Does the sun really shine at midnight in Alaska?

Yes, if you are north of the Arctic Circle the sun does not go down on at least one day a year, the first day of summer, when we celebrate summer solstice. That is called the Midnight Sun. The sun just goes around and around the sky, but never sets. In Anchorage, the sun does go down, but in June it doesn't get very dark even at midnight.  On the Fourth of July, we can barely even see fireworks. Kids can play outside until really late. The birds sing almost all night long. It can be hard to get enough sleep unless you make your windows really dark.

If you are north of the Arctic Circle in the winter, the sun does not come up at all on at least one day a year, the first day of winter, also known as winter solstice. In Anchorage, it does come up, but it just peeks up over the southern horizon and goes back down in a few hours.  We see fireworks best in February when we celebrate Fur Rendezvous.