The biggest festival month of the year in Iceland is ahead of us. In August, there is not only Culture Night in Reykjavík towards the end of the month, but also a range of outdoor festivals around the country on the first weekend of the month (Merchant’s Weekend). But that is just scratching the surface, because there is also Reykjavík Pride in August as well as countless other local festivals, cultural events and music festivals around Iceland.
Below we take a closer look at the festivals by month and location, starting with Reykjavík in August and then covering the rest of the year and other parts of Iceland.
What are the main festivals in Iceland?
Besides international festivals like Christmas and Easter, these five could be said to be the main festivals in Iceland in terms of popularity, covered in more detail in the article below:
- Reykjavík Culture Night in August
- Þjóðhátíð in Westman Islands in August
- Reykjavík Pride in August
- Iceland Airwaves in November
- Reykjavík Arts Festival biannually in May/June
Nationwide Festivals in Iceland
These are the festivals that take place every year around the country.
New Years Eve
New Years Eve is celebrated big time in Iceland with fireworks, food and drink. Some people also like to party, but for most, this is a family event first and foremost. Families get together to have dinner and then watch the annual new year’s comedy show on state TV (RÚV).
Þrettándinn (Twelfth Day)
Icelanders are so into Christmas that the celebration technically lasts for 13 days, ending on Þrettándinn, January 6. Þrettándinn literally translates as “The Thirteenth” but is more commonly known as Twelfth Day in the English-speaking world. Christmas is a Christian holiday, and most who celebrate this date know it as The Epiphany or Three Kings‘ Day, which celebrates the magi coming from the East to acknowledge the birth of Christs. In Iceland, however, Twelfth Night is dedicated to elves, hidden people, and other mythological creatures.
Þorrablót
In the Old Norse calendar, Þorri was the name of a month that ran from late January to February in our current calendar. Since it was usually the coldest month of the year, Þorri was anthropomorphised into an allegorical figure, like Jack Frost. Þorri is fair but ruthless and some stories claim he’s married to Góa (the following month). When Icelanders still worshiped the Old Norse gods, there was usually a “blót”, or a sacrificial ceremony combined with a festival, to appease the gods and ensure the return of summer. With the conversion to Christianity, this tradition died out but was resurrected by romantic nationalists in the 19th century, and Þorrablót celebrations (minus the sacrifice) have become tradition. For the þorrablót, people get together to consume a feast of food from old times: dried fish, pickled rams’ testicles and fermented shark to name a few of the highlights.
Bolludagur (Cream Puff Day)
Bolludagur, which roughly translates to “Cream Puff Day” in English, is the first in a row of three peculiar holidays that constitute the Icelandic Carnival. Bolludagur is celebrated on the Monday six weeks before Easter, so the actual date is different every year. It is believed that bakers from Denmark or Norway introduced the custom to Icelanders in the middle of the 19th century. It is those people we have to thank for bringing the delicious bolludagsbolla to Iceland.
Sprengidagur (Shrove Tuesday)
Sprengidagur (literally: Bursting Day), is Iceland’s version of Shrove Tuesday, which Icelanders celebrate by eating as much as they can of boiled, corned (salt-preserved) lamb (or horsemeat) and split pea soup. It is delicious! This holiday falls on the Tuesday after Bolludagur. On Sprengidagur, every Icelandic home, as well as most restaurants, is flooded with the aroma of salted meat and peas. Why is it called Bursting Day? You should eat until you feel like you are going to burst (think Monty Python’s Mr Creosote). Remember, this comes just after a day dedicated to stuffing your face with a huge amount of cream puffs.
Öskudagur (Ash Wednesday)
Ash Wednesday is, in most countries, a solemn day. It is the first day of Lent, a time of fasting and prayer, in which people give up something they enjoy to remember Jesus’s 40 days in the desert. In Iceland, however, children dress up in costumes and sing songs for candy. It is sort of like the Icelandic version of Halloween, without the pagan undertones. The children only beg for candy in shops and businesses (In Reykjavík and the bigger towns, at least), so Laugavegur and the shopping malls are filled with kids of all ages in costumes of all shapes and sizes. The children are expected to earn their candy by singing a song, a tradition that excites the young ones and at least a part of the older generations as well.
Easter
Easter in Iceland is a big deal. Not only is it a five-day weekend, it is also celebrated with big Easter eggs made of chocolate and filled with wise sayings and candy. In order to celebrate Easter the Icelandic way, here are some Easter essentials to make your experience as authentic as possible. Apart from Easter eggs, Easter chickens, decorations and Easter lamb are all an integral part of Easter celebrations in Iceland.
National Holiday of Iceland (17 June)
In 1262, Icelanders gave up their independence to become subjects of the Norwegian king. Almost seven centuries later, we figured that was a bad call and took it back. While most fights for independence include some actual fighting and bloodshed, Iceland’s battle for independence was fought with rousing speeches, letters, articles, and poems.
Poets and politicians championed Iceland’s independence in the 19th century, and with the home rule in 1904 and sovereignty in 1918, not to mention the waning popularity of colonialism, full independence was fast becoming inevitable. When World War II rolled around, Denmark was occupied by the Germans and Denmark ruled over Iceland in name only. In 1944, on June 17, Iceland declared independence, sending Denmark a politely-worded letter saying something like: “Sorry to hear about the German thing, what a bummer, right? Anyway, the weather here is nice, and everyone says hi. Love, Iceland. PS, we’re independent now.”
Fisherman’s Day
Fishermen’s Day is an Icelandic holiday which takes place on the first Sunday of June. The whole day is dedicated to celebrating sailors and fishermen, as well as their families. It’s been held since 1938, but in 1987 it became an official day off for all Icelandic sailors. It’s celebrated all around the country, especially in towns and villages where the fishing industry plays a major part in daily life. The fishing industry has had, and still has, a huge impact on Icelandic society and without fishermen, Iceland would not be the thriving country it is today. All the more reason to put fishermen in the spotlight.
Festivals in Reykjavík and surrounding areas
Reyjkjavík Culture Night
Culture Night is the biggest outdoor festival in Iceland held annually, attracting around 100,000 visitors. Part of the program is indoors but the biggest events are outdoor, such as the big concerts downtown and the fireworks display to conclude the festivities at the end of the night. Reykjavík Marathon always takes place on the same day as Culture Night and is a festival in its own right and popularity increasing every year.
Reykjavík Pride
Reykjavík Pride has been a staple annual event since 1999, with the first parade held in August 2000. Its roots trace back to 1993, when Icelandic gays and lesbians gathered in downtown Reykjavík to demand freedom and human rights, a protest repeated in 1994. What began as a cozy gathering with around fifteen hundred spectators has flourished into a vibrant, nearly week-long celebration that draws over 100,000 visitors from around the globe. Reykjavík Pride has become Iceland’s largest annual event, sometimes referred to as “the world’s biggest small Pride!”
Innipúkinn
Merchant’s Day Weekend is a holiday in early August where, traditionally, Reykjavík residents evacuate town and head out to the countryside to camp. There’s also a variety of outdoor festivals in the countryside, most notably Þjóðhátíð in the Westman Islands for those looking for a weekend of beer, tents, and eating out of plastic bags. Innipúkinn (literally “the indoor imp”, an Icelandic term for couch potato) is where the coolest people of Reykjavík will be spending their long weekend, far from any sort of rural setting. You can hear some great music, have fun and still be in your own bed (and your own shower) come morning. It may not be the ultimate overnight festival experience, but it’s clean, dry, and painfully hip. This festival is also great for visitors, who may not have the gear for a full weekend of tent camping.
Reykjavik Jazz Festival
Reykjavik Jazz Festival offers six days of music, spotlighting jazz and improvised performances by musicians from the United States, Europe, and Iceland. Founded in 1990 it is the second longest running music festival in Iceland. The festival hosts performances in a variety of styles, from contemporary jazz and the avant-garde to Latin jazz, gospel and big bands. It features many acclaimed international jazz players as well as Iceland’s leading jazz musicians. Against a backdrop of imposing volcanoes and mountains this small, clean coastal town is an unusual and inspiring location for live jazz.
Iceland Airwaves
Since its first edition in 1999, Iceland Airwaves has served as a joyful celebration of the local music scene, a place for international fans to discover their favourite new Icelandic bands, and just a fun and raucous party that takes over downtown Reykjavík. The music festival was initially started in collaboration with Icelandair in order to attract more visitors to Iceland at a time of year that used to be low season. That worked well and Iceland Airwaves has become one of the highlights of the year for many music lovers.
Dark Music Days
Since the 1980s, this festival has showcased innovative talent in contemporary music. Held during the winter when sunlight is sparse, Dark Music Days prides itself on its diversity. From contemporary classical music to experimental artists perform at Harpa. Established by the Society of Icelandic Composers in 1980, the festival premiers new and often experimental pieces that reflect the ever-growing diversity and creativity of contemporary music. The role of Dark Music Days in the musical community in Iceland is raising awareness for the general public as well as being an incubator for innovation, collaboration and inspiration within the musical community.
Winter Lights Festival
It gets dark in Iceland in winter, but Icelanders don’t let the darkness get them down. The dark winter nights have their own special charm about them. Celebrating the dark winter nights is what the Winter Lights Festival is all about. The festival offers a range of events, where the many faces of Reykjavík culture are revealed. Art and industry, environment and history, sports and culture come together when all the major museums, the swimming pools, and the Harpa music hall join forces and put on an amazing variety of events, all over the city.
Food & Fun
Food and Fun is an annual culinary festival in downtown Reykjavík, held in March. Food and Fun brings chefs from all over the world to Reykjavík. There, they get the chance to work with local restaurants and Icelandic ingredients. Many local restaurants participate in the event. During the festival, Reykjavík is the place to be for foodies and food lovers!
DesignMarch
As its name suggests, DesignMarch was originally held each year in March – adding some much-needed colour to the lull between the holiday season and Reykjavík’s traditionally eventful summer festival season. However, when COVID-19 became a household name, the festival shifted to April or May, depending on the year.
Reykjavík International Literary Festival
Reykjavík International Literary Festival (RILF) is as the name implies a literature festival in Reykjavík, attracting readers and authors from around the world since it was first held in 1985. It features a wide range of events, including readings, conversations, lectures, children’s programs, film screenings, discussions, poetry readings and writing workshops. All the events are free and open to the public. The festival focuses on issues of freedom of expression and human rights, dedicating specific events to these topics.
StockFish Film Festival
Stockfish Film Festival showcases the best in arthouse cinema and offers a platform for filmmakers, industry professionals, and cinephiles, featuring award-winning films, masterclasses, panels, and networking opportunities.
International Museum Day
On 18 May annually, the International Museum Day takes place. This year’s theme was the future of museums in ever changing societies. Many museums offer free admission on that day.
Iceland Innovation Week
Iceland Innovation Week celebrates and showcases innovation at the end of May every year. Events include panel discussions, company visits,happy hours and an icy ocean dip in locations in Reykjavík throughout the week. Founders, startups, larger companies, and public institutions participate. The goal is to increase the innovation sector’s visibility, and create a platform where knowledge can be shared.
Reykjavík Blues Festival
Reykjavík Blues Festival brings together blues artists from Europe, Iceland, and North America to perform in some of the most unique jam sessions in the Northern Hemisphere. This is a great festival where young and promising blues artists get the chance to play with legends from both sides of the Atlantic.
Reykjavík Children’s Culture Festival
Reykjavík Children’s Culture Festival has three main aspects: children’s culture, culture for children, and culture with children. It is a week-long arts and culture festival dedicated to children and youth. The Reykjavík Children’s Culture Festival was launched in 2010 and has been a huge success. Dedicated exclusively to children and young people in Reykjavík up to the age of 16, this annual festival strives to introduce the youth to a wide range of art disciplines through workshops and performances.
The Color Run
The Color Run in Iceland celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2025 with a true birthday party on Saturday, August 16, 2025. Since 2015, nearly 70,000 people have participated in the color run in Iceland, enjoying a proper family and color festival. As a color runner, you and thousands of other participants will be covered in color at each kilometer you complete.
Hafnarfjörður Viking Festival
This festival for the whole family takes place around 17 June and lasts about five to six days. It is held in the picturesque Víðistaðatún Park Park in the centre of Hafnarfjörður. As if overnight the tranquil park transforms into a bustling viking market with tents covering the spacious field.
Reykjavík Arts Festival
Reykjavík Arts Festival is a biennale and will next take place during 30 May to 14 June 2026.
The festival hosts artistic creations from all corners of the world while also nurturing a powerful and vibrant relationship with its audiences, to let them enjoy the arts on their own terms.
Extreme Chill Festival
Extreme Chill Festival is an Icelandic experimental music festival in Reykjavík. The fundamental aim of the festival is to create connections between Icelandic and foreign musicians, conjoining different art forms — from electronic music to visual arts — and to draw attention to electronic Reykjavík, the Electronic Music Capital of Iceland.
Reykjavík International Film Festival (RIFF)
RIFF, the Reykjavík International Film Festival, offers a wide selection of new and independent cinema every year. Over the years, illustrious guests have included names like Jim Jarmusch, Mads Mikkelsen, Werner Herzog, and many others. RIFF is also especially exciting because its annual award, the Golden Puffin, is given to new and young filmmakers, so moviegoers know that they’re getting a glimpse into the newest frontiers of cinema.
Festivals in South Iceland
Þjóðhátíð
The ultimate outdoor festival in Iceland is also the oldest one, Þjóðhátíð í Eyjum (National Festival in Westman Islands). It has taken place every year since 1874 (apart from 1914 and 1915) in the Westman Islands, just off the south coast of Iceland. It’s got everything an Icelandic festival needs: camping, bonfires, fireworks, people of all generations getting together and Iceland’s most popular musicians keeping the crowd dancing. It’s also steeped in traditions – a festival song has been commissioned for the festival every year since 1933 and on the last night of the festival, all the people on the island, young and old, get together for a sing-along (Brekkusöngur in Icelandic, which literally means hill singing, as people are gathered in a hill).
The Puffin Run
The Puffin Run is a 20 km trail run around the beautiful Heimaey (the biggest island of Westman Islands). They also have a category for relay races, 2×10 km and 4×5 km. The run starts and ends at the town’s harbour, Nausthamarsbryggja, next to the ferry dock. The name “Puffin Run” is based on the fact that Westman Islands have the largest puffin colony in the world and the timing of the race is set to align with the time when the puffin has arrived on the island to make nests in the cliffs.
Goslokahátíð
Goslokahátíð (literally: The end of the eruption festival) has become an annual tradition on the island to celebrate the end of the volcanic eruption on Heimaey in 1973. It is held on the first weekend of July. It is a family event with children’s attractions set up around the island. On Saturday evening, there is a concert in the port and open air celebration until morning.
Kótelettan in Selfoss
Kótelettan is a music and BBQ festival for the whole family, held annually in Selfoss since 2010. Some of Iceland’s most popular musicians take the stage and meat producers put their best meat on the grill. Family activities include tivoli, handicraft market and shows on the stage.
The Night of Lights in Reykjanes
The biggest annual event in Reykjanes is the town festival Ljósanótt (The Night of Lights), which is held the first weekend in September every year. This is a celebration of the light that illuminates the long dark winter days. It is an event visited by people from all over the country. The town of Reykjanesbær creates a setting for the festival and organizes various events.
Festivals in West Iceland
Irish Days in Akranes
Legend has it that the area was settled by two Irish brothers slightly after the year 880. To celebrate the local celtic heritage, the town of Akranes sets out Irish flags for “Irish Days” once a year. There are various events and competitions, such as the search for the most-red-headed Icelander. Over the years, Irish Days have also turned into a popular music festival, named Lopapeysan after the national sweater. In addition to all of the family-friendly events, some of the biggest names in Icelandic music play there.
Danish Days in Stykkishólmur
The Danish Days of Stykkishólmur are one of the oldest town festivals in Iceland, first held in 1994. Danish Days, as the name refers to, are a celebration of Stykkishólmur connection to Denmark, as through its history the small town was a center of commerce for Snæfellsnes.
Festivals in North Iceland
Mývatn Winter Festival
The Mývatn Winter Festival is a one of a kind event in Iceland, held in February, where people (and animals) compete in multiple non-traditional winter sports, mostly on frozen Lake Mývatn! Those competitions include Mývatn Open – Horses on Ice, the national competition of Dog Sledding and the “Sled of Mývatn” – where teams bring a home made sled to the track. Snocross is also a popular winter sport in Iceland but hasn’t been very visible for the past years, that has now changed!
Norðanpaunk Punk Festival
Norðanpaunk is like a good-old-fashioned country party, but for the metalheads and punks out there. Held at Laugarbakki (located on the road from Reykjavík to Akureyri, about 2.5 hours from Reykjavík), Norðanpaunk is a fun weekend of hanging out and wild music.
Ein með öllu
Ein með öllu is a family festival in Akureyri on Merchant’s Weekend (Verslunarmannahelgi) at the beginning of August.
Síldarævintýri in Siglufjörður
Síldarævintýri is an annual festival in Siglufjörður on the first weekend of August paying tribute to the so called “Herring Adventure” in town in the 60s when local fishermen benefited from unusually vast amount of herring in the area, to the extent that people had to be hired from around the country work in the industry. It is a family festival with singing, BBQ, bouncy castles, antique car show and a lot more.
Iceland Knit Fest in Blönduós
Prjónagleði is an annual knitting festival held in Blönduós, where knitters and fiber enthusiasts gather to share knowledge, learn new techniques, and enjoy creative connection. The festival features a rich program of workshops, lectures, and events that celebrate Icelandic knitting traditions while embracing innovation and design.
Festivals in East Iceland
Bræðslan in Borgarfjörður Eystri
Bræðslan is a music festival on the last Saturday of July with a full day program for the whole family. This year, Emiliana Torrini was the main name there. The festival is held in an old fishing factory, a truly unique venue, and draws in well-known artists every year.
Art in Light (List í ljósi)
The List í Ljósi festival is a celebration of the sun’s return to Seyðisfjörður. During the final two days of darkness, the town comes together to welcome a selection of local and international artists that illuminate the surroundings with contemporary artworks installed outdoors.
French Days in Fáskrúðsfjörður
French Days in Fáskrúðsfjörður is a pleasant, family-friendly festival which takes place at the end of July every year. Fáskrúðsfjörður is often called the French Town because of its rich history with French sailors. The connection between Fáskrúðsfjörður and France is still visible throughout the town. Every street in the town has, for instance, a French translation shown on its street sign.
Lobster Festival in Höfn
Höfn is known as the one and only lobster capital of Iceland and at the end of June each year, the locals throw a celebration for this delightful delicacy. During the Lobster Festival, you can enjoy a pure Icelandic town festival with a taste. Höfn is also a great base for exploring the Vatnajökull National Park.
Festivals in The Westfjords
Aldrei fór ég suður
Every year, the music festival Aldrei fór ég suður (I never went south), brings thousands of guests to Ísafjörður. The festival is always organised during the Easter Weekend. It was founded in 2003 by Mugison, a great singer-songwriter and native of Ísafjörður, and his dad. The name of the festival comes from a song by Icelandic music legend Bubbi Morthens. In Iceland, going south usually means going to Reykjavík, and Aldrei fór ég suður is proudly rooted the north part of the Westfjords. It’s held in an old fishing warehouse and it’s all about showcasing local talents, along with popular bands “from the south”.
Við Djúpið Music Festival
Við Djúpið is an annual music festival held in Ísafjörður. Established in 2003, the festival focuses on classical and contemporary music, providing a platform for both renowned and emerging artists to collaborate and perform in a unique and inspiring setting.
