Fur Rondy 2019

It's this time of the year again where Alaskans celebrate Fur Rendezvous Festival in Anchorage. We only have a few days before this festival ends.

Fur Rendezvous Festival or just Fur Rondy is an annual winter festival held in Anchorage in late February and is tagged as the largest winter festival in North America.

It started in 1935 when Anchorage only had 3000 residents and was very isolated so Vern Johnson organized a sports tournament to lift spirits and bring the community together. It was timed to coincide with the rendezvous which helped increased activities. Winters were difficult in Alaska and this festival helped people to socialize and exercise especially after long dark winter months.

Early events included hockey, skiing, boxing, dog sled race, and even basketball. City bonfire and parade were also enjoyed by many.

Over the years, it became popular even with people outside Anchorage. It is later on renamed to Winter Sports Tournament and Fur Rendezvous and to what we call it today -  just Fur Rendezvous. Our festival earned the reputation of one of the best winter events in the world.

We still have until March 3rd to celebrate this festival this year. You can check upcoming events in this Calendar here.

Photo contest, snow sculpture contest, hockey tournament, reindeers, arts market, Rondy carnival and of course, fur auction are just some of the exciting events you can see in the festival this year. As what they say, this is the place to let your hair down in winter. It withstood the test of time and continues to maintain its unique character just like Alaskans do.

We hope to see you there and hope you enjoy this festival as much as we do.