News

Opening hours during Christmas Holidays in museums and swimming pools. 

Reykjavík City Museums

Árbær Open Air Museum
23. December: 13:00 – 17:00
24. December: Only guided tour at 13:00
25. December: Closed
26. December: Only guided tour at 13:00
31. December: Only guided tour at 13:00
1. January: Closed

The Settlement Exhibition
23. December: 09:00-18:00
24. December: 09:00-14:00
25. December: Closed
26. December: 12:00-18:00
31. December: 09:00-14:00
1. January: 12:00-18:00

Reykjavík Maritime Museum
23. December:10:00 - 17:00
24.-26. December: Closed
31. December: 10:00-14:00
1. January: Closed

Reykjavík Museum of Photography
23. December: 10:00:-18:00
24.-26. December: Closed
31. December: Closed
1. January: Closed

Viðey - Ferry from Skarfabakki
Closed due to storm damage repairs

Reykjavík Art Museum

Hafnarhús:
Open 26. Dec. 13:00-17:00
Open 31. Dec. 10:00-14:00
Open 1. Jan. 13:00-17:00
Closed 24. and 25. Dec.

Kjarvalsstaðir:
Open 26. Dec. 13:00-17.00
Closed 24. 25. 31. Dec. and 1. Jan.

Ásmundarsafn
Open 26. Dec. 13-17.00
Closed 24. 25. 31. Dec. and 1. Jan.

National Gallery of Iceland
23. Des: Closed (Monday)
24. Des: Open 10-14 on Fríkirkjuvegur 7 (Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection and Sigurjón Ólafsson Musem are closed)
25. Des:  Closed
26.-29.Des: Open
30.des: Closed (Monday)
31.des: Open 10-14 on Fríkirkjuvegur 7 (Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection and Sigurjón Ólafsson Musem are closed)
1. Jan: Closed

National Museum of Iceland
23. Des: Show rooms closed, The Icelandic Yule 11:00-12:00
24. Des: Show rooms closed, The Icelandic Yule 11:00-12:00
25. Des: Closed
26. -29. Des: 10:00-17:00
30. Des: Closed (Monday)
31. Des: 10:00-14:00
1. Jan: Closed

The Culture House - Hverfisgata
24. Des: Closed
25. Des: Closed
26. – 29. Des: 10:00-17:00
30. Des: Closed (Monday)
31. Des: 10:00-14:00
1. Jan: Closed

Swimming Pools

Árbæjarlaug
23. Des: 06:30-18:00
24. Des: 08:00-13:00
25. Des: Closed
26. Des: 12:00-18:00
31. Des: 08:00-13:00
1. Jan: Closed

Breiðholtslaug
23. Des: 06:30-18:00
24. Des: 08:00-13:00
25. Des: Closed
26. Des: Closed
31. Des: 08:00-13:00
1. Jan: Closed

Grafarvogslaug
23. Des: 06:30-18:00
24. Des: 08:00-13:00
25. Des: Closed
26. Des: Closed
31. Des: 08:00-13:00
1. Jan: Closed

Klébergslaug
20. Des: 15:00-19:00
21. – 22. Des: 11:00-18:00
23. Des: 11:00-15:00
24. Des: 10:00-13:00
25. Des: Closed
26. Des: Closed
31. Des: 10:00-13:00
1. Des: Closed

Laugardalslaug
23. Des: 06:30-18:00
24. Des: 08:00-13:00
25. Des: Closed
26. Des: 12:00-18:00
31. Des: 08:00-13:00
1. Jan: 12:00-18:00

Sundhöll Reykjavíkur
23. Des: 06:30-18:00
24. Des: 08:00-13:00
25. Des: Closed
26. Des: 12:00-18:00
31. Des: 08:00-13:00
1. Jan: 12:00-18:00

Vesturbæjarlaug
23. Des: 06:30-18:00
24. Des: 08:00-13:00
25. Des: Closed
26. Des: 12:00-18:00
31. Des: 08:00-13:00
1. Jan: 12:00-18:00

Tomorrow December 10th and Wednesday the 11th there is a storm alert for the Capital Area and other regions in the country. 

Travelers and guests alike are asked to stay indoors and alter their travel plans.

Tuesday ca 15:00 until Wednesday ca 12:00: Reykjavík and surroundings. Storm conditions 20-30 m/sec (72-108 km/h). Loose objects might be blown around. NO TRAVEL CONDITIONS!

Please contact Safe Travel for any enquiries you might have. Click here for their website 

Apply to take part in the Reykjavík Fringe Festival! The deadline for the open call is 4 January 2020. The festival itself takes place at the height of summer in downtown Reykjavík, 4-12 July 2020. This is an international open arts festival that offers theatre, dance, stand up comedy, drag shows, cabaret, circus, workshops, films, magic and so much more. Most shows take place in English, Icelandic or are non-verbal. Young people and artists that are new to the scene are particularly encouraged to apply.

The application form is not limited to Reykjavík Fringe, since the festival is a part of the Nordic Fringe Network that has 8 festivals in 6 countries. Zagare Fringe in Lithuania is bi-annual and not a part of the program in 2020, but applicants can still choose to apply for up to 7 festivals in 5 countries and tour their show to Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Finland besides Iceland.

Festival director Nanna Gunnars has this to say: "This is a unique opportunity for artists to make Nordic connections, and even connections beyond the Nordic countries. Iceland is ideally located right between North America and Europe, meaning that Reykjavík is a melting pot of locals and international tourists with good English skills. With the festival taking place in July it's a good time to polish the show before taking it to Edinburgh Fringe, whilst enjoying Reykjavík at the height of summer and networking under the midnight sun. We also love that we are helping to strengthen the bond between the Nordic festivals, with many artists choosing to tour their shows to several Nordic countries."

The application fee for Reykjavík Fringe is 5000 ISK / 35 Euro / 40 USD. The festival offers venues and technical assistance along with plenty of networking events. Note that the festival does not cover accommodation, transport costs or a performance fee - but all profit from ticket sales goes directly to the artist. On the 4th of January 2020 there will be the Halfway to Fringe party at Hlemmur Square, where the festival will be introduced with plenty of entertainment, drinks and nibbles.

Further information and the application form can be found at RVKfringe.is

Celebrate the start of Christmas and take part in a time-honoured Reykjavík tradition, with the lighting of the Oslo Christmas tree at Austurvöllur Square.

The lights on the Oslo Christmas tree will be turned on tomorrow December the 1st at 16:00 in front of the Parliament at Austurvöllur square. The schedule begins at 15:30 with the Reykjavík brass band and the Sagene Janitsjarkops band from Oslo playing Christmas and festive songs.  Santa Clauses will be amongst guests singing and entertaining the children. Do not miss this annual family event! 

A new study has revealed the most LGBT-friendly cities in the world, based on a ranking of 77 major world cities.

The Wellbeing Index was created by Fitbit and ranks the cities in order of their liveability based on 15 factors, including gender equality, safety and LGBT+ acceptance.

It judged the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik, to be the best place to live for LGBT+ people, giving it a score of 10/10 thanks to “full legal equality as well as strong representation in parliament and the media”.

It’s hardly surprising considering that Iceland was the first country in the world to elect an openly gay head of state, and Icelanders have taken every opportunity to show their support for the LGBT+ community ever since.

Click here for the full article 

Taking place once again during 72 hours of continuous sunlight from the Nordic islands fabled Midnight Sun. ​Performing in Iceland for the first time, Secret Solstice is proud to present pioneering Grammy-nominated Latino-American hip-hop collective, ​Cypress Hill​, rising star and American rapper/songwriter Lil Pump​, British indie-rock band, ​Primal Scream and global r’n’b two timed RIAA diamond certified supergroup, TLC as the first festival headliners for Secret Solstice 2020. Featuring 20+ acts across rock music, dance music, hip hop and house music including ​Meduza​, ​Regard​, ​Hayden James​, ​Hot Dub Time Machine and many more. Boasting naturally breathtaking landscapes and scenery, attendees will have the opportunity to experience a uniquely memorable music festival while bathing in beauty of Iceland under the 72 hours of non-stop sunlight.

For more information check out their website www.secretsolstice.is 

On Sunday 24th November at 13:30, Margrét Sigfúsdóttir, the Head of a local school of Icelandic culinary arts and crafts will be teaching guests the art of making traditional Icelandic leaf bread (laufabrauð).

Everyone's encouraged to hop on the ferry to Viðey and spend a cosy afternoon together for this wonderful seasonal activity. You never know, the smell of that delicious leaf bread cooking might just tempt a few of those Icelandic Christmas Lads over for a visit!

The cost is 2,250 ISK for 10 pieces of leafbread.

Viðey House has a limited supply of lead-bread irons and paring knives, therefore guests are asked to bring their own utensils like small knifes if possible.

A selection of tasty meals and refreshments are available to purchase at Viðey Restaurant.

To register for this event please contact staff at videyjarstofa@videyjarstofa.is

Ferry schedule:

Ferries from Skarfabakki pier to Viðey Island depart at 13:15, 14:15, 15:15.

Ferry prices:

Adults 16 years and over: 1,600 ISK.

Children 7-15 years of age: 800 ISK.

Senior citizens and disabled: 1,450 ISK.

Everyone is welcome!

On Saturday the 16th of November at 15:30, the illumination of the famous Icelandic Yule Cat will take place on Lækjartorg square. The mayor of Reykjavík Dagur B. Eggertsson will welcome the cat with a few words, and the choir Graduale Futuri will sing some Christmas songs. We also heard that the infamous troll parents of the Yule Lads, Grýla and Leppalúði will be there to greet and meet guests. 

The Yule Cat is a huge and vicious cat who is described as lurking about the snowy countryside during Christmas time and eating people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve. He is the house pet of Grýla and her sons.

Though referred to as an ancient tradition, written accounts of the Yule Cat have only been located as recently as the 19th century. The threat of being eaten by the Yule Cat was used by farmers as an incentive for their workers to finish processing the autumn wool before Christmas. The ones who took part in the work would be rewarded with new clothes, but those who did not would get nothing and thus would be preyed upon by the monstrous cat. The cat has alternatively been described as merely eating away the food of ones without new clothes during Christmas feasts. The perception of the Yule Cat as a man-eating beast was partly popularized by poems of Jóhannes úr Kötlum as with the rest of the folklore. 

Space for Humans: The Moon on Earth is a new exhibition at the Reykjavík Museum of Photography. On the occasion of the exhibition, a talk with the photographer Matthew Broadhead will be held on Friday, November 15 at 12:10.

The event is in English and admission is free. The exhibition is open every day November 14, 2019 - February 3, 2020.

In his work, Broadhead explores the connections between geology, anthropology, history and myths. The project originated at the beginning of 2016, between two half-century anniversaries of scientific field trips organised by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Groups of U.S. astronauts and personnel from both government agencies arrived in Iceland in 1965 and 1967. NASA considered Iceland to be “Probably the most moon-like of the field areas” in a document that functioned as a field-training schedule, and it is clear that they were allies in human exploration.

Broadhead’s practice entails an engagement with photography as a critical medium and explores the conjunctions between different subjects; notably geology, anthropology, history, and mythology. His research in these areas is meant to change how he interacts with subjects in different contexts in addition to his recording methodology. Operating at the intersection between documentary and conceptual art, he creates fictional bodies of work based on factual source material.

Broadhead was raised in North Devon. After studying at Petroc, he went on to graduate with a First Class Honours degree in Photography from the University of Brighton. He recently completed his MA in Photography at the University of the West of England, based in Bristol. While still a young practitioner, Broadhead has already been widely published and shortlisted for a number of awards. He was the winner of the inaugural Photoworks Prize, the Magnum Photos Graduate Photographer prize and the De Donkere Kamer #31 prize.

For more information see about the exhibition see here.  For information about the artist, visit http://matthewbroadhead.com/

The event is part of Friday event series at the museum where diverse perspectives are intertwined with the museum's exhibitions and activities.

Reykjavik just won the Gold Award as a Destination for 2020 at the Travel News Market, the largest travel exhibition held in Sweden.

The Gold Award was awarded in the “premium” category for a weekend trip, which means that most premium travelers say they want to travel to Iceland on a weekend trip, or a total of 18.1%. Second place was Rome and Paris was in third place.

Premium travelers are those who primarily want a unique experience and are willing to spend more, according to the definition of international market research firm YouGov, which conducted the survey. Awards were also awarded in the category Budgetresenär, ie. travelers who want to travel cheaply, and the category Security, for travelers who prefer security such as package holidays. Subcategories were weekend trips, week trips and long trips.

The survey was submitted in September and there were just over two thousand Swedes in the sample. The survey was conducted by Travel News, which is Sweden's largest professional magazine in the field of tourism. The purpose of the survey was to find out which destinations are most popular today among Swedish tourists.

Iceland Airwaves, one of the most popular music events in the country, starts this Wednesday the 6th of November. 

Thousands of guests fly over for the festival which started as a one-off gig in an airplane hangar in 1999 with 5 bands. Over the years Iceland Airwaves has grown steadily with increasingly more bands, more venues and more guests. The festival has established itself as one of the hippest events on the international music festival calendar and has the reputation of showcasing international talent and breaking new acts.

Each November for four days and nights, downtown Reykjavík comes alive, filled non-stop with music, with performances hosted everywhere from tiny record stores and art museums, to cool bars and stately churches, to nightclubs and large scale venues.

For the full schedule, tickets and information check out their website Icelandairwaves.is 

Halloween at the Árbær Open Air Museum 

Thursday 31 October 17:00-19:00

Free admission for guests in creepy costumes!

We will be celebrating Halloween at the Árbær Open Air Museum on Thursday 31st October 2019 from 18:00- 20:00.

As dusk descends, the grounds of the museum will be cloaked in a supernatural air of mystery; and there in the twilight, you might just catch a glimpse of the ghosts of old times past. 

Visit the museum and find out about the fascinating customs of this ancient Celtic tradition, and, you never know, you might come across a few lost, old spirits wandering around the grounds.

The bravest can knock on doors of spooky old houses with a glowing jack-o-lantern and play trick or treat on the deathly inhabitants.

Don't forget to stop by at Lækjargata House where you can learn how to make Halloween candy bags to collect all your treats. Don't worry; the bags are strong enough to hold lots of goodies!

Admission is free for guests dressed in creepy costumes. Kids 12 years or younger must be accompanied by an adult. Those who scare easily might want to bring someone to hold on to!

The programme starts at 18:00 and runs until 20:00.