Reykjavík Food and Fun Festival
Category: Food
When: February 27 – March 3

Are you ready for an extraordinary culinary experience? On its 18th edition, Reykjavík receives international chefs from all the world to pair up with some of the best local restaurants in the city. These combinations of artists are responsible for mesmerizing your senses with gourmet dishes at affordable prices.

Restaurants like Vox, Nostra, Kopar, and Grand Hotel will pair up with renowned chefs such as Deuki Hong, specialized in Korean Barbecue, Esteban Morales from Barcelona specialized in tapas, Nicola Fanetti from Italy with his special Nordic and Italian mixtures, and Georgiana Viou from France with her particular author’s kitchen.

What’s new?
This year the Off-Menu is here to delight you with the trending Street Food and Gastro Pubs now in Iceland. It is an exciting way of fusing this type of foods and drinks with a gourmet style.

Recommended for the foodie lovers!

Design March
Category: Design
When: March 28 – 31

Design March is here to blow your mind, like every year. The annual design festival combines the local design scene and international names from the industries of fashion, architecture, furniture, environment, food and product design. On these four days, you will be able to see the most exciting and impressive projects related to each design sector.

The festival starts with Design Talks, an exceptional group of lectures by world-class designers and design thinkers in the Harpa Concert Hall. If you make part of the artistic world, you can apply for participating in an exhibition or event.

We recommend it for people that appreciate art in all of its forms.

Sónar Reykjavík
Category: Music
When: April 25-27

Music, Creativity, & Technology. This is what Sónar Reykjavík offers you on this 3-day music festival in Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center. Sónar is a magnificent world-class event that invites the best established and rising stars in Iceland. It counts with four indoor stages under the transparent roof of Harpa while some Northern Lights are just dancing around.

This festival has been in Reykjavík since 2013 and has received artists like Major Lazer and Diplo. From electronica to hip-hop, this is one of the best festivals around the world, so imagine this in Iceland. It’s just perfect!

We recommend it for techy electronica lovers.

Secret Solstice
Category: Music
When: June 21-23

Everyone loves a music festival in the summertime, but what better than one that never stops? In the Secret Solstice, the sun doesn’t set, so the party goes on for hours. Imagine – all kinds of performances from local and international artists. This year the 6th edition will be celebrated with artists like Rita Ora, Martin Garrix and Morcheeba in Laugardalur & Laugardalshöll in Reykjavík.

The festival is themed after the Viking mythology and the Norse religion with a natural symbolism and stories about the Gods. It is the event of the summer, and if you happen to be in Iceland, this is the perfect place to be at. Tickets for the three days start at 117 euros and VIP at 219 euros. You can also get daily ones, but come on, enjoy the whole festival because it is worth it!

We recommend this festival for the addicted to daylight, the summer lovers and the ones that feel music in their veins!

Þjóðhátið 2019
Category: Local Music and Camping
When: August 2-4

Icelanders love this festival that takes place at Westmann Islands. Story short, when people in Iceland’s mainland were celebrating something, for the people living on the island it was challenging to sail there because of weather conditions. And this is how Þjóðhátið was born. The Islands receive 16,000 people for 24/7 parties, music, and a great atmosphere.

Although it is a very local festival, people from all around the world come and join. It is an event for all ages, but for the ones that can handle partying from Friday until Monday morning with bonfires, fireworks, sing-along activities, and music.

Read our blog post of Þjóðhátið 2019 here.

We recommend it for camping lovers, families, and for those wanting to have a great weekend in a beautiful island!

Reykjavík Pride
Category: Cultural
When: August 8-17

Ready for the most popular event in Iceland? Reykjavík Pride is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and they are coming with the whole package! For a week people from around the world visit Reykjavík to put some rainbow color on the streets. The Pride Parade on Saturday the 17th is full of colorful and crazy costumes, and if you want to be part of it, applications are received until the 3rd.

It is great to see how inclusive people are, and this is an event to show to the world. It is what we need. Just spreading the love for everyone no matter who they are or their sexual preferences.

What’s new?
This year the festival will last for ten whole days. It is time to show your true colors, and we can’t wait for it any longer!

We recommend it for everyone that wants to celebrate life, and have fun in the most colorful party ever!

Reykjavík Culture Night
Category: Cultural
When: August 24

Menningarnótt, in Icelandic, takes all over the place in central Reykjavík. From streets to museums, bars, and gardens, everyone celebrates this night. The Culture Night has events from 13h to 23h ending with the fireworks show. The entrance is free, and everyone can enjoy music concerts, delicious food, design, and great literature.

This event is one that you have to live to see what it is about and what it means to locals. All the city is a living party, so you will definitely not want to miss it!

Reykjavík Jazz Festival
Category: Music
When: September 4 – 8

Ohh, the Jazz. Such a piece of fantastic music. And believe it or not, is a genre that is growing again in younger generations with a little bit of hip-hop, electronic mixture. Since 1990, Reykjavík has been home for the local jazz scene and international guests to perform in live shows and some jam sessions in bars and restaurants.

The festival focuses on original modern jazz, and if you don’t know what this is, it will be great if you join this 4-day event.

We recommend it for those who get goosebumps by the sound of a saxophone.

Reykjavík International Film Festival
Category: Music
When: September 26 – October 6

Imagine if puffins are cute, how awesome would it be to get a golden one? RIFF is one of the most culturally diverse events in the country, and for 11 days the film industry takes over with cinema shows, exhibitions, workshops, and even a meet chat with the directors of the movies.

Showing Icelandic talent is their principal objective, but they receive artists from 40 countries. The focus is on films related to drama and non-fiction themes. If you are interested in going, you can get a festival pass for all screenings, coupon cards or single tickets.

We recommend this festival for film artists in the making and the movie lovers.

Iceland Airwaves Music Festival
Category: Music
When: November 6 – 9

Airwaves. I hear this, and it just gets me so excited! Iceland Airwaves is the most popular music festival in the country and has been around since 1999. You will enjoy some emerging music artists and world-class international talent. Due to its location, it is considered the festival between North America and Europe, knowing that a significant part of its attendees come from the other side of the world.

As a non-stop music festival, performances are held in all types of spaces: record stores, museums, bars, nightclubs, and of course, huge opened venues.

We recommend it for everyone that loves music! It is not only about singing to the lyrics. So, if you don’t know them, enjoy the music and great performances from artists from around the world.