On The Calendar

Top seasonal events include the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous in February, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in March, Juneau's Alaska Folk Festival in April, and Sitka's Alaska Day Celebration in October.

Winter

December

The offbeat Talkeetna Winterfest (907/733-2330) combines the games of the Wilderness Women Contest, with bidding for eligible mountain men at the Bachelor Society Ball.

The Anchorage Film Festival (907/338-3690. www.anchoragefilmfestival.com) screens dozens of independent films in early December.

January

Bethel's Kuskokwim 300 (907/543-3300. www.k300.org) is one of the state's premier sled-dog races.

At Seward's Polar Bear Jump Off (907/224-5230. www.sewardak.org) bare skin meets barely above-freezing water.

The Anchorage Folk Festival (907/566-2334. www.anchoragefolkfestival.org) at the University of Alaska Anchorage has hundreds of performers and workshops.

Mid-January-February

Sled-Dog Racing (907/562-2235) season in Anchorage begins with sprints every weekend.

February

Tent City Winter Festival (800/367-9745. www.wrangellchamber.org) in Wrangell captures the flavor of Alaska's early days.

At the Cordova Iceworm Festival (907/424-7260. www.iceworm.org) a 140-foot iceworm parades through city streets. Other events include a talent show and fun fair.

Participants in the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race (907/452-7954. www.yukonquest.com) mush their way between Whitehorse, the Yukon Territory, and Fairbanks.

Anchorage's Fur Rendezvous (907/277-8615. www.furrondy.net) delivers more than 150 events -- from snowshoe softball to the Open World Championship Sled Dog Races.

Spring

March

The World Ice Art Championships and Winter Carnival (907/452-1105. www.icealaska.com) brings ice artists to downtown Fairbanks.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (907/376-5155 or 800/545-6874. www.iditarod.com) starts on the first Saturday in March and stretches for more than 1,000 mi from Anchorage to Nome. More than 70 dog teams compete in the world's premier sled-dog race.

The Bering Sea Ice Golf Classic (907/443-5535. www.nomealaska.org) is played with orange golf balls on the pack ice of the Bering Sea near Nome during the Iditarod. The seasonal "Nome National Forest" (150 or so abandoned Christmas trees) provides forest cover.

April

The Alaska Folk Festival (907/463-3316. http://akfolkfest.org) in Juneau is a laid-back mix of music, handmade crafts, and foods.

The Alyeska Spring Carnival (907/754-2259 or 800/880-3880. www.alyeskaresort.com) is at the Alyeska Resort & Ski Area, 40 mi southeast of Anchorage. The featured event is the Slush Cup, in which skiers and snowboarders try to ski across a slushy pond at the base of the mountain.

The World Free Skiing Championship (206/933-2809) lures the world's top daredevil skiers to snowy Thompson Pass near Valdez. It's part of the Chugach Mountain Festival,which also includes a mountain-bike race, backcountry ski race, and film festival.

Late April-Early May

See the migration of millions of shorebirds at the Copper River Delta Shorebird Festival (907/424-7260) in Cordova.

May

The Little Norway Festival (907/772-4636. www.petersburg.org) salutes Petersburg's Scandinavian heritage.

The Kodiak Crab Festival (907/486-5557. www.kodiak.org) brings good food, a parade, a footrace, a survival-suit race, and the blessing of the fleet.

Juneau Jazz & Classics (907/463-3378. www.jazzandclassics.org) features performances by regionally and nationally known classical and jazz musicians over a 10-day period.

The Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival (907/235-7740. www.homeralaska.org/shorebird.htm) in Homer features talks by bird experts, guided walks, and workshops.

Summer

June

The Sitka Summer Music Festival (907/747-6774. www.sitkamusicfestival.org) is a monthlong series of chamber music performances.

The Midnight Sun Baseball Game (907/451-0095. www.goldpanners.com) celebrates the longest day of the year, in Fairbanks with a baseball game played at midnight without benefit of lights.

July

The Mt. Marathon Race (907/224-8051. www.sewardak.org) in Seward is a rugged and often bloody race up the 3,000-foot mountain. The best vantage point is right below the trail's starting line.

The World Eskimo-Indian Olympics (907/452-6646. www.weio.org) in Fairbanks tests participants in such skills as ear pulling, the knuckle hop, and the blanket toss.

The popular KBBI Concert on the Lawn (907/235-7721. www.kbbi.org) transforms Homer with a mini-Woodstock mélange of live bands and good food.

The Talkeetna Moose Dropping Festival (www.talkeetnachamber.org/event-moosedropping.html) raises funds for the local historical society. No worries, no moose are dropped during the festival!

August

Southeast Alaska State Fair (907/766-2476. www.seakfair.org) brings exhibits and music to the Haines Fairgrounds.

Late August-Early September

The Alaska State Fair (907/745-4827 or 800/850-3247. www.alaskastatefair.org) in Palmer is the state's big end-of-summer blowout. Don't miss the famous gargantuan vegetables.

Fall

October

The Alaska Day Celebration (907/747-5940. www.sitka.com) brings out the whole town of Sitka to celebrate October 18, the day the United States acquired Alaska from Russia. The weeklong festival includes a period costume ball and a parade.

November

The Athabascan Old Time Fiddling Festival (907/452-1825) enlivens Fairbanks with traditional native music.