News

Reykjavík City has just been included in CNN‘s article featuring 8 of the world's great coffee cities.

Coffee house culture has been a thriving part of the Reykjavík experience for the past 25 years, with many visitors getting spoilt for both choice and the superior quality of coffee. In the absence of any international chains, there’s now a great diversity of cafés in the city centre, staffed with talented baristas (sometimes award winning) and offering free refills on filter coffee.

Image by Roman Gerasymenko
Coffee by Laimonas Dominykas Baranauskas at Tea & Coffee

Dieters beware! Today is Cream Bun Day or 'Bolludagur' in Iceland - a national day of indulgence where Icelanders devour an excess of choux pastry buns filled with jam and cream.

The tradition, which was brought to Iceland by Norwegian and Danish bakers back in the late 19th century, consistantly falls on the Monday before Ash Wednesday and always precedes Shrove Tuesday or 'Sprengidagur'. Bolludagur is particularly fun for Icelandic children who wake up extra early to try and catch their parents asleep. If they do find them still sleeping they get to beat them on the backside with a ‘bolluvöndur’ (a specially-decorated-for the-occasion bun paddle). Parents are then obligated reward their children with a cream bun for every wallop successfully landed!

Taking place between April 9-13, 2014 in Reykjavik, the Iceland Writers Retreat invites participants to a series of workshops and panels led by an esteemed team of international writers.

The 2014 retreat will be loosely focused on the theme of travel and journeys.
The retreat will be based out of Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Natura, a recently renovated, modern four-star hotel next to a popular wooded area, just a 20-minute walk from the city center and five minutes from a geothermal beach.
Between intimate workshops and lectures, the Iceland Writers Retreat offers the chance to tour the spectacular Golden Circle, sit in the cozy cafes of Reykjavik, soak in geothermal hot springs, listen to new Icelandic music, meet contemporary Icelandic writers, and learn about the country’s rich literary tradition.
Workshops will be led by published writers from around the world. These include Pulitzer Prize winning author Geraldine Brooks, New Yorker staff writer Susan Orlean, Ryerson University professor and author Randy Boyagoda, award-winning memoirist Iain Reid, National Geographic Digital Nomad Andrew Evans, Scotiabank Giller Prize winner Joseph Boyden, acclaimed travel writer Sara Wheeler, and Man Booker Prize nominee James Scudamore. For more information or to join the mailing list, visit www.IcelandWritersRetreat.com
The Iceland Writers Retreat is made possible by founding sponsors Icelandair and Icelandair Hotels. We are endorsed by the Icelandic Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Reykjavik UNESCO City of Literature, the City of Reykjavik, the US Embassy in Iceland, and the Icelandic Literature Centre.

*Develop your writing
*Explore wild and wonderful Iceland, the land of the sagas
*Find inspiration and time to write in an unforgettable setting
*Meet and mingle with famous authors and like-minded writers

Overseas registrations close after February 28.

The one and only Justin Timberlake will perform in Reykjavík on Sunday 24 August in a concert with his band The Tennessee Kids.

Timberlake, who is said to be at the pinnacle of his career with best-selling albums The 20/20 Experience and The 20/20 Experience - 2 of 2, will appear at the Kórinn Sports Hall in Kopavogur - the second largest district in the Greater Reykjavík Area. Tickets go on sale from March 6th and can be purchased online at midi.is.
 

FULL POOL NIGHT PROGRAMME AVAILABLE ON THE OFFICIAL WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL WEBSITE!

Museum Night, takes place on Friday February 7th and was established to shine a light on Reykjavik’s captivating cultural heritage. By re-opening the museum doors at night-time, city residents and guests will get the chance to explore our diverse facilities during the more enchanting and magical hours leading up to midnight.

On Museum Night 2014 a total of forty museums in Reykjavík City will open their doors to the public for free and stay open until midnight. Each museum offers a tempting programme of fascinating and unusual events for guests of all ages to enjoy.
For more information see our comprehensive listings for Museum Night.

Museum Night Quiz

Back by popular demand for the next Winter Lights Festival will be the marvellous Museum Night Quiz, where guests get to answer a few museum related questions and collect stamps along the way. 

Game cards will be available in all forty participating museums and also in the PDF form attached below (in Icelandic). Completed quiz cards may be returned via any of the special submission boxes available in all participating museums.

Taking place as part of a landmark mobile venture to Reykjavík and to celebrate the beginning of the annual Winter Lights Festival in Reykjavik, these sessions are a two hour taster on what neon is, what it can be and how to make it. Expect mesmerizing demonstrations of blowing, bending and fusing glass with flame, filling with gas and illuminating with electricity. Experience the chance to have a go yourself under tuition and take home the results.

When: Thursday 6th February 2014, 10am-12pm, 1pm-3pm
Where: Seljavegur 32, 101 Reykjavík.
Only limited places available. Cost 4,000ISK. For more information and bookings visit www.neonworkshops.com.

FREE EVENTS:

Northern Lights: A Landmark Mobile Neon Workshop
A four-day workshop taught by celebrated artists and makers working in neon in light, with world-renowned Czech-born artist Magdalena Jetelová acting as the Artist-in-Residence. The workshop aims to give participants the chance to learn about, explore and experiment with hand made neon light under the natural light phenomenon of the Aurora Borealis, and promises to be a unqiue and illuminating experience!

When: Friday 7th - Monday 10th February 2014, 10am-5pm
Where: Seljavegur 32, 101 Reykjavik

Artists Working in Light: Magdalena Jetelová and Erika
Presentations by celebrated artists Magdalena Jetelová (Czech Republic) and Erika deVries (New York) exploring their relationship during their illustrious career of working with light. Expect to hear inspirational anecdotes from ambitious projects, and see stunning images of work installed around the world including Iceland. Introductions by Neon Workshops founder and artist Richard William Wheater.

When: Friday 7th February 2014, 7-9pm
Where: Gerðuberg Cultural Center, Hall A

Northern Lights workshop: Tutor
A world first; Neon made and taught in Iceland! Supported by an illustrious array of screened images, the international team of workshop tutors speak candidly with the audience about their approach to and inspiration in working with the alluring media of neon. Richard William Wheater's latest artwork, Northern Lights, will be on show in the outdoor project space.

When: Saturday 8th February 2014, 7-9pm
Where: The Sculpture Association, Nýlendugata 15, 101 Reykjavík

Northern Lights workshop: Exhibition and Auction
An exhibition of light themed artwork by international artists and Artist-in-residence Magdalena Jetelová will go under the hammer! Your chance to bid for a unique neon sculpture or original neon-related artwork for your home. This evening promises to be a lot of fun and everyone is invited!

When: Sunday 9th February 2014, 7-9pm
Where: Seljavegur 32, 101 Reykjavik

Celebrate Iceland's Winter Pride Festival from 30. Jan - 2. Feb
 
Late January 2014 heralds the start of the 3rd annual Rainbow Reykjavík LGBT Winter Pride Festival in Reykjavík. The 3-day programme offers a mixture of nature, activities, culture, cuisine, music and nightlife. It starts on the 30th of January with a soak in the Blue Lagoon, followed by dinner at the renowned Lava Restaurant and a party in Iceland’s most popular bar at the Hotel Marina. 

The day after guests will enjoy a guided tour around Reykjavík, a visit to the Penis Museum, a lunch & Glíma (Icelandic Wrestling) show, followed by a free afternoon to enjoy Reykjavík. The cherry on top of this year’s festival is going to be the Rainbow Reykjavik Dinner & Divas show orchestrated especially for the event. On the 1st of February Rainbow Reykjavík guests will enjoy a tour of the Golden Circle, followed by an optional dinner before heading off to the Rainbow Reykjavík Masquerade Party where organizers expect a crowd of up to 500 people for what has become THE club night to be seen at in Iceland. This event, as in fact all other tours and events of the festival, is open to everyone, and we encourage the local community to take part!

The festival is owned by Icelandair and supported by Icelandair Hotels, Reykjavik Excursions, Visit Reykjavik and Pink Iceland – who also programme and produce the festival.
 
For more information check out: www.rainbowreykjavik.com and www.pinkiceland.is

Reykjavík's wonderful Museum of Photography was recently selected by The Guardian newspaper as one of the ten best free museums in Europe.

The article is part of their fabulous series on ‘seeing the world for free‘. The museum, which is about to open an excellent new exhibition entitled ‘From A Different Angle‘  on Saturday 25th January, preserves various collections from both professional and amateur photographers and has around 5 Million photographs from the period around 1870 to 2002.

ljosmyndasafnreykjavikur.is, Mon–Thurs noon–7pm, Fri noon–8pm, weekends 1pm-5pm

On the last day of Christmas (Þrettándahátíð) it’s tradition in Iceland for children to sing songs, dress up as elves and trolls, and with flaming torches, make a procession down to one of the many local elf bonfires (álfabrenna).

This year's main event will be celebrated in Vesturbær on January 6th, starting at 6 pm. The festivities begin at the KR arena, followed by a parade, which will go to Ægissíða where a bonfire will be lit at 6.30 pm. Fireworks start at 7 pm.