed with creative events to maximize the long sunlight days as contrast to the dark alaskan winters.
This Blog Post highlights my favorite local Alaska Music Festivals, Music Series and local bands. I also include a music based travel itinerary so you can seamlessly weave your creative pursuits in with your Alaska adventures.
The alaska Music scene is
one of a kind
come experience it for yourself
Make Your Alaska Trip
Extra Romantic
with Live Violin
If you're looking for a way to make your Alaska vacation feel even more personal, you can hire me to perform a private violin concert during your trip and I will literally follow you anywhere, from a glacier to a chartered boat at sea.
I'm a traveling violinist and vocalist, and I love creating music in unconventional places. I can perform at a restaurant, venue, cocktail hour, outdoor ceremony, campsite, romantic picnic, glacier, or even aboard a private chartered boat.
For couples planning an Alaska wedding or elopement, I can also provide live music for your ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner, proposal, or private celebration.
Imagine hiking out to a glacier, exchanging vows with the mountains behind you, and then hearing your favorite song performed live while you're standing there together.
Or chartering a private boat in Seward and having live violin music on the water.
Or simply finding a beautiful campsite, pouring a drink, and having a private concert under the midnight sun.
If you're planning an Alaska romantic getaway, adventure elopement, wedding, honeymoon, or private celebration, inquire today to check my availability for your trip.
I'd love to help make your Alaska adventure even more unforgettable.
Photo by Adventure For Love
Photo by Adventure For Love
Let’s Connect
I can’t wait to brainstorm the perfect romantic soundtrack
for your Alaska Getaway
Catch a concert with one of
my Favorite Local Bands
or Book them for your Wedding Reception
Blackwater Railroad Co
Blackwater Railroad is a staple of the Alaska experience and a must-see band when you’re exploring the local music scene.
Bringing fun spirited, get down and boogie, feel good jams to stages across Alaska, the US and even touring all the way to Japan. Their Americana tunes are a blend bluegrass, funk, rock and good vibes to always guarantee an epic night.
Community driven, their shows are a great place to make new friends because the locals roll deep for these concerts.
browse the Blackwater Railroad
Festival Schedule
Blackwater Railroad hosts several annual festivals, all accessible when flying into Anchorage.
Hatcher Romp- 2nd weekend of July in Palmer
Burning Moose- September 6th in Seward
Winter Romp- January 22-23rd in Palmer
Find more information included below in my section of Alaska Music Festival recommendations.
a Bonus for the wedding couples-
For the music lovers who want a concert for your wedding reception, this band would bring the most fun vibes to your celebration.
Super Saturated
Sugar Strings
The Super Saturated Sugar Strings are another band of local legends and a must-see.
Powerful and upbeat, The Sugar Strings’ eclectic take on modern Americana brims with polished instrumental arrangements and shout-to-the-rafter vocals. As a soulful storyteller, poetic lyricism meets cinematic orchestration drenched in strings, horns and bombastic ideas. Their mesmerizing performance and energetic charm has won them fans from Puget Sound to the Great Plains.
Also hosting their own festival, keep an eye out for Sugar Fest as the next event date is still to be announced.
My Favorite Seasonal
Music Series
Girdwood, Alaska
winter Music Series at
Sitzmark
A Skiers Paradise.
If you’re traveling to Alaska for a winter trip, you’re going to want to check the concert schedule at Sitzmark. Ski all day, concert by night. Their music series lineup is always stacked with my favorite touring Indie Bands which is the most epic addition to a ski trip.
Hope, Alaska —
Summer Music series at Creekbend Cafe
Hope, Alaska is a historic district founded in the 1890s after gold was discovered nearby. This tiny community grew into a bustling mining town before eventually settling into the charming, quiet town it is today.
Tucked along Turnagain Arm, Hope feels like a little time capsule, with historic buildings, mountain views, hiking, fishing, and a surprisingly lively summer music scene. There isn't even a traditional gas station in town, but there is an amazing music scene tucked away here as well as an outdoor historical museum exhibit.
Hope has an unexpectedly
awesome music scene.
Creekbend Cafe hosts live music, festivals and touring artists throughout the summer, and they also have camping, a yurt and RV/tent accommodations. Their current calendar includes national touring acts alongside local musicians.
In Alaska there are
Festivals all Summer Long
Here are some of my favorite
Plan your wedding around your favorite music festival for the most unique and personalized Alaska wedding experience
Hatcher Romp is a great example of the local music scene: the 2026 festival featured dozens of musicians across multiple stages, including Alaska favorites like Super Saturated Sugar Strings and Blackwater Railroad.
Salmon Fest is another major summer event on the Kenai Peninsula, combining music, Alaska culture, food, and salmon conservation.
Girdwood Forest Fair
The Girdwood Forest Fair is a family fair that has become an annual event in the resort town of Girdwood, Alaska located 36 miles south of Anchorage. The Forest Fair features Alaskan artists, hand-crafted items, exotic foods and entertainers from all over Alaska.
first weekend of July
Hatcher Romp
The Largest Festival Hosted by Blackwater Railroad
Nestled in the most beautiful location a festival could possibly take place, Hatcher Pass. Soak in long summer days and green mountainscapes with cascading waterfalls as the backdrop.
Second Weekend of July
Vanstock
A gathering to meet like-minded people passionate about alternative tiny living. Learn about making tiny living sustainable. Enjoy live music, workshops, self development, seminars, and get more informed on land stewardship by indigenous cultures to make nomad living a sustainable long term option.
July 17th-20th
this one has a special place in my heart because…
<— YES.. that’s me performing at Vanstock
Vanstock is the reason why I first started coming to Alaska
Vanstock Photos are by Jerzy Ellanna Alaska Wedding Photographer
Salmon Fest
A massive 3-day annual music and conservation festival held at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik, Alaska. it draws over 10,000 daily attendees under the banner of "Fish, Fun, and Music," combining major national touring acts with environmental activism aimed at protecting wild salmon habitats.
July 31- August 2nd
Burning Moose
The end of the summer bash
hosted by Blackwater Railroad
With a full lineup of artists and an end of season celebration that includes the Burning of Wooden Moose
Perhaps the concept is aligned as an Alaskan spin off of the famous event, Burning Man that occurs during this exact weekend.
Keep an eye on the Blackwater Railroad Events page for updates and ticket sales.
September 6th, Seward
There’s always more
to discover out here
High Step Society performing at a riverside forest party
Keep an ear out for the DIY Festivals
There’s often less promoted events occurring as well where invitations are spread by word of mouth. The best part of traveling are the spontaneous opportunities that arise when you meet cool people!
Here’s a few more festivals to check out:
Seward Salmon & Song Festival — May
Fox Fest — summer
Chickenstock
Check out Alaska.org for the complete extensive list of all sorts of events taking place in Alaska
My recommended itinerary
when Flying into Anchorage
The two Best routes From Anchorage
1.Head north:
Palmer → Hatcher Pass → Matanuska Glacier → Talkeetna → Denali
2. Head south:
Girdwood → Hope → Seward → Homer
If you have enough time
try both routes
for a full travel itinerary with my top recommendations for activities, tour companies, rentals, timelines and events… Check out this Blog Post:
The Kenai Peninsula alone could fill an entire trip, while the drive north gives you a completely different side of Alaska.
There is SO much to experience within driving distance of the Anchorage Airport including glaciers, ocean views, mountain passes, wildlife, hiking trails, charming small towns, and some seriously spectacular scenic drives.
I’d recommend renting a car or RV in Anchorage. Then you can either head north toward Talkeetna and Denali, stopping in Palmer along the way to explore Hatcher Pass and take a guided tour of Matanuska Glacier. Or head southwest toward the Kenai Peninsula and explore Girdwood, Hope, Seward, and Homer.
One of my favorite experiences is taking a boat tour from Seward into Kenai Fjords National Park, where you can see massive glaciers, dramatic fjords, sea otters, sea lions, puffins, whales, and other maritime wildlife.
Why Alaska Is the Most Romantic Place on Earth
If you're an adventurous couple looking for a romantic getaway that feels completely different from your everyday life, Alaska is hard to beat. This is the kind of place where your date night might involve watching whales from a boat, hiking across a glacier, camping underneath the midnight sun, or sharing a bottle of wine beside a turquoise alpine lake.
Alaska feels remote in a way that is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Many communities aren't connected to the state's road system at all, and even Juneau, Alaska's capital city, cannot be reached by road from the rest of the state. That sense of remoteness is a huge part of the magic.
It's also what makes Alaska such an incredible destination for an adventure wedding or romantic Alaska getaway. You can genuinely escape the ordinary here.
WEDDING COUPLES
And if you're an adventurous couple planning an Alaska wedding or elopement, many of these recommendations can be customized into an incredible romantic wedding experience.
Instead of taking the standard tourist boat tour in Seward, charter a private boat.
Instead of staying in a traditional hotel, rent a remote cabin.
Instead of having a huge traditional wedding, hire an elopement planner to create an all-inclusive Alaska adventure that combines your ceremony, photography, transportation, lodging, and outdoor activities.
You could exchange vows overlooking a glacier, hike to a remote alpine lake, take a private boat into Kenai Fjords, or spend your wedding night camping beneath the midnight sun.
This local intel and expertise is why hiring local is so important so you can have the most seamless, stress-free and most amazing wedding experience
Here is a list of my favorite Alaska elopement planners:
[Coming soon]