Carlson Center, multi-purpose arena in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States
Carlson Center is a large indoor arena in Fairbanks, Alaska, used for ice sports, concerts, trade shows, and community events. The building includes a full ice surface and a seating area that can be reconfigured to suit different types of events.
The Carlson Center opened on June 13, 1990, and is named after John A. Carlson, who was mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough from 1968 to 1982. It has hosted the World Eskimo Indian Olympics since 2008 and the Top of the World preseason college basketball tournament until 2007.
The Carlson Center is where Fairbanks comes together for hockey games, graduations, and traveling concerts. It serves the whole interior Alaska region, drawing people from towns and villages spread across a vast and remote area.
The center sits close to downtown Fairbanks and is easiest to reach by car, with a large parking area on site. Checking the event calendar ahead of time is helpful, since access and entry points can differ depending on the event.
The Carlson Center is one of the few large event venues located this close to the Arctic Circle in the United States. In winter, concertgoers can arrive in temperatures that drop well below minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 30 degrees Celsius).
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,640 contributors worldwide.
