Anchorage 4th of July Events - Go Fourth and Celebrate!

Anchorage, Alaska turns the Last Frontier red, white and blue for the Fourth of July. The city starts our Independence Day celebrations early – and not just because Alaska loves a good party.

Eagle River is at its patriotic best during their annual Independence Day Celebration on July 3. ©Visit Anchorage/Lilly Kelly

Get a jump on Independence Day; fireworks shoot into the skies over Eagle River on July 3 and Anchorage on July 4. Trying to find the best perch for the pyrotechnics? Head to Mulcahy Stadium at 16th Avenue and Cordova Street in Anchorage or Lions Park at Mile 1.5 of Eagle River Road.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The Eagle River Fireworks are part of a community-wide Independence Day celebration sponsored by the Eagle River Lions Club.  With food, entertainment and games in the park and 19 hours of daylight, the sun won’t go down until just before the fireworks go up!

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Anchorage’s Delaney Park Strip is host to the annual Anchorage July 4th Celebration; rise and shine and hit the pancake breakfast. Then head from pancakes to procession; the Anchorage 4th of July Parade (click here for the parade route), with a festival following. The event includes rides, games, vendors and food.

But if you’re still hungry, grab a bite to eat before the annual fireworks show. Anchorage dining includes some of the freshest seafood in the world, which Alaska chefs offer up in a variety of mouth-watering creations in Anchorage restaurants.

Fireworks follow the annual Glacier Pilots-Bucs Alaska Baseball League doubleheader at Mulcahy Stadium, with the second game of the doubleheader starting at 9:30 p.m.

After a full day of activity and celebration, there's nothing quite like unwinding in a cozy room. Anchorage lodging choices provide the perfect combination of sophistication, comfort and amenities.

North of Eagle River, the Chugiak Fourth of July Parade will be held starting at the Latimer fire station on the Old Glenn Highway and finishing at the Chugiak Senior Center. Turn out to watch – or march in – the parade, and bring a sack to collect all the candy thrown out during the event.

A mountain tradition two hours south of Anchorage, the party in Sewardbegins at 12:01 a.m. on July 4th with fireworks. The biggest bang comes later that morning with the town’s famed race, Mount Marathon. It sounds simple: Start downtown, run to the top of the 3,022-foot mountain, then run back to the finish.

It is rumored the race originated as a bet between locals that the mountain could not be tackled in less than an hour. Runners get schooled by steep slopes and gravity, inertia and loose shale, and get introduced to oxygen debt and lung capacity. The winners are usually locals who can practice on the mountain, or Alaska Olympians who can turn oxygen into speed.