Light Up Downtown

Join the Anchorage Downtown Partnership, Ltd. on Saturday, November 27 to celebrate the official start of the holiday season in downtown Anchorage! Watch the Holiday Tree light up the sky at the Holiday Tree Lighting! Mayor Bronson will light the tree at 5pm in Town Square Park. 

By spreading this event throughout downtown, we hope to provide the space for entertainment while increasing physically distanced traffic downtown. Please respect physical distancing and mask requirements when enjoying the holiday spirit.

Daytime & Evening Activities:

• 11am – 6pm: Visit Sara’s Gift Cache to see creations by local artists, enter hourly drawings, meet retired sled dogs and mushers, enjoy a treat from a food truck, and more!
• 12pm – 6pm: Williwaw Social will host a sip & shop featuring artists, crafters, curators, and more, featuring prize raffles, food, and DJs!
• All day and evening: Revel in the amazing work of Hotel Captain Cook Pastry Chef Joe Hickel and his giant gingerbread village. A beloved, local tradition, find the handmade village near the Whale’s Tail restaurant, located just inside The Hotel Captain Cook.
• 12pm– 8pm: Browse an outdoor holiday market in the 49th State Brewing parking lot! Receive a FREE tote bag with any purchase of to go beer/soda or items from the gift shop or 49th State Brewing’s holiday market booth. Take pictures with Santa and his llamas from 2pm – 4pm featuring the Last Frontier Trail Llamas!

Evening Activities:

• Sunset to midnight: The Anchorage Museum presents “It Will Not Be The Same, But It Might Be Beautiful”, a multimedia video project by Nina Elder and Michael Conti on a 30 minute loop on the Museum’s west façade. The video will be presented with recorded music from Mossy Kilcher’s 1977 album, “Northwind Calling”, on the Museum lawn.
• 5 pm – 7pm: Visit Santa and his elves at Peratrovich Park (corner of 4th Avenue & E Street)! Get your photo taken for free by ADP’s event photographer and share your holiday wishes. Please be prepared to wear a face mask when meeting Santa. Free Kaladi Brothers hot chocolate and coffee will be available at the ADP tent to keep you warm while you wait!
• 5 pm – 7pm: Watch the Holiday Tree light up the sky at the Holiday Tree Lighting! Mayor Bronson will light the tree at 5pm.  Say hello to Santa’s reindeer on the E Street side of Town Square Park from 5pm – 7pm, and enjoy stage performances by Underground Dance Company at 5 pm and 6pm and Anchorage Community Theater’s very own Matt Fernandez at 6:30pm. Stop by the ADP tent for free Kaladi Brothers hot chocolate and coffee for a warm treat!
• 5 pm – 7pm: Grab a free cookie to enjoy with your Kaladi Brothers hot drinks at Visit Anchorage’s “Gingerbread” Log Cabin! Anchorage’s favorite moose, Seymour of Anchorage, will even make a special appearance.
• 5pm – 7pm: Enjoy a magical surprise at The Light Brigade Presents: Season, an interactive projection experience, in the parking lot at the corner of 5th Avenue and G Street! In collaboration with the AK Bookmobile Project, Season is a peek at a large-scale urban art intervention currently in progress and set to debut in Winter 2022.
• 7:30 pm: Finish your evening with PACFlix: Elf presented by the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts! Watch this beloved holiday favorite on the big screen beginning at 7:30pm, with concessions available beginning at 6pm. Attendees ages 18 and up must show proof of COVID vaccination, negative test, or recent recovery at lobby doors for entrance. Visit alaskapac.org for details.