Top 10 festivals in Iceland

Although Iceland is small, festivals are held all year round. There are various novel and fun festivals all year round. In this article, Xiaobian will introduce you to the most interesting, solemn and worthy traditional Icelandic festivals.

Many people may be surprised if Iceland has frequent festivals. Although the population is only 320,000, this country has a strong artistic atmosphere and rich cultural heritage. Iceland has cultivated many artists, including internationally renowned ones such as Bjork, múm, Sigur Rós, and the recently popular band Of Monsters and Men.

Except for Reykjavik, basically every town in Iceland has festivals, of varying sizes and variety, including art festivals, music festivals, camping festivals, food festivals, dance festivals, etc. If you want to fully experience these festivals, it is best to rent a car and drive all over Iceland to discover these festivals.

There are also some small festivals, such as the Danish Festival in Stykkishólmur, the French Festival in Fáskrúðsfjörður in eastern Iceland, the Lobster Festival in Höfn í Hornafirði, the Hug Ball in Drangsnes in the western fjords, the Ice Tango Festival in Reykjavik, and the Village Festival in Skagaströnd in northern Iceland.

To participate in these small festivals, you have to make friends with local people before you can be invited to their homes, because most celebrations are held in residents 'homes, where people eat, drink, chat and dance, and have fun.

A large proportion of festivals are in summer, so you can choose 3 to 4 festivals in a week to have fun.

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1. Westman Island Camping Festival 丨 jóðhátíD) In Icelandic, the weekend before the first Monday in August is called "Verslunarmannahelgi" If Monday happens to be August 1, then it will become the last weekend in July), which sounds like a roundabout name. This weekend's festival is Iceland's biggest camping weekend of the year.

There are festivals across the country this weekend, such as the Ein meÅllu Festival in Akureyri in the north, meaning "all at once"(an idiom used when people buy hot dogs), and the Innipúkinn Music Festival in Reykjavik.

However, the biggest one is Thjodhatid, a camping festival on Westman Island, also known as West Man Island. The local population of Westman Island is just over 4000, but it jumps to 16000 during the camping festival, and activities usually start on Thursday and end on Monday.

A "fraternity" ball will be held on Thursday to allow people to find someone to spend the rest of the camping festival with. There will be a huge bonfire party on Friday night and a fireworks party on Saturday. Every year, the organizers also create a "Song of Thjodhatid" for this festival. On Sunday night, everyone gathered in the valley to sing "Song of Thjodhatid" and other famous Icelandic songs in unison. The torches swayed with the song, and the entire sky was as bright as day.

There will be bands performing during the festival, but this is not an authentic music festival. Friends from all over the world get together to enjoy food, wine, music, dancing, and even encounter a romantic relationship here. However, precisely because this is one of the largest festivals in Iceland, sometimes there are some disgraceful news reports. Such as drug abuse, drunkenness, and even rape. However, the government attaches great importance to local security measures and has a large number of police personnel deployed, so you can participate in this festival with confidence.

Remember not to drink too much or faint.

Warm tip: Locals will set up white tents, eat smoked puffins and cakes together, and play with guitar. You can knock on the door of a tent and politely ask if you can join-if you are lucky enough, you may get free smoked puffins. Absolutely delicious!

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2. Iceland Radio Music Festival Reykjavik The Iceland Radio Music Festival in early November is very grand, with a super lineup. Some have just debuted, some have been battle-hardened, some are well-known in Iceland, and some are internationally renowned.

In 2015, the Iceland Radio Music Festival will be held from November 4th to 8th. The festival is celebrated simultaneously in multiple venues in Reykjavik. If you feel that the price of the Icelandic Radio Music Festival is not "people-friendly" enough, consider participating in an informal performance (Off-Venue) staged in multiple venues in Reykjavik.

3. Reykjavik Gay Parade If the Gay Parade in Reykjavik is not the largest festival in Iceland, then it is definitely one of the largest festivals in Iceland. The entire center of Reykjavik is filled with colorful costumes, explosive party music and dancing crowds. At the beginning of the event, people will march south from Laugavegur, the main street in the city center. When night falls, people will party all night long to announce the end of the festival.

It doesn't matter whether you are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, straight or asexual. Everyone, regardless of age, can participate in the gay parade, and even the mayor will change into women's clothing. The festival is usually held on the second weekend of August each year.

4. Cultural Night in Reykjavik Cultural Night is called "Menningarnótt" in Icelandic, and people celebrate this one-day festival on Saturday, usually on the third Saturday in August. On this day, there are a variety of celebrations in the city, including dancing, design, music, art, concerts, games, famous brand stores for tourists to quickly shop, etc., all of which are full of variety and interactive. Art galleries and museums across the city will be open, mostly for free). In addition, the Reykjavik Marathon will also be held on the same day.

On this day, locals will open their doors and invite guests to enjoy free home-made waffles. So this day is a great opportunity to make local friends and visit local people's homes.

5. The Reykjavik Art Festival is held in May every year. There will be a variety of Icelandic national and international dance performances and film screenings throughout the city, as well as various design works and art. This is one of the oldest and most respected art festivals in Europe, dating back to 1970.

6. The Aldrei fór ég suður Rock Music Festival "Never South" is called "Aldrei fór ég suður" in Icelandic, which refers to the rock music festival held every Easter in Issafiedz Çsafjörður. All the performers come just to have fun and perform for free. Initially, musician Mugison wanted to hold a special music festival for local musicians in his hometown. Since then, the festival has continued to grow and become more and more popular among people.

7. Food and Fun Festival If you are a foodie, don't miss the Reykjavik Food and Fun Festival in February every year.

On this day, famous chefs from all over the world come to Reykjavik to show their talents: cooking delicious food! And all the materials come from Iceland. Chefs work with the best restaurants in the city to launch week-long specialty menus.

8. Reykjavik International Film Festival (RIFF) is held in September every year for 11 days. It will showcase many films and documentaries from more than 40 countries, with a wide range of themes.

The highlight of the Reykjavik International Film Festival is independent film production from around the world, which promotes talented filmmakers who are yet to be famous. If you want to try something new and watch some creative movies, this is the right place to come. Major cinemas in Reykjavik will show a variety of films, most of which will be screened at the Bíó Paradís Art Theater in the center of Reykjavik, but there are also some sites in interesting places, such as swimming pools. Icelanders love movies and also love swimming-so this combination is a perfect combination.)

9. Bræðslan Music Festival If you prefer self-driving to the scenery of Reykjavik, come to Borgarfjörður Eystri. This small village is home to the world's most famous bands, and their performance venue turns out to be an old herring shed.

The event is held at the end of July every year, and this year it will be on July 25. Although the festival is not big, it is exciting. Since 2005, many artists and bands have performed passionately. The indie pop band Belle and Sebastian, the famous Icelandic singer Emiliana Torrini, the Irish singer Damien Rice, and the popular band Of Monsters and Men have all served as guests. The weather here is not as warm as the music festival atmosphere. If you want to have fun, don't forget to bring a warm sweater.

10. LungA Art Festival LungA is a small art festival held every year in Seyðisfjörður, eastern Iceland. Since it was first held in 2000, the scale has gradually expanded. At first, only 300 people attended the concert at the end of the festival, but now it has increased to 4000. The art festival is held every year in July and lasts for a week. There will be many art seminars, temporary fashion markets, art exhibitions, fashion exhibitions, and music exhibitions...

This music festival is non-profit, so the location is relatively remote and quiet. The location is in a beautiful fjord, where people who love art gather at the music festival to spend a wonderful week together.

What else did I forget to mention?

These are the ten most impressive festivals in Iceland. In fact, there are really many festivals in Iceland. For example, the Eistnaflug Heavy Metal Music Festival held in Neskaupsstaður in the eastern fjord region is held from the 8th to the 11th in 2015), the Reykjavik Fashion Festival in March, and the Fiskidagurinn mikli Big Fish Festival held in Dalvík every August.

Also, how can you forget the Icelandic Independence Day celebration on June 17? In addition, the internationally famous Sónar Music Festival will also be held in Reykjavik.

In addition, every year during the summer solstice, Reykjavik holds a secret summer solstice music festival on the three days of the year with the longest sunshine, enjoying music in the company of midnight sunshine.

There is no doubt that in Iceland, you will never have to worry about playing.