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Anchorage does not shut down when it gets dark—well, that is when it actually does get dark (it’s still light at 3 am in the summer!). Bars here—and throughout Alaska—open early (in the morning) and close as late as 3 am on weekends. There's a ban on smoking in bars and bingo parlors, as well as in restaurants. The listings in the Alaska Dispatch News entertainment section, published on Friday, and in the free weekly Anchorage Press (www.anchoragepress.com) cover concerts, theater performances, movies, and a roundup of nightspots featuring live music.
This low-key lounge provides an urban oasis behind its tall fence. Surrounded by Downtown towers and parking garages, Bernie's operates out of a little white house with a surprisingly mighty kitchen. Outside, an expansive patio pulls in a crowd, especially on long summer evenings. On weekends you'll occasionally find a good local DJ upstairs and a mediocre live band outside.
A rambling timber building with sawdust floors, loud music, weekend DJs, and rowdy customers, Chilkoot Charlie's is where Alaskans go to get crazy. The legendary bar has many unusual nooks and crannies, including a room filled with Russian artifacts and a reconstructed version of Alaska's infamous Birdhouse Bar.
Alaska's premier LGBTQIA+ bar offers dozens of community events. Though housed in an unassuming building, the glittery interior offers weekly karaoke, DJ sets on the dance floor, lounge-y couches, a cozy patio, and a kitchen menu only overshadowed by the cocktail list. The main event is the all-inclusive drag show every Friday and Saturday night that rivals anything in the Lower 48. The entrance for Myrna's is in the alley between 5th and 6th Avenues.
