Category Archives: Festivals
A roundup of things to do in Iceland this May, as prepared by your ticket-holding editors.
Icelanders aren’t much for people who whine about what’s wrong in the world, but they sure are excited about Bob Dylan’s concert 26 May. Just like a woman.
Rite of Spring Festival returns 17-19 May. It’s like Airwaves for the folk, jazz, and world […]
A roundup of things to do in Iceland this month, as prepared by your 8 Bar editors.
The Yardbirds don’t remember the 60’s, but you might. They join musicians from all over the world 18-21 March at the Reykjavík Blues Festival. Sad and happy at the same time.
So you’ve seen Spamalot four times… wouldn’t it be nice to see the New […]
Here in Iceland we’re currently in the thick of Þorrablót season—the traditional midwinter festival where people get together to eat rotten food and drink lots of Black Death. While it is commonly regarded by outsiders as merely a putrid-food drinkfest, there is a lot more to it than that.
Before Iceland adopted Christianity in 1000 AD, it […]
A round-up of things to do in Iceland this February, as prepared by your sickly-white editors.
Tell darkness to “smell it… smell it… NOW TAKE IT!” 7-9 February at the Winter Lights Festival. Bring a flashlight.
Fight racism with hip-hop at Gauk á Stöng 1 February. Don’t expect to see many Spanish football loyalists.
The Iceland Symphony Orchestra performs […]
What we learned from Iceland’s largest music festival:
Iceland rocks. This comes as no surprise to seasoned Icelandic music lovers, but there may be no better city in which to hear music. The vibe downtown is completely welcoming and energetic. Iceland is truely in love with music and the people who make it. Speaking of which…
Listen like a local. Of […]
Chromeo!
Arg! This was a tough one. The big guns came out last night… the music got better, the performances got wilder, and the crowds got more insane. Mugison gave everything he had for our title, with probably the most dedicated performance of the festival.
But in the end, the full commitment that Chromeo managed to squeeze out […]
Buck 65!
This one was a tough call. As Airwaves continues, the performances get better and our memories get hazier. Some honourable mentions go to Plants and Animals for the diversity and talent they displayed, and to Deerhoof for giving the crowd everything they expected from the trio.
But the award goes to Buck 65. Old school […]
Ólöf Arnalds!
Ólöf is familiar to all music-loving Icelanders. At least she sounds familiar, having contributed to songs by favourite Mugison (among others), and serving as Múm’s collaborator for the last three years. She is a multi-talented experimental musician who plays guitar, viola, xylophone, and sings (of course).
But fresh on the heels of her debut solo album […]
Smoosh!
Ok, we’ll admit that these three cute little sisters from Seattle had an unfair advantage. Who could fault three kids flying to Iceland to play in front of hundreds of wannabe Vikings? They had an unfair advantage from the start, but the real surprise was how great they turned out to be! Asy, Chloe, and Maia offer up catchy electro-pop songs with the playfulness and […]
A roundup of things to do in Iceland this October, as prepared by your soon-to-be sleep deprived editors.
170 bands in 4 nights? Sounds like a long weekend for Courtney Love. 17-21 October, Iceland Airwaves comes to a pounding eardrum near you! Get your virtual hangover right here with our complete coverage.
For a calmer experience, check out Yoko Ono’s […]
If you were looking for a rest from the seemingly endless list of cool stuff to do in Iceland this month… uh, sorry.
The concert build-up to Airwaves continues this month with the stylings of Nora Jones, Chris Cornell, Franz Ferdinand, and more. Fair warning: our last editor actaully overdosed on live music once - vomited in […]
A bunch of running, concerts, a whispering world record, fireworks, and free waffles. What more could you want?
If there is one thing that Icelanders know, it’s celebration. Iceland is the kind of place where people throw a party because they find soap that matches their towels.
So imagine what can happen when you hold an internationally renowned marathon and a country’s largest […]
On 11 August, Iceland comes way, way out of the closet.
Gay Pride weekend has grown to become one of the most anticipated festivals of the year. At this Saturday’s parade, kids sporting rainbow flags and face paint will be as common as drag queens and women in plaid. Páll Óskar, Iceland’s reigning Queen, will croon to the crowd of […]
It’s easy to pronounce with a mouth full of beer.
The tiny island of Heimaey in Iceland’s 18-island Westman Island chain erupts on the first weekend in August as thousands come to drink, sing, and burn stuff.
The yearly festival started in 1874 when weather kept the islanders from going ashore to celebrate Iceland’s independence from Denmark. It has grown steadily to […]
A roundup of things to do in Reykjavík and beyond this August, as prepared by your fab-u-lous editors.
This 3-6 August, the Westman Islands is the unlikely scene of the earth’s wildest annual party. It’s also where 93% of all Icelanders were conceived. Bring protection (from the weather).
The Reykjavík Gay Pride Festival sashays its way into town 9-12 August. […]
A roundup of things to do in Reykjavík and beyond this July, as prepared by your not-quite-used-to-the-midnight-sun editors.
Bad Taste, the label that brought you Björk and Sigur Rós has opened a store and gallery downtown, featuring the exhibit ‘Lobster or Fame’. We’ll have the fame, lightly sautéed.
In case you missed them 30 years ago, Toto will play Iceland’s biggest venue 10 […]
A roundup of things to do in Reykjavík this May, as prepared by your gastricly challenged culturally enlightened editors.
The Reykjavík Arts Festival takes over the capital May 10 to 26. It features hundreds of people that you’ve never heard of who have more talent than Robbie Williams. Oh right, there are mimes too, so, uh, the less said the better.
And you thought the rite of […]
A roundup of things to do in Reykjavík this April, as prepared by your sprightly editors.
Björk, Iceland. Iceland, Björk. Perhaps you’ve met? The singer comes home to kick off the world tour backing her new CD Volta April 9th. Worth it just to see what she’ll wear.
Make your hangover feel like community service. Get to […]
A round-up of things to do in Reykjavík for the rest of March, as prepared by your thankful-to-be-out-of-the-clutch-of-winter’s-evil-darkness editors.
Five years between albums is just too long. Be there as dance music visionaries and all-around hipsters GusGus celebrate the release of their fourth album on the 24th at Nasa. You won’t be the coolest person in the […]
Yeah, yeah. Iceland Airwaves, blah, blah, blah. We get it. Just check their website, ok?
On Saturday, check out the noon-to-midnight off-venue Airwaves concert at Hljómalind on Laugavegur. Pardon us while we abuse our position and encourage you to check out super-cutie Mr. Silla (pictured above, pretending to be tough) and her new best friend, Mongoose, […]
The international hipster community prepares for a difficult weekend by donning wristbands, as the most important music festival in the solar system begins in Reykjavík tonight.
Unless you’ve had more important things to think about, you’ll know that the annual Iceland Airwaves music festival starts in Reykjavík today, and continues through to Sunday.
Beginning in 1999, what […]
A roundup of things to do in Reykjavík this weekend, prepared by your lovely and very well connected editors.
Krzyztof Penderecki conducts the Iceland Symphony Orchestra tonight, playing Beethoven and himself, with soloist Florian Uhlig. Play the funky music, Krzyztof.
The Reykjavik Jazz Festival is in full, er, swing. If you can bear to wake up before […]
