Anchorage Summer Night Market

by liz rangel

The Summer Night Market is an occasion to support small businesses that sell
​a variety of arts and local ingenuity.

Though Alaskans meet this year’s tourism season with uncertainty, locals in search of some free fun for the whole family have much to look forward to. Joining Downtown Anchorage’s summer lineup of events is the Anchorage Summer Night Market, taking place every Friday through August 29th, from 5pm to 8:30pm at Town Square Park.

Between live music, the beer garden, and games like cornhole for the kids, there’s something to satisfy everyone in the family. The diversity of food trucks has grown with every weekend, ranging from fresh banana bread to Thai cuisine, and everything in between. The Summer Night Market is an occasion to support small businesses selling a variety of arts and local ingenuity. At a time where we wish to be rooted in local culture and identity, this is an opportunity to support others willing to offer just that, an effort to reclaim an otherwise dormant area of town that should consistently reflect our Anchorage community’s diverse culture in all its summer splendor.

Zaneta Stetsunova is a mother and lifelong Anchorage resident who has endeavored to build community in our town. She’s the co-founder and organizer of Anchorage VegFest as well as the Sunday fresh Market in South Anchorage. Her success lies in carving out opportunities for gathering neighborhoods in areas of town that would otherwise live and operate in seclusion from their day-to-day.

Anchorage Parks and Recreation contacted Zaneta to organize a market in Town Square Park at a most auspicious moment– while she was on vacation in Thailand with her family where together they would enjoy the local night markets.

“I knew I wanted to come home and create something different, especially with all of the amazing sunlight that we get in the summertime. It felt like such a natural thing, like why don’t we Alaskans already have a night market?” Zaneta had attempted to host recurring downtown events before and was met with setbacks. She was determined, however, to create free family friendly spaces for Anchorage– something we might enjoy in other cities but deserve to experience in the local community.

“Bring a picnic blanket, and come hang out, because this is really not about spending money, it’s about being in community... This is about activating Town Square.” Zaneta remembers having her first apartment Downtown where she walked home from work and experienced a very vibrant era of the neighborhood. The area has changed a great deal since then, losing and gaining businesses since the COVID-19 pandemic, but never quite bouncing back to what it used to be. “I want my children to have that experience– I want to give people a reason to come back to Downtown... something that’s truly OUR Downtown.”

Find Anchorage Summer Night Market on Instagram for more information on what to expect each weekend, or if you’re interested in becoming a vendor or a performer there.

​You can also contact Zaneta Stetsunova at [email protected] to apply for a space or sponsor these recurring events Downtown.