With Salmonfest 2025 now little over two weeks away, ticket sales are strong and camp sites are getting booked. But this year, event organizers are planning the annual event under increasingly tense circumstances.
With President Donald Trump showing interest in allowing the Pebble mine to be developed adjacent to the Bristol Bay watershed, a coalition of speakers from Bristol Bay opposed to the mine are scheduled to speak about the project at this year’s festival, which is from Aug. 1-3 at the Kenai Peninsula Fairgrounds in Ninilchik. News reports last week noted that the Trump administration is negotiating a potential settlement of a lawsuit that challenged a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deny Pebble backers a key permit.
Salmonfest organizers have also added a “Salmon Cinema” element to the festival, introducing a feature film on the controversy over the proposed copper, gold and molybdenum mine abutting the headwaters of Bristol Bay.
Salmonfest, originally known as Salmonstock, got its start in 2011 as a project to raise awareness and funds to protect salmon habitat in the Bristol Bay watershed. The festival has since evolved to a popular music festival that attracts top musicians from all over the country and draws upwards of 8,000 people to enjoy the music, crafts and Alaska culture.
Despite changes in the name and some organizational shifts, the festival’s core mission is still promoting and protecting salmon and healthy salmon habitat. The festival emphasizes a family-friendly atmosphere and aims to bring people together to celebrate salmon and its importance to Alaska’s culture and economy.
Headliners at this year’s festival include The Revivalists, The Allman Betts Band, Elle King and Sierra Hull. Several dozen musicians will be playing on all four stages during the festival.
Organizers are still looking for volunteers to help on the day before the festivities begin, in exchange for free passes to the three-day event.
Tickets are still available but selling fast on Eventbrite. For more information about Salmonfest 2025, visit salmonfestalaska.org.
