Ketchikan Gateway Borough Alaska Fairgrounds Events

If you searched for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough fairgrounds, here is the straight answer: there aren’t any. The borough has no permanent fair site, no grandstand, no livestock barns and no traditional county fair. What it has instead is a calendar of community festivals that do the same job, held on downtown streets and inside the city’s civic center. This page covers those events, the dates that are confirmed, and the nearby fairs that Ketchikan residents enter and attend.

Overview of Ketchikan Gateway Borough Fair Events

Ketchikan Gateway Borough is a second-class borough in the Southeast Alaska panhandle, with its seat in the city of Ketchikan. The 2020 census counted 13,948 residents across the city of Ketchikan, the city of Saxman and the Ward Cove area. The borough covers about 6,654 square miles, and more than a quarter of that is water.

That geography explains a lot. Ketchikan sits on an island with no road connection to the mainland, and the airport is on a separate island reached by a roughly five-minute ferry. Hauling cattle, a carnival and a grandstand crowd into a place like that is a hard sell, so the community built its gathering traditions around art, food, music and the waterfront.

Where the events actually happen

Two places carry most of the load.

• Downtown streets. The Blueberry Arts Festival takes over Mission, Grant and Main streets and the dock area each summer.
• Ted Ferry Civic Center, 888 Venetia Avenue. The city of Ketchikan owns and operates this multi-purpose building. It hosts the Winter Arts Faire, the Wearable Art Show, the quilt guild’s annual show and a long list of fundraisers and dinners.

The Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council, based at 330 Main Street, produces the biggest fair-style events. It is the closest thing to a fair board that the borough has.

Upcoming Events in Ketchikan, 2026 to 2027

Winter Arts Faire: November 27 to 29, 2026

The Winter Arts Faire runs Friday through Sunday after Thanksgiving at Ted Ferry Civic Center. Friday opens at 5 p.m. with a gala reception, which in 2025 featured live music, a no-host bar, appetizers and more than 60 artists. Admission to that gala was a $5 door charge last year. Saturday and Sunday are free, with artist booths, food booths and holiday caroling, and the faire closes Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

Local coverage of the 2025 faire described the work on offer: knitting and crochet, woodworking, paintings, jams and jellies, screenprinting, moccasins, jewelry, nautical knotwork, photography, quilting, stained glass, soaps and candles. The Arts Council also uses the faire to start selling Wearable Art Show tickets, and those go quickly.

The faire has moved before. In 2017 it went to the Saxman Community Center because it had outgrown the parking and booth space at Ted Ferry and Cape Fox Lodge. It has since returned to the civic center, where the parking lot fills fast on busy days.

Wearable Art Show: winter 2027

Ketchikan’s runway show of handmade wearable art started in 1986 in the old Black Box Theater in the Red Men building, with six pieces carried around the audience. It reached its 40th edition at Ted Ferry in February 2026 and has become the Arts Council’s largest fundraiser. The council describes it as always falling on the weekend of the first Saturday in February, though the 2025 show ran in late January, so confirm the 2027 dates before planning travel. Performances have run Thursday through Saturday evenings with a Saturday matinee.

A Youth Wearable Art Show for artists 13 and under is held separately at the Kayhi auditorium. The 2026 edition was March 28.

Blueberry Arts Festival: August 6 to 8, 2027

The 52nd Annual Blueberry Arts Festival is scheduled for August 6 to 8, 2027. The 2026 festival ran July 31 to August 2. The Arts Council has produced it since 1975, and it is the closest Ketchikan comes to a county fair weekend.

Favorites include the Pet and Doll Parade, the Slug Weigh-In and Race, the Best Blueberry Dish Contest, a blueberry pie-eating contest, the Great Blueberry Ball Roll, fun runs and live music. The Sunday finale is the Handmade Human Powered Blueberry Boat Race, a short, chaotic course through the harbor. The council has cited roughly 160 to 180 vendor booths and attendance anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000 over three days.

Other recurring events at Ted Ferry

The Rainy Day Quilt Guild’s “Quilting in the Rain” show filled the civic center in mid-February 2026 for its 34th year. The building also hosts Ketchikan Theatre Ballet’s autumn showcase and auction, community festivals and charity dinners that vary year to year.

How to find the current schedule

The Ketchikan Area Arts and Humanities Council keeps a weekly events calendar and can be reached at 907-225-2211 or [email protected]. For city-run bookings and events at the civic center, the City of Ketchikan’s civic center page is the authority.

Visitors exploring Ketchikan Gateway Borough Alaska Fairgrounds Events can also discover local gatherings through Kenai Peninsula Borough Alaska Fairgrounds Events. Exploring both areas helps families and travelers discover regional traditions, enjoy community celebrations, and find activities that make visiting different parts of Alaska rewarding.

The Fair Gap: Where Ketchikan Residents Go for a Real State Fair

Southeast Alaska State Fair, Haines

The regional “state fair” for the panhandle is in Haines, at the fairgrounds on Fair Drive. The fair dates to 1969, and its board bought the current fairgrounds site off the Haines Highway in 1972. The 2026 fair ran July 23 to 26, a week earlier than usual. In 2025 it ran July 31 to August 3.

It leans on regional character: a logging show, a fishermen’s rodeo, beach wrestling, a fiddle contest, a singer-songwriter competition, a parade, a home fair for exhibits and a craft beer festival. Dates for 2027 had not been announced when this was written. The fair office number is 907-766-2476.

Reaching Haines from Ketchikan means a ferry or air connection, not a drive, so plan it as a trip.

Alaska State Fair, Palmer

The big one is the Alaska State Fair in the Matanuska Valley, at 2075 Glenn Highway in Palmer. The 2026 fair ran August 21 to September 7. The fairgrounds cover about 300 acres, rent space year-round and host horse shows, demolition derbies and other events.

Vendor and Exhibitor Information

Becoming a Blueberry Arts Festival vendor

Applications open during the Celebration of the Sea Art Walk on the first Friday in May. Returning vendors had a June 1 deadline in 2026 to keep their priority placement. New applicants are placed first come, first served, so applying early matters.

Winter Arts Faire artist booths

Booth applications have opened in early September in recent years, and the faire is built around local and nearby-community artists. Setup is on the Friday afternoon, and booths stay up through Sunday’s closing at 3:30 p.m., since the doors are locked overnight.

Exhibiting at the Southeast Alaska State Fair

Exhibit categories there have included preserved foods, fiber arts, fine art, photography, writing and homebrew. A 2013 report described a Ketchikan drop-off point through the Arts Council with entries shipped to Haines. Whether that arrangement still exists is worth asking the Haines fair office directly.

4-H, FFA and Junior Programs

Alaska 4-H is run by the University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension Service. A directory listing for the Sitka district office says it serves Sitka, Kake, Petersburg, Ketchikan, Metlakatla and Prince of Wales Island, at 1332 Seward Avenue, Room 107, Sitka, phone 907-747-9440. That is the place to ask about 4-H activity in the Ketchikan area.

There is no junior livestock auction in the borough, because there is no livestock fair for one to attach to. Ketchikan High School, known as Kayhi, hosts the Youth Wearable Art Show, which is the borough’s closest youth-showcase tradition.

Renting Space for Your Own Event

Ted Ferry Civic Center is the main public rental space and is set up for weddings, expos, conferences and fundraisers, with a stage, a commercial kitchen and a large hall. Event listings put its capacity at up to 450 guests. The civic center office number listed through Visit Ketchikan is 907-228-5655. Fees depend on the event type and length, so get a quote rather than relying on any posted figure. The Saxman Community Center has also hosted large community events.

Getting There

• By air: Ketchikan International Airport is on Gravina Island, with a short airport ferry to town.
• By water: Alaska Marine Highway ferries serve Ketchikan.
• Downtown festivals: Blueberry Arts Festival activity centers on Mission, Grant and Main streets.
• Ted Ferry Civic Center: 888 Venetia Avenue, on the hill above downtown. Its lot fills quickly for popular events, and in past years the city has weighed shuttle options from downtown for the Winter Arts Faire.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Ketchikan Gateway Borough have fairgrounds?
No. The borough has no dedicated fairgrounds. Fair-style events are held on downtown streets and at Ted Ferry Civic Center.

When is the Ketchikan county fair in 2026-2027?
There is no county fair. The nearest equivalents are the Winter Arts Faire on November 27 to 29, 2026, and the Blueberry Arts Festival on August 6 to 8, 2027.

What time does the Winter Arts Faire open?
The opening gala starts Friday at 5 p.m. at Ted Ferry Civic Center. The faire closes Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday admission was free in 2025.

Is there camping at Ketchikan fair events?
No. There is no fairgrounds campground in the borough. For the Haines fair, ask the fair office about camping.

How do I enter livestock in a Ketchikan fair?
There is no livestock show in the borough. Contact the UAF Cooperative Extension office serving Ketchikan about 4-H, or the Southeast Alaska State Fair office in Haines.

Are dogs allowed at the Blueberry Arts Festival?
The festival includes a Pet and Doll Parade, so pets are part of the tradition. Check the Arts Council for current rules on leashes and booth areas.

Where do I park for Ketchikan festivals?
The Ted Ferry Civic Center lot fills quickly during popular events. For the Blueberry Arts Festival, plan on parking away from the street footprint and walking in.

Who do I contact to rent a Ketchikan venue?
Ted Ferry Civic Center is run by the City of Ketchikan. The civic center office number is 907-228-5655.

How do I become a vendor at the Blueberry Arts Festival?
Apply when applications open at the Celebration of the Sea Art Walk in early May. Returning vendors have an earlier priority deadline.

When is the Southeast Alaska State Fair in 2027?
Dates were not yet announced. The 2026 fair was July 23 to 26, so expect late July or early August and confirm with the Haines fair office.