Whether you visit Anchorage during the long days of summer or want to enjoy the winter wonderland, visitors are sure to find an event that appeals to them in the year ahead.
Anchorage kicks off 2013 with the Great Alaska Beer & Barley Wine Festival on January 18 & 19. Stout, pale ale, amber or nut brown are just a few of the beers to be found at this annual showcase of suds. You'll be able to try beers of the Northwest and beyond with special attention to Alaska's brews. The whole weekend is a celebration of beer, mead and barley wine and gives everyone the opportunity to meet local brewers and try something new.
Celebrating winter like nowhere else, Alaska's largest and oldest winter festival Fur Rendezvous, popularly known as The Rondy, features tons of fun events from February 22 to March 3. Rated the best winter carnival in the world by National Geographic Traveler, there's something for everyone. Running of the Reindeer is a mass dash with sprinting caribou and Yukigassen is a snowball fight like no other. Locals also like to dress up and push outhouses and strap on snowshoes to play softball. These are just a few of the delights in store at Rondy in 2013.
In the "Last Great Race" – the famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race® – world-class mushers and their dog teams race toward the Bering Sea coast through rugged mountains and snowcapped forests. The ceremonial start to the Iditarod's 1,049 miles of pure adrenaline is in downtown Anchorage on March 2. The restart is held the next day in Willow, north of Anchorage.
On March 3 strap on the cross country skis and take a tour of Anchorage by trail. Hundreds of skiers take part in the Tour of Anchorage event, which offers a 25K, 40K and 50K route.
If you want information on Anchorage's wild adventures and urban delights and events for the rest of the year visit www.Anchorage.net.
For more information about top events in Alaska take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Alaska.