Welcome, traveller!
You might think you’re visiting Iceland in February, but we Icelanders know better. We have our own calendar and it’s Þorri time now, people!
All right, I’m getting ahead of myself. The Icelandic calendar is actually not in use any more. It still has a place in Icelandic culture, however, and never is this more apparent than this time of year, the season of the Þorrablót (THAW-rah-blow-t).
Þorrablót was originally an ancient mid-winter religious ritual, dedicated to worshipping Odin, Thor, Freyja and their buddies, along with some light sacrificing. Today, families, sports teams, and communities gather every Þorri to eat some of the most unappetising foodstuffs imaginable, wash it all down with Brennivín (Black Death), and party the night away.
Festivals in February
There’s plenty of other, better smelling things to do this month, if you don‘t fancy spending your time eating the traditional Icelandic. The Winter Nights Festival is one of the highlights of the winter season, with museums, libraries, swimming pools and other community institutions putting on a show, and we also have an Annual Icelandic Beer Festival!
Last, but never least, February is the month of Sónar! This celebration of electronic music is on the exact opposite end of the spectrum from Þorrablót, but no less exciting (some might even claim it’s a lot more exciting).
If you want to stop by the What’s On office, to book a tour, ask for information or just say hi, we’ve temporarily relocated to the Volcano house due to construction at the Laugavegur location. Hopefully we’ll see you there, down by the old harbour!
