Festival Program
You're Invited
Artists and art lovers of all ages are invited to a celebration of the arts sponsored by Alaska World Arts - offering live performances, workshops, discussions, films, and banters presented by local and worldwide artists.​​​​
2026Tickets are on sale NOW!
Festival Membership
Save with a Festival Membership! Get a FREE PASS all Alaska World Arts-sponsored events PLUS 1 FREE RAFFLE TICKET​​~ YOUR 2026 $100 FESTIVAL MEMBERSHIP VALUE IS $440.
Summer 2026
Saturday, May 23
7 pm & 9:30 pm​
THE PIANO MAN: Billy Joel Tribute Concert with Andrew Vait
(2 Show Times)
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Celebrate the music of Billy Joel in this tribute performance by the accomplished musician and vocalist Andrew Vait as he recreates the multiple Grammy-winning legend and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee's music on stage in Homer. Fans who love Billy Joel will be rocking in their seats and singing along with reminiscent tunes from “Piano Man," "Uptown Girl," "Just the Way You Are," "We Didn't Start the Fire," and "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me". Come share the love.
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BEER & WINE WILL BE SERVED AT THESE TWO EVENTS
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
The Porcupine Theater
TICKETS
$40 + processing fees
Friday, June 19
6 pm
Lights, Camera, Action! 

Calling Writers, Directors, Filmmakers, & Actors MEETING!
Encouraged by Katia Holmes


Join us live upstairs at Alice's for the festival's annual 48-hour Film Slam Plan – meeting. We invite writers, directors, filmmakers, actors, and crew to come together for this playful idea-sharing event. Plan to use your phone, DSLR, or camcorder to film a one to seven-minute-long silent or sound film. All ages, amateurs, and professionals are welcome. Bring your own crew or connect with others who come to participate. Filmmaker Katia Holmes and Alaska World Arts director Sally Oberstein will announce this year's theme and launch this event in Alice's upstairs lounge. They will announce the parameters and genre for this year's films and answer any questions you have. Completed films will be due by 9 pm Sunday, June. 20. Completed films will be shown to a curious and appreciative audience at the Porcupine Theater on Wednesday, June 24, at 7 pm.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Upstairs at Alice's Champagne Palace
FREE EVENT / No Registration Required
Sunday July 12 - August 8
11 am
Mural Meeting of the Minds
with Chicago artist Kathleen Dose-Koehl
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Bring your curious self and artistic energy to this planning pow-wow as Chicago mural artist Kathleen Dose-Koehl forges the path to another remarkable Homer Mural. "Kat" and able-bodied volunteers will paint a wall of our favorite Homer flowers on an exciting downtown location.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Planning will take place at Homer Art & Frame
FREE EVENT / No Registration Required
Saturday, August 8
8 pm & 10 pm
Stand-up Comedy Nancy Norton at Alice's
Champion of the Seattle International Comedy Competition.
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Hilarious and high-energy, Nancy Norton delivers an intuitive, interactive, and sometimes dorky performance. This national headliner for clubs, festivals, and special events, Nancy draws from authentic raw material of everyday, authentic experiences, from world travels, and from being a native of the Ozarks. That said, Nancy has entertained USO troupes in Europe, Asia, Iceland, and the Pacific. Nancy expands on universal truths! She is the first female to win the Boston Comedy Festival. Her credits also include an Evening at the Improv on A&E and Amazon Prime, Nickmom Night Out on Nickelodeon, Super Dork on Dry Bar Comedy Special, and The Yellowish-Green Girl on PBS. This night of comedy will open with the delightful and quick-witted comedy of Angie Wellborn. ​​
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Alice's Champagne Palace
PURCHASE TICKETS
$34 + processing fees
Sunday, August 9
Wednesday, June 24
7 pm
48-Hour Film Slam!
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Come fill the seats at the Porcupine Theater and witness the premier of the short films created in our 48-hour film slam. Laugh, cry, applaud, and moan as a maniacal group of professional and amateur filmmakers, writers, actors, and directors preview their accomplishments. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of the talented filmmaker Katia Holmes. These short films promise to be an unusual assortment produced by brave creatives over a two-day period, from concept to creation.
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BEER & WINE WILL BE SERVED AT THIS EVENT
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Porcupine Theater
$15 / Purchase at Porcupine Theater
11 am -12:30 pm
Tromedy: The Power of Humor Workshop with comedian Nancy Norton
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This workshop is aimed at parents, health care workers, social workers, restaurant workers, boat workers, teachers, politicians, and anyone who EVER encounters other human beings. Nancy Norton, RN, *CHP, is a retired 5th-generation nurse turned award-winning comedian. She hosts the Tromedy Podcast, which features peer-to-peer co-healing conversations about transmuting stresses and traumas with comedy and other artistic expressions. This standup comedian and keynote speaker employs insights gained from The Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor with her intuitive skills for healing and energizing.
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Humor is not only a painkiller, it also boosts our immunity and our mood! If you could use a shot of uplifting inspiration, join Nancy in this hilarious, high-powered experience. Norton has performed comedy worldwide and nationally at the Boston Comedy Festival, an Evening at the Improv on A&E and Amazon Prime, on Nickelodeon, on Dry Bar Comedy Special, and on PBS.
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*CHP = Certified Humor Professional from the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor
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Tromedy rhymes with Comedy!
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
TICKETS
$20 + processing fees
Summer 2026
July 11
7:30 pm & 10 pm
We Need This!
Paris Chansons ~ Sharing Irresistible World Music
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Paris Chansons is an exhilarating French band with an Eastern European twist punctuated with gypsy jazz standards as well as classics in Russian, Italian, French, Ukraine, and Moroccan influences. Three multilingual singers bring an unparalleled diversity to their shows. Superb musicianship anchors the ensemble, effortlessly moving from jazzy improvisation to slow-burning balladry to blistering gypsy fervor. Paris Chansons takes you on a journey without leaving your seat (except, of course, to dance!) with a spectacular celebration of international music that brings the world closer together. ​
(Bring your dancing shoes!)
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Alice's Champagne Palace
$35 plus processing fees
Saturday, September 5
8 pm
​LIES & LORE local fabricators David Webster and others
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Enjoy an evening of entertaining tales by Alaskans and featured storytellers Anne Rutherford and Norm Brecke, with repertoires of coast-to-coast presentations of prize-winning lies.​ Alaskan storytellers joining them include Homer’s multitalented playwright, musician, builder, husband, father, and fabricator David Webster, and award-winning NPR commentator ​Geo Beach.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Alice's Champagne Palace
RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW
SUGGESTED DONATION
$19 Adult/$10 Child + processing fees
August 7
Sunday, September 6
2-4 pm
Story Generator® Workshop
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Professional storytellers Anne Rutherford & Norm Brecke encourage you to bring your stories to life in this fun, highly interactive workshop. You’ll learn a simple process to generate real-life stories based on a particular theme. Through listener feedback you’ll discover the universal aspects in your story, resulting in a unique personal story that has wide audience appeal. Leave energized to tell your story, and with a sense of connection from hearing and enjoying the stories of others.
- Effective and accessible for beginning to seasoned storytellers.
- Useful for developing stories or themes set by Moth or Story Slam shows.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies
SUGGESTED DONATION
$18 + processing fees
4:30 pm Unveiling
5 pm Reception
World Arts Opening Reception and Mural Unveiling
Welcome to this gathering of art lovers celebrating Alaska World Arts and the 2026 unveiling of our ANNUAL MURAL PROJECT with Chicago Artist Kathleen Dose Koehl. This social event, hosted by the Homer Chamber of Commerce, also recognizes the Homer Chamber of Commerce Peony Celebration. It all starts at the 4:30 unveiling of the 2026 mural on the south side of the South Peninsula Hospital Rehab building, followed by a First Friday reception at Grace Ridge Brewing.
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WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
UNVEILING: 3726 Lake St, Homer, AK
RECEPTION: Grace Ridge Brewing Co. 870 Smoky Bay Way
FREE EVENT / No Registration Required
September 12-26
8 pm
It's great to laugh together!
Singer-Ella ~ a classic fairytale with a local twist
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This musical comedy, written by Sally Oberstein and Michael McKinney, loads the stage at Alice's Champagne Palace with Life on Stage, a troupe of fun-loving performers in this enchanting Alaskan version of the American classic.
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After Ella’s father dies, her deceiving stepmother Cruella takes ownership of Cruella’s Cocktail Castle. Her stepmother and two stepsisters treat Ella like a slave, but play nice in front of the producer of Some of America’s Got Talent, who has arrived in Alaska to make someone a superstar. Homer is his last stop and he makes plans to visit open mics shows at Khartakers, Excuses, Downwind Saloon, Cannisters, and the Briney Beagle on the Homer Spit. Ella’s stepmother bans her from going to the open mics but Vito, her fairy godfather paves her way. When the producer falls in love with Ella’s voice, he doesn’t know how to find her again because she was in disguise. It's complicated...​​
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ALL AGES WELCOME
WHERE IS THIS EVENT?
Alice's Champagne Palace
195 E. Pioneer Ave. Homer AK
TICKETS
$25 + processing fees
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