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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.
One of Anchorage's biggest bars, Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse serves up rock, blues, and folk several nights a week, along with dozens of microbrews (more than 40 beers are on tap) and tasty pub grub. Check the website calendar for the full spread of bands, open mics, and trivia nights. You can grab one of Humpy's delicious halibut burgers on your way out of town—the company has a satellite restaurant in Terminal B of the Anchorage airport.
The city's bigger bands get the summer spotlight at Town Square Park. Designed for the after-work crowd, these Thursday evening shows start at 5:30 pm and feature a beer garden.
Guests can ski straight to the back patio and firepit at this rollicking bar and grill. The Sitz hosts an event nearly every winter night under its spiral-painted ceiling, from game nights and trivia to nationally touring music acts.
