Frozen RiverFest for the 10th year returned on Saturday to Soldotna Creek Park, where hundreds gathered to drink and celebrate with live music and fireworks.

Joe Spady is the communications and events manager for the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce, which puts on the event every year. He said Saturday the event is among the chamber’s biggest fundraisers and one of his favorite events. It’s unique, he said, in gathering people outside regardless of weather.

Saturday saw cloudy skies with uncharacteristically warm temperatures in the low-30s, “but it if was 5 degrees, we’d have the same crowd,” Spady said. “This community just wants to have a good time.”

Each of its 10 years, Spady said, the event has grown. It has added brewers, vendors and volunteers.

During the four hours of the festival, brewers from the Kenai Peninsula and beyond could be seen filling cups and sharing their craft. Nineteen brewers were slated to participate this year, including local Kenai River Brewing Company, Cooper Landing Brewing Company, Homer’s Bear Creek Winery and Seward’s Stoney Creek Brew House. Sterling’s Naptowne Brewing Company for the third consecutive year received the People’s Choice Award.

“We are so grateful for the continued support of our wonderful community,” they wrote on Facebook. “Thank you to the Soldotna Chamber of Commerce for putting on such a unique event and to all the attending brewers! We are all in it together.”

For more information, find “Soldotna Chamber of Commerce” on Facebook.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

The Bunny Swan Band performs during the 10th Annual Frozen River Fest in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

A brewer from Kenai River Brewing Company fills a cup for an attendee at the 10th Annual Frozen River Fest in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

The Bunny Swan Band performs during the 10th Annual Frozen River Fest in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

A brewer from HooDoo Brewing Company fills a cup for an attendee at the 10th Annual Frozen River Fest in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

A brewer from HooDoo Brewing Company fills a cup for an attendee at the 10th Annual Frozen River Fest in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

A brewer from HooDoo Brewing Company fills a cup for an attendee at the 10th Annual Frozen River Fest in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)

A brewer from HooDoo Brewing Company fills a cup for an attendee at the 10th Annual Frozen River Fest in Soldotna, Alaska, on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)