Your guide to Fourth of July celebrations in Anchorage and around Southcentral Alaska

Anchorage

The Anchorage Fourth of July Festival will be held on Monday at the Delaney Park Strip starting at 10 a.m.. Hosted by Huycke Entertainment, Koot’s and the Spenard Food Truck Festival, there will be a parade starting at 11 a.m., food trucks, carnival rides, games, vendors, live music, a 21-and-older beer garden, and more. The event is free and family friendly.

The Anchorage Glacier Pilots and Anchorage Bucs are playing a doubleheader on Monday night. The first game will be at 7 p.m. with the second starting at 10 p.m. Both games will be played at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

Eagle River

On July 3, join the Eagle River Lions Club for their annual Finis “Uncle Sam” Shelden Memorial Fireworks Extravaganza. The doors open at 5 p.m. for this event with a beer garden, live music and entertainment, a kids area and more. The fireworks show is at midnight, so resist an early Sunday bedtime as long as you can.

Wasilla

North of Anchorage, Wasilla will be hosting a parade and mayor’s picnic on Monday. This all-day event, themed “Let Freedom Ring for All,” starts at 11 a.m. with the parade, followed by the mayor’s picnic. The parade will start at Wasilla High School and end at the Wasilla Police Department and the picnic will be on the Iditapark lawn. Stop in for a quick bite or hang out all day to celebrate with the city of Wasilla.

[Above: Every year, a crowd gathers at Glacier View to see cars launching from a cliff as part of a uniquely Alaskan Fourth of July celebration. (Scott Jensen / ADN archive)]

Glacier View

Every year, the small community of Glacier View becomes the home of what is arguably the most Alaskan Fourth of July tradition around: the car launch. It’s exactly what it sounds like: Residents launch old vehicles, decorated for the holiday, off a cliff to their demise on the riverbed. Gates open at 10 a.m. at the Glacier View River Retreat, and cars start to fly off the cliff at 2 p.m. Bring a chair, because spectator vehicles will not be allowed into the viewing area. Food available for purchase on site. Tickets are $10 for children and $20 for adults.

Kenai

The Kenai Chamber of Commerce is hosting a parade and associated festivities on Monday. The event will be held at the Kenai green strip with the parade set to start at 11 a.m. on Fidalgo Avenue in Kenai. The event will feature a beer garden, live music, local vendors and a kid’s carnival.

Seward

There might not be a better Alaska summer duo than the town of Seward and the Fourth of July. Seward will be full of high spirits, festival booths, fireworks and slightly out-of-their-mind athletes all weekend. Mount Marathon, the annual footrace up and back down the steep and rocky slopes, will be taking place on Monday. Other events over the course of the weekend include a boat parade and a traditional parade, contests like a three-legged race, tug-of-war and a Blackwater Railroad Company pop-up show at 4 p.m. Monday.