Starvation Gulch
September 10-12, 2026
Once again, Nanook Traditions kicks off the school year with Starvation Gulch. The bonfires have been a symbol of the passing of the torch of knowledge to our new students since 1923. We welcome back all our students with wishes for a great school year. Enjoy the biggest bonfires you'll ever see!
| 8—10 a.m. Alaska time |
Starvation Gulch 2026
Location: UAF Troth Yeddha' Campus Starvation Gulch is an annual tradition meant to help ease new students into life on campus through various campus wide events, all leading up to a night of bonfires and celebration! |
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| 11 a.m.—2 p.m. Alaska time |
Campus and Community Cleanup
Location: Arctic Java, UAF Wood Center Help keep our campus clean and beautiful by joining the Office of Sustainability for our annual Fall Campus Cleanup! Gloves and bags provided. Pick up a little or a lot, go solo or with a team to compete for prizes awarded to the top three individuals that collect the greatest amount of trash and recycling by weight. |
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| 7—9 p.m. Alaska time |
Will It S'more?
Location: Outside of Arctic Java Have you ever dreamed of creating your very own s'more masterpiece? Now’s your chance to mix and match a variety of sweet and savory ingredients to discover the ultimate s'more recipe! We’ll provide a selection of ingredients along with tried-and-true recipes for s'more greatness. Bring your creativity and taste buds, and let the s'more showdown begin. |
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| 7—9 p.m. Alaska time |
Howdy Hat Social
Location: Arctic Java Howdy y'all! Grab a friend and come on down to Arctic Java to decorate your very own cowboy hat! We'll have everything from rhinestones, feathers, satin flowers, and a variety of creative options to make your hat show off your personality. Hats and decorations will be provided while supplies last. You can also bring your own hat to decorate. We hope to see you there! |
| 8—10 a.m. Alaska time |
Starvation Gulch 2026
Location: UAF Troth Yeddha' Campus Starvation Gulch is an annual tradition meant to help ease new students into life on campus through various campus wide events, all leading up to a night of bonfires and celebration! |
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| 12:30—3 p.m. Alaska time |
Bike Jousting with Green Bikes
Location: Arctic Java (outside), UAF Wood Center Bike jousting is back! Join us Friday, September 11th, from 12:30pm-3pm outside of Arctic Java to prove your worth and defeat your foes! Bikes, helmets, lances and shields provided. Safety waivers required. Bring yourself, your courage and your friends (or enemies). |
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| 1—5 p.m. Alaska time |
Tower Defense
Location: Wood Center Live-action tower defense comes to the Shed. Runners sprint through a shifting maze while Towers, armed with Nerf blasters, defend every corner. Reach the objective without getting tagged, then swap sides and see if you can hold the line. Fast rounds, rotating roles, and bragging rights on the leaderboard. |
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| 5—8 p.m. Alaska time |
System 101
Location: Wood Center Multilevel Lounge Come join the Table-top Roleplaying Games club for a wild west themed System 101! Learn the game rules and how to build a character with guidance from experienced players. Then join a one-shot run by club volunteers to help bring your character to life. Players will have the chance to win a free set of dice! |
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| 7—10 p.m. Alaska time |
Hoedown Throwdown
Location: Hess Recreation Center, MBS Complex Love some country music and can't wait for Starvation Gulch? Dance it out in this western-style event with live music! Mosy on up to the Hess Rec Center in your best plaid shirt and dancin' boots for our Hoedown Throwdown! Country or western outfits are encouraged, but not required. |
| 8—10 a.m. Alaska time |
Starvation Gulch 2026
Location: UAF Troth Yeddha' Campus Starvation Gulch is an annual tradition meant to help ease new students into life on campus through various campus wide events, all leading up to a night of bonfires and celebration! |
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| 10 a.m.—2 p.m. Alaska time |
Starvation Gulch Team Build
Location: Nenana Lot Join your team in constructing the ultimate bonfire in preparation for Starvation Gulch. Dust off your work gloves, don on a hard hat, and prepare to burn it all down! Have fun, compete for our Big Ass trophy (tallest flame) and People's Favorite trophy, and bring your build to life. Just don't get too attached! |
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| 1—2:30 p.m. Alaska time |
Cowboy Hat Decoration Station
Location: Patty Center Cheer on your Alaska Nanook Volleyball team against Seattle Pacific University for Western Night at the Patty Center! We'll have hats from the Howdy Hat Social and Hoedown Throwdown available for decorating before the game starts. Wear your cowboy hat proudly after the game at the Starvation Gulch Bonfires! |
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| 1—5 p.m. Alaska time |
Last Light VR Escape Room
Location: Alaska Esports Center (Wood Center) The bonfire burns down. The dark takes over. Your team has one shot to beat the clock before Last Light is gone for good. Step into full VR at Alaska Esports Center for Starvation Gulch. Solve the puzzles, beat the timer, escape before the flame dies out. |
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| 8—11 p.m. Alaska time |
Starvation Gulch Bonfires
Location: Nenana Lot Join your fellow Nanooks at the first Tradition of the school year at Starvation Gulch! Partake in over 100 years of UAF tradition and watch the burning of structures built by our very own students. There’s music, dancing, fires, and groups of student clubs who provide snacks, activities, and other opportunities for connection. Which fire will burn the tallest? Which strucure is the People's Choice? Come out to the Nenana Lot and find out! |
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| 9—11 p.m. Alaska time |
Starvation Gulch Concert
Location: TBD Celebrate one of UAF's most iconic traditions with live music at the Starvation Gulch Bonfire! Gather around the flames for an unforgettable evening featuring great music, campus spirit, and a one-of-a-kind atmosphere. Whether you're warming up by the fire, singing along with friends, or taking in the excitement of the night, this concert is the perfect soundtrack to a beloved Nanook tradition. Artist announcements are coming soon! |
Starvation Gulch history
By: Forest Puha
It's an annual celebration — a way to ease new students into campus life. At times, a fierce competition of honor between campus dormitories, it's also a living story of the incredible odds the University has faced and overcome. It's Starvation Gulch.
Founded in 1923, Starvation Gulch was an inspiration from Charles E. Bunnell, the ¹û½´ÊÓƵ' first president. Students built a mock town to serve as an entertainment facility by day and fuel for enormous bonfires by night. Bunnell wanted the fires to symbolize the passing of the torch of knowledge.
UAF students nicknamed the town "Starvation Gulch," an ostensible poke at the pioneers who first settled in Fairbanks. It quickly became the official name of the annual festival and has served since then as an icebreaker of sorts to introduce new students into the college fold. During the Starvation Gulch of 1923, students could throw friends into jail, get divorced for a buck and enjoy the other hundred forms of UAF entertainment. Since then, the contest has taken on unique and historic forms.
In 1956, drunken brawls caused UAF president Ernest Patty to pass a campus-wide alcohol ban. Enraged students buried beer bottles outside Constitution Hall in a mock funeral wake, marking the burial ground with the infamous 'Tradition Stone.'
The Stone, a 400-pound slab of concrete emblazoned with a bronze plaque reading "Here Lies Tradition, 1957" to mark the anniversary of the ban, became a symbol of rebellion against the campus prohibition. UAF students continually reach new heights in stealing the stone from each other, and the stone never stays in the same place for more than a year.
During the 16-year-long ban on alcohol, changes were made to the event's activities — making giant towns out of wood was outlawed, only piles of wood could be made. Broomball became the official sport of the Starvation Gulch festival.
Today, safety comes first with our UAF administration. Height restrictions discourage people from building 75-foot-high stockpiles. Instead, trophies are given to the most creative wooden sculpture. Spectators can no longer roast hot dogs around the bonfire. Students may no longer discharge shotguns into the air to dissuade wood thieves, as was common in 1948. Instead, speed and resourcefulness see contestants through to victory.
Despite the dramatic changes in the celebration, no one can deny the power of a 79-year-old ceremony. Starvation Gulch is not simply the passing of knowledge to a new generation — Starvation Gulch is UAF history.