Halloween has picked up as a tradition in Iceland in recent years, similar to some other American tradtions like Black Friday and Valentine’s Day. Presumably, this has to do with increased internationalisation, increased access to popular culture like TV and films and even the tourism boom since 2011 in some ways.

Near the end of October, you can find Halloween decorations on the houses around Reykjavík, and the local grocery stores stock up on pumpkins whose only purpose is to be carved and left on the porch to rot.

Children dress up for Halloween-themed parties at their schools, and they can now be found wandering their neighbourhoods asking for candy on October 31st. The city of Reykjavík even got involved, creating a programme for children.

Adults and young people use the American holiday as an excuse to dress up and party. Local bars may host parties and costume contests, while the cinemas dust off old horror classics to get everyone in a spooky mood.

Halloween in Reykjavík – Events

Besides unofficial halloween events in some of the neighbourhoods of Reykjavík, there are several official events taking place:

• The National Gallery of Iceland is hosting a halloween event on October 31 at the Ásgrímur Jónsson Collection, attracting various extraordinary creatures.
• Halloween Party at Whales of Iceland will dress the museum up in a new way with spooky lighting, sounds and decorations. On offer will be arts and crafts, meet-and-greets with friendly characters, a trick-or-treat treasure hunt with sweet prizes, and engaging sensory play. And don’t forget to wear your costumes to really get into the spooky spirit!
• Halloween karaoke night at SKÝ Lounge & Bar will take place on October 26
• Gaukurinn hosts an event called Halloween Iceland 2024 on October 26 with a battle of the best costume starting at 8 pm and happy hour from 5 pm to 9 pm. Entrance fee is 3000 ISK but: no costume, no entry
• Lebowski Bar hosts a Halloween Party on 26 October with free enty. First 100 guests dressed in a costume get a free special halloween cocktail and a DJ will be playing from 9 pm to 4:30 am. The bar will be well decorated and prices will be given for the three best costumes: 1st place gets 50 K ISK gift card at Lebowski, 2nd 30 K and 3rd gets 10 K
• EXIT Nightclub also has a Halloween Party on 26 October with DJ Anibal and prizes for top three costumes
• Pablo Discobar’s Halloween Party on 26 October from 7 pm to 3 am with DJ KGB offers a prize for the best costume.
• A Halloween event at Jörgensen Kitchen & Bar takes place on 31 October from 6 pm. The band BOY will play spooky music from to 6 to 8 pm to set the mood. During the late night happy hour from 9:30 pm, professor in folkloristics, Terry Gunnell, will share fascinating stories about halloween, Icelandic ghost stories and folklore.
• Halloween Horror Show takes place in Háskólabíó on October 25, a concert with local musicians Stuðlabandið, Sigga Beinteins, Stefán Jakobsson, Diljá Pétursdóttir, Dagur Sigurðsson and more performing songs like Thriller, Highway to Hell, Zombie, Creep in addition to songs from the Little Shop of Horror and Rocky Horror
• In Goth We Trust Halloween Special at Gaukurinn on October 31 is a somewhat mysterious event as of now but more info should be available in time for the event, the event description when this is written is just: “The shadows are gathering, and we’re brewing something dark and creepy just for you
  The second In Goth We Trust is in the books! Our cauldron is bubbling over with a wickedly full itinerary, but we need to summon a few more spirits before we unveil the final plan.
  This Halloween, the night belongs to us! Check back for more information “

Halloween vs. Öskudagur – Ash Wednesday

One of the reasons Halloween took so long to catch on in Iceland is because there was already a holiday in which children dressed up and ate sweets, celebrated in spring, not in October. (Same could be said for Valentines’ Day, we already had a tradition of Woman’s Day and Husband’s Day).

Many catholic countries have a tradition of a carnival before the beginning of lent. While Iceland hasn’t been Catholic since 1550 AD, Icelanders aren’t known for saying no to a good party and have their own, somewhat distorted version of a carnival. Monday before lent is Bolludagur, or Bun Day, celebrated with copious amounts of cream-filled pastries. Shrove Tuesday is celebrated with a meal of salt lamb and split pea soup and Ash Wednesday, although traditionally a solemn occasion in the Catholic tradition, is when children dress up in costumes and go door to door asking for treats in exchange for a song. The event is a relatively modest affair centred on children’s entertainment, lacking the decorative opulence and tinge of horror we’ve come to enjoy from the American feast.

Double the Candy

Like Halloween in the U.S., Öskudagur for children has lost any religious affiliation. The children still dress up, but they now venture into the neighbourhoods and to local shops asking for sweets. But unlike Halloween, they had to earn their treats, typically by singing a song.

As the American tradition continues to grow in popularity, Icelandic children now have the possibility to dress up in costume and gather as much candy as they can get their hands on twice a year! While parents and dentists may not be thrilled, most kids are happy with the results.