Summer Festivals
Summertime in Alaska is very short and a special season anticipated by many as a time to get out and enjoy the endless sunlight. Last summer, Alaska came to a standstill when events all over the state were postponed or altogether canceled due to the COVID pandemic. The cancellations cast even a darker cloud for some organizations, because these events are fundamental to organizational mission and represent significant program revenue in a given year. Luckily, even though closures continued into early 2021, many events are coming back this summer with renewed enthusiasm and adaptive planning.
An event that successfully occurred in Anchorage is Spenard Jazz Fest, hosted by Music Alaska and Northern Culture Exchange. Eight events at six different locations were on this year’s schedule for the jazz festival and the organizers took many precautions to make live music happen. They worked with various hosts at each site to plan safety measures for their specific venue. Yngvil Vatn Guttu, Executive Director of Northern Culture Exchange mentions; “That required quite a bit of ongoing communication, as goal posts constantly moved… negotiations included: limiting venue capacity/room to social distance, mask requirements, vaccine requirements, access to bathrooms, hand-washing or sanitization stations, and staff to clean surfaces/equipment between sets.” With these new safety precautions in place for Spenard Jazz Fest, everyone went into the event feeling very confident.
The response to Spenard Jazz Fest was overwhelmingly positive based on the reaction of attendees on social media – the fire emoji was adopted by many who enjoyed the performances and emails expressed how professional and safe the different locations were across Anchorage. Yngvil is very proud of her whole team saying, “we had a brilliant team, everyone knew what to do and how to do it.” This group of music industry professionals is looking forward to hosting Spenard Jazz Fest next year and beyond!
One highly anticipated upcoming gathering in the southeastern Alaska community of Ketchikan is the 46th Annual Blueberry Arts Festival hosted by The Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council (KAAHC). This event happens from August 6th through 8th and is free for everyone. Since last summer when the festival was canceled, KAAHC has been evaluating festival operations to identify areas where they could make changes that are more COVID-safe. Kathleen Light, Executive Director of KAAHC said; “We had to evaluate our role as producer and as host on every level. We knew Blueberry would have to be modified regardless, but we were also very aware that our community is in desperate need of coming together joyously to celebrate art and each other.”
This year the 46th Annual Blueberry Arts Festival will be held in downtown Ketchikan to allow more room for booths and to provide attendees enough safe distance. Another major change is the entire festival will happen outdoors. Kicking off the festival will be a Pet, Doll, and MASK Parade! Throughout the three days, other activities such as the Blueberry Dish Contest and Blueberry Fun Run are highlights among a full array of interesting and fun activities. With the new festival design, logistics and safety precautions in place for all, The Ketchikan Arts and Humanities Council believes this year’s Blueberry Arts Festival will be its biggest year yet.
Hosts, organizers and volunteers of Alaska’s summer festivals are stepping up this year and putting forth even more effort to ensure spaces are safe and open for all to attend. We can expect changes for the better and differences from what we remember in past years. The great news is that concerts, parades, food eating contests, First Fridays, and are back and we are figuring out safe ways to gather together. Let’s enjoy this renewal of festivals and events this summer in Alaska and welcome each other back with open arms!