Iceland Events and Festivals

Þrettándinn
This fun event is the 13^th day and the end of the Christmas festive season in the Icelandic calendar, with bonfires, singing and huge fireworks displays nationwide.

Thorri (Thorrablot)
One for the tourists if they are invited to an Icelander’s home; Thorri is designed to spice up the winter by eating extremely obscure and off-putting Norse food. Specialities include: sheep's head and testicles, Icelandic haggis and putrefied shark meat. Most partakers wash these dishes down with caraway-flavoured vodka, Iceland's national drink.

Buns Day
Celebrated on the Monday before Ash Wednesday, Buns Day is definitely one up from Thorri, where restaurants and homes all over the island feature delicious cream buns.

Beer Day
Beer Day is celebrated every year on March 1, marking the day when beer was legalised in Iceland in 1989.

Easter
Easter takes place during the peak skiing season and is celebrated with a number of music concerts. In addition, chocolate eggs are consumed nationwide by children, mums and dads alike.

First Day of Summer
There is good reason why Iceland is the only country in the world to celebrate the arrival of summer; winters are extremely long, dark and cold here. Celebrations include sporting events, parades and other types of fun entertainment all over Iceland.

Miss Iceland Beauty Contest
Held every May, the Miss Iceland Beauty Contest features the most gorgeous ladies of Iceland vying for the top spot, which will propel her onto the international stage.

Independence Day
Towards the end of WWII, in 1944, Iceland sought independence from Denmark, and June 17^th marks the occasion every year in towns and villages across the country. A great place to spend Independence Day is at Thingvellir National Park, while the village of Hrafnseyr is another popular place, as it was the birthplace of Icelandic legend, Jon Sigurdsson.

Reykholt Music Festival
The event of July, the Reykholt Music Festival, held in the town of Reykholt to the north Reykjavík, sees classical music played out at the pretty church where writer Snorri Sturluson once lived.

Flight of the Puffling
One for the ornithologist, Flight of the Puffling features literally millions of baby puffins leaving their nests for the first time on the island of Vestmannaeyjar; just off the south coast of Iceland.

Reykjavík Cultural Night
Held on the Saturday nearest to August 16^th, the Cultural Night is Reykjavík’s anniversary and sees many of the city’s museums and bookstores staying open late, while cafés, restaurants and bars also get in on the spirit with a range of fun events.

Culture Festival Time
Continuing with the culture theme, Reykjavík hosts the Jazz Festival and the Film Festival in September, which are very popular events, with people coming in from all over the world to see some famous guests.

Réttir
Those that are in the interior during September should keep an eye out for Réttir; a time when farmers round up their sheep and horses on horseback before the winter sets in.

Christmas
Is another fun time in Iceland and Reykjavík in particular, with Christmas buffets and niceties, smoked lamb, grouse and reindeer available for feasting. The beautifully-lit streets of the capital come alive and 13 Santa’s mingle with the crowds.

New Year's Eve
This is the only night of the year when fireworks are legal on the island, and everyone seems to get in on the action. Reykjavík is particularly manic, with revellers making merry, while huge bonfires light up the beaches.

New Year's Day - 1 January
Easter weekend – 24 to 28 March
First Day of Spring - 21 April
Labour Day - 1 May
Ascension Day - 5 May
Whitsunday and Monday – 15 to 16 May
National Day - 17 June
Bank Holiday - 1 August
Christmas Eve - 24 December
Christmas – 25 December
Boxing Day – 26 December
New Year's Eve - 31 December