Now and then it is interesting. But, it is never completely dark in the Arctic, and that also goes for the subarctic where Fairbanks is. There is always some kind of light and the aurora is there even when the display is so diffuse and dim that no pattern can be seen--it is a glow to the whole sky. It is so light that once the snow has fallen in the fall a person can walk around in the woods any time without flashlights and see quite well.
What is the best time of year (and how far south) to see the northern lights?