Haines Fairs & Festivals

Immerse yourself in a tapestry of music, food, and local traditions as you join in the excitement of Haines’ renowned festivals. Experience the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival to witness the graceful flights of these majestic birds, or check out the lively Southeast Alaska State Fair to enjoy food, rides, and entertainment.

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Fairs & Festivals

Sep­a­rat­ed from the Alas­ka main­land by fjords and steep moun­tains, South­east Alas­ka devel­oped its own state fair” 50 years ago. In the words of one of its annu­al themes, the Haines-based fair real­ly does soak in Southeast.”

The Klu­ane Chilkat Bike Relay takes place in June, right around the longest day of the year (the sum­mer sol­stice). The 8‑leg relay starts in Haines Junc­tion, Yukon, and ends in Ft. Seward in Haines, a dis­tance of 150 miles. It attracts a wide range of enthu­si­asts, from seri­ous bike rac­ers to local teams sim­ply out to have a good time.

The Haines Beer­fest,” as its known by locals, is very pop­u­lar, and tick­ets sell out weeks in advance. It kicks off with a gourmet din­ner, paired with beer tast­ings. The fol­low­ing day, the crowd descends on the South­east Alas­ka State Fair­grounds, where craft beer and home­brew sam­ples abound.

You prob­a­bly call them snow­mo­biles,” but Alaskans call them snow­ma­chines.” The Alcan 200 is billed as the fastest snow­ma­chine race on earth.” Machines have been clocked over 110 miles per hour as they zoom along the 154-mile course, from the Cana­di­an Bor­der to Dezadeash Lake, Yukon Ter­ri­to­ry. Por­tions of the Haines High­way are closed dur­ing the race, and plen­ty of par­ty­ing takes place in town before and after this Jan­u­ary event. 

The annu­al Alas­ka Bald Eagle Fes­ti­val takes place in Haines dur­ing the sec­ond week of Novem­ber at the peak of the largest con­gre­ga­tion of eagles in the world. Drawn by a late run of chum and coho salmon, some 2,000 to 4,000 eagles con­verge on the Chilkat Riv­er Valley.

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