Sundown festival organizers say event can boost Anchorage economy, grow music scene

Thousands of group attended nan show to perceive various section and nationalist acts preform successful June, 2023. (Photo from Dylan Vehrs)

A section accumulation team, called Showdown Alaska, is throwing their yearly euphony and arts show successful Anchorage June 4-7. The three-day Sundown Solstice Festival features a operation of extracurricular and section hip-hop, electronic, and stone artists. Festival organizers opportunity it’s drafting a bigger crowd each twelvemonth and tin supply a important boost to nan section economy.

In 2023, nan show drew immoderate contention aft nan metropolis removed bum camps successful Cuddy Park, wherever nan show takes palce, weeks earlier it started. This year, nan metropolis besides cleaned up nan park. Festival organizers opportunity Showdown Alaska has nary power complete nan abatements and they’re committed to doing their portion to “support nan organization experiencing homelessness successful Anchorage.” 

Showdown’s organization outreach head Natalie Treadwell said nan arena encourages festival-goers to enactment successful authorities and walk their money locally. She said nan accumulation squad has been astir for a decade and decided to propulsion together nan Sundown show starting successful 2022.

The pursuing transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Natalie Treadwell: Our squad really wanted to put together a show successful nan authorities that played to a different demographic than astir of nan festivals and concerts that we have, successful a measurement that group could travel and acquisition a show they mightiness successful nan little 48 aliases astir nan world. 

We attraction heavy connected accumulation and making judge that we person authorities of nan creation audio equipment, and really put together an astonishing show that you mightiness not different spot successful Alaska. The show is much than conscionable music. [We have] unrecorded murals and artists coming successful coating passim nan people of nan 3 time weekend.  

Ava White: You sounded this arsenic an economical boost to nan metropolis of Anchorage. What grounds do you person for that?

NT: We for illustration to telephone it a ripple effect. For nan past 2 festivals, we’ve seen a important magnitude of group coming from retired of authorities and really retired of nan country. For example, past year, we had [people from] 24 US states and 7 countries [buy tickets]. So those are summons holders who are walking to Anchorage to be this festival. We spot edifice rooms that are booked, group stopping to get java successful nan greeting earlier they travel to nan festival, aliases moreover a group of 4-10 going retired to dinner. 

We tin really measurement nan economical effect not conscionable by nan number of section vendors and nutrient trucks and section hires that we bring connected to put connected this festival, but really giving group nan opportunity to walk their dollars successful Midtown arsenic they travel and recreation to nan festival.

AW: What’s your imagination for really Sundown, aliases moreover nan euphony segment successful Alaska mightiness grow? What would you for illustration to spot happen?

NT: We for illustration to deliberation that this show tin turn and go thing for illustration South by Southwest (SXSW) pinch aggregate venues and leverage everything successful Anchorage to really beryllium a metropolis festival. There’s not galore promoters successful Alaska, it’s a reliable marketplace because there’s not a batch of equipment. As a company, we’ve built up a immense inventory of our ain speakers and mixing tables and everything that you really request to put connected a large shape production. And it’s not for illustration nan little 48 wherever you tin conscionable spell to a rental institution and rent everything that you request and put connected a show. 

When we talk astir trying to build a euphony segment successful Alaska, it’s a grassroots effort and having group travel and acquisition nan shows pinch america and support america is going to thief america transverse that period of bringing a show to nan nationalist stage.

AW: What precisely is euphony tourism? 

NT: There’s a batch of definitions. It ranges from group walking to be euphony concerts, to these ample nationalist acts coming up and filming euphony videos successful Alaska and doing tours, and each nan nosy outdoor worldly we emotion to do present successful Alaska. Then, they stock that pinch their millions of followers online.  

AW: Music festivals evidently bring a batch of visitors, but immoderate mightiness opportunity that they bring a batch of headaches too. What person been immoderate of nan responses that you’ve sewage from Anchorage section businesses and residents?

NT: We’ve seen a awesome consequence truthful far. Our squad is really, really focused connected making judge that we’re leaving nan parkland much cleanable than erstwhile we recovered it. We activity pinch nan metropolis to travel their guidelines, and activity pinch Parks and Rec very intimately to conscionable uplift nan park. 

Another extremity of ours is to support young group present and make it a nosy spot for nan younker because it tin beryllium difficult successful nan winters. And we’re seeing a wide exodus of group successful Alaska and our squad is sad because we really are moving difficult to make it a spot wherever young group want to live, activity and play. We’re really excited for that.