This is a developing story.
This year’s Áak’w Rock, promoted as the largest Indigenous music festival in the United States, has been canceled due to “temporary staffing constraints,” festival officials announced Wednesday.
“We are putting Áak’w Rock 2025 on hold,” a notice at the festival’s website states. “The planning team at the Juneau Arts & Humanities Council is committed to supporting this amazing festival in partnership with The Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and uplifting Indigenous voices and artistry through music and performance. Our two organizations have already agreed to look forward to the future, and refocus our efforts to the 2027 date to build the best possible festival.”
The biennial festival in Juneau debuted with a virtual event in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The first in-person festival in September of 2023 featured more than 70 Indigenous performers ranging from local to international artists during the three-day event.
The festival is meant to alternate years with Celebration, a multi-day Alaska Natives gathering during the first part of June that originated in 1982 and typically attracts thousands of participants. However, Áak’w Rock organizers and performers have staged interim performances, including a “Side Stage” during last year’s Celebration.
• Contact Mark Sabbatini at mark.sabbatini@juneauempire.com or (907) 957-2306.
