Midnight Sun Festival

Every year, the natural phenomenon of the summertime longest day of the year is celebrated right in downtown Fairbanks with the thematic Festival. This street event is Alaska’s greatest one-day event, attracting more than 30,000 visitors each year.

In 2022 it takes place on Saturday 18 June and offers a variety of leisure activities and cultural events for locals and guests alike. More than 100 booths are set up, and musicians and performing artists perform on different stages.

Midnight Sun Run

The thematic Run is held this year on June 18th and begins at 10 pm. About 3500 participants not only from Alaska but also from other parts of the country come to Fairbanks. There are serious runners chasing a new personal best, as well as plenty dressed up and just having fun. The combination of sports and games provides amusement and pleasure for both participants and spectators.

Besides these events, there are many other ways to enjoy life under the midnight sun. Using the attention of guests, locals provide many other activities: hiking, canoeing, and biking, golfing, or fishing.

Midnight Sun Baseball Game

The annual Midnight Sun Baseball Game has been held since 1905. June 21, 2022, marks the 117th event anniversary. The Alaska Goldpanners is the home team of this region. It has had this status since its inception in 1960 and this year it’s up against the San Diego Waves. The game starts at 10:00 p.m.

At midnight, by tradition, the game is interrupted and the hymn to the Alaskan flag is sung. Over 200 Alaska Goldpanners have made it into the major leagues since inception, including Barry Bonds, and others.

How is the baseball game held?

1st and 2nd Avenues in downtown will be pedestrian-only and transformed into one giant street festival of food, drink, merchandise, information, and activities. The cornerstones of the festival are typically four major platforms that host 45 live shows including folk, rap, ballet, rock, and more.

The free festival marks its 40th year this year, but history proves that downtown Fairbanks has been celebrating the longest day of the year in different ways for at least a centenary.

Is baseball interesting?

Games similar to modern discipline existed among different peoples of the world and in different eras. The ancestor of the game is the American Alexander Cartwright, who in 1845 drew up the uniform rules of the game. And on June 19, 1846, the first official match took place, in which the teams “New York Nike” and “Knickerbocker” met.

The opponents held their duel in the city of Hoboken (New Jersey).

Soon baseball was not just fun but turned into a serious business. As early as 1871, the first professional league was created in the United States. And today, players of this discipline are regularly in the top lists of the richest athletes in the world.

Jim Anixter isn’t a baseball star, but in the Chicago Cubs, he is as popular as the most famous players. The thing is that Anixter has not missed a single match of his favorite team for half a century. And the athletes themselves consider the veteran their talisman. Jim is hard to miss during the match, he is always in the stands in a bright pink baseball cap.

What is interesting more?

Baseball was included in the 1904 Olympics. True, only as an unofficial form. Demonstration matches were held at the Olympics quite often, but this sport received a full “registration” only in 1992 in Barcelona. But, the best leagues refused to interrupt the competition and send their stars to the Games.

Therefore, in 2005, it was decided to exclude baseball from the Olympics program.

Babe Ruth was the best baseball player in the United States in the twenties of the last century. And Ruth received a lot of fees for his performances. Once he was reproached for the fact that the annual income of a baseball player exceeded the salary of the President of the United States for the same period.

In response to this, Babe Ruth “modestly” remarked that he probably had a better year than the President of the country.