Photos: Music fest in Midtown Anchorage, and a run of good weather, give Anchorage reasons to dance
Sundown Solstice Music Festival features dozens of hip-hop, pop and electronic dance artists to four stages in Cuddy Park. It’s a much bigger event in its second year, an organizer said.
Slim Jxmmi of hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd throws some water on the crowd on the final day of the Sundown Solstice Music Festival at Cuddy Park in Anchorage on on June 18, 2023. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Dozens of singers, rappers, DJs and bands drew thousand of music fans to Cuddy Park in Midtown Anchorage for the Sundown Solstice Music Festival over the weekend. The event, which began Friday and concludes Sunday night, has grown significantly in its second year, according to Hellen Fleming, co-owner of Showdown Alaska, which produced and promoted it.
“It’s triple,” Fleming said, comparing it to the inaugural Sundown Festival held on the streets of downtown Anchorage in 2022. “It’s triple the size in venue. It’s triple the size of artists. It’s triple the size of production crew, labor, vendors, everything.”
This year’s festival features more than 45 national artists, up from 15 last time, Fleming said. Ticket sales have grown too, she said, up to about 15,000 across three days.
The new venue is one reason the festival has grown, accommodating four performance stages, food trucks, vendors, artists and a few carnival rides. Fans can choose to crowd close to the stage or spread out and watch from the lawn. Adult beverage sales, separated by fencing and security from the broader grounds, means a better experience for underage concertgoers too, Fleming said.
“I think we found our spot,” she said.
Artists have remarked on the mountain backdrop as well as the enthusiasm of the fans, Fleming said. The mostly-great summer weather this weekend surely helped lift moods after a chilly start to summer. Fleming points to the uniqueness of a big festival in Anchorage as a big factor in the excitement.
“We don’t get a lot of tours, we don’t get a lot of shows,” she said. “There isn’t a show every night.”
Both new and veteran hip-hop artists and DJs took top billing on the first two nights of the festival. Rappers Big Boi, one half of the influential Outkast duo, and Freddie Gibbs drew raucous responses on neighboring stages Saturday night. Meanwhile, electronic dance music artists such as Ship Wrek and Mark Farina filled a dome-shaped venue with partiers as the sun went down. Rae Sremmurd is scheduled to perform Sunday evening.
Fleming said the festival will return next summer, though not on solstice weekend, one in which there are several other big events in Anchorage, including Juneteenth and Pride Month celebrations. Fleming said the event will be held earlier in June, in part so that people wouldn’t have to choose between community events.
Waka Flocka Flame records himself on a fan’s phone. (Marc Lester / ADN)
The audiences watches Nghtmre, one of several DJs featured. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Vocalist Evan Giia bounces with her fans. (Marc Lester / ADN)
The audience watches Nghtmre, one of several DJs featured. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Dave 1 (David Macklovitch) gets audience participation during Chromeo’s set. (Marc Lester / ADN)
We Came As Romans bass player Andy Glass performs on the final day of the Sundown Solstice Music Festival at Cuddy Park in Anchorage on on June 18, 2023. (Marc Lester / ADN)
The crowd takes in a performance by Nghtmre on the opening day. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Big Boi takes a moment backstage before performing on the second day of the Sundown Solstice Music Festival. (Marc Lester / ADN)
The barrier near the front of the Sundown stage gets a little reinforcement. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Waka Flocka Flame waded into the crowd to perform part of his set. (Marc Lester / ADN)
DJ duo Slander performs on the opening day. (Marc Lester / ADN)
DJ duo Slander performs on the opening day of the Sundown Solstice Music Festival. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Creative attire seen during Aluna’s set on the second day of the Sundown Solstice Music Festival. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd performs. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Dancers fill the Sunshine performance area to hear DJ duo Ship Wrek. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Kxllswxtch greets the audience after his set. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Nghtmre performs on the opening day. (Marc Lester / ADN)
The crowd takes in Big Boi’s performance on the second day. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Goshfather performs his DJ set on the final day of the Sundown Solstice Music Festival at Cuddy Park in Anchorage on on June 18, 2023. (Marc Lester / ADN)
A cartwheel outside the Sunshine stage. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd performs on the final day of the Sundown Solstice Music Festival. (Marc Lester / ADN)
A ferris wheel provides the background for a dancer during Slander’s set. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Rapper Freddie Gibbs performs on the second day. (Marc Lester / ADN)
The audiences watches Nghtmre, one of several DJs featured. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Waka Flocka Flame performs on the opening day. (Marc Lester / ADN)
Two women tumble and laugh after a failed piggy-back ride on the second day of the Sundown Solstice Music Festival at Cuddy Park in Anchorage on on June 17, 2023. (Marc Lester / ADN)