Whatever time of year you’re in Iceland, there’ll be something going on that will take your fancy. Sometimes it’s a familiar festival in a distinctive Icelandic setting, and sometimes it’s a charming lo-cal custom that will grab your imagination. Then there are regular cultural and leisure events, indoors and outside, to keep you entertained and busy for your entire stay. Check out these regular features on the Icelandic calendar (dates are for 2009):
January–May
Cultural season. Music, art and theatre scene in full swing with programmes for all interest groups.
January 23–February 22
Midwinter feast (Þorrablót). An ancient Viking tradition – feasting on “delicacies” such as boiled sheep’s head and rotten shark meat, as well as more edible goodies. Be brave just once a year.
February
Food and Fun. An annual food festival featuring well-known visiting chefs competing right along with Iceland’s finest culinary masters. The festival is also a chance for restaurants to strut their stuff. A delight for the taste buds.
February
Winter Lights Festival in Reykjavík. Dedicated to the theme of light and energy, an exciting public festival celebrating both winter and the growing light after a long period of darkness.
February 23-25
Bursting time. Fill up before Lent, with all the cream buns you can eat on “Bun Monday” and oversized helpings of salted meat and mushy peas on “Bursting Tuesday.” Then on Ash Wednesday, watch the children dressed up in the streets, singing and playing pranks.
March 1
Beer Day. Beer was only legalised in Iceland in 1989, and people celebrate the big day in suitable style on the anniversary every year.
April 9-13
Easter. One of the peaks of the musical year, with diverse concert programmes plus chocolate eggs of huge proportions, smoked lamb and a time for families to relax together. The skiing season peaks.
April 23
First Day of Summer. Icelanders welcome the end of winter and start of summer – a national holiday – with colourful parades and entertainment in the streets.
April–September
Trout fishing season in lakes and rivers around the country.
April–October
Whale watching season. With thousands of whales just off its shores, Iceland offers more chances of sightings than just about anywhere else in the world.
May
Birdwatching time. Puffins, Arctic terns and rarer migrant birds zoom in from the south, bringing summer with them.
May-June
The annual Reykjavík Arts Festival will be held from May 10–26, with a varied programme of cultural events with leading Icelandic and visiting artists. See www.artfest.is.
May–September
Salmon fishing season. Clean air and rivers make Iceland one of the best places in the world for anglers. Make sure to book your rods well in advance.
May-June
Festival of the Sea. Based on the old Icelandic tradition of Seamen’s Day the festival runs the first weekend of June and honours those who make their living from the sea. However, the festival has been modernised of late. It now includes numerous cultural activities, parades, arts and crafts activities for kids, food fairs, and sailing competitions, and new residents of Iceland are given the opportunity to share their unique cultures.
June
Viking Festival in Hafnarfjörður. More than 100 Vikings from ten different nations get together with about 60 Icelandic Vikings for a weekend of endless happenings and entertainment.
June 17
National Day. Icelanders take to the streets to celebrate independence (since 1944). Colourful ceremonies followed by parades, street theatre, sideshows and outdoor dancing in the midnight sun, all over the country.
June 21
Summer solstice. Gatherings to celebrate the magic of the midnight sun on the longest day of the year.
June 25-27
Arctic Open International Golf Tournament. In Akureyri, just south of the Arctic Circle, tee off at midnight in bright sunshine and play through the night in a marvellous natural setting. Open midnight-sun tournaments are also held in Reykjavík and the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar). See www.arcticopen.is and www.golf.is.
June–August
Marathon time. Fresh air and scenery that’ll take your breath away, including: Mývatn Midnight Sun Marathon (North Iceland, June 22); Highland Marathon (55 km of uninhabited landscapes between Landmannalaugar and Þórsmörk nature reserves, South Highlands); and Reykjavík International Marathon (several distances around the city, August 18). See www.reykjavikmarathon.is
July 29
Reykholt Music Festival. “Classical music in a classic environment” in the beautiful church in the West Iceland community which was once the home of Saga writer Snorri Sturluson.
August 1-3
Bank Holiday weekend. On the first weekend in August, almost everyone goes off to camp at festivals around the country – everything from family events to wild rock festivals.
Early August
Flight of the Puffling. A sight not to be missed in the Westman Islands (Vestmannaeyjar) off the south coast, when millions of baby puffins leave their nests and take wing for the first time.
August 7-9
Gay Pride. Gays and lesbians come out in force and style to parade and party in Reykjavík.
August 22
Culture Night in Reykjavík. To mark Reykjavík’s anniversary on August 18, bookstores, museums and galleries stay open into the Saturday night nearest that date; artistic events are staged in the streets and at cafés, bars, and restaurants all over the capital, culminating in a massive fireworks display.
September
Sheep round-up. Colourful and lively time with plenty of song and merriment all around the countryside. Held at sorting pens where farmers herd in the sheep they have rounded up from summer grazing in the wilds.
September–December
Cultural season and festivals. Concerts, opera, ballet, drama, visual arts – you name it, it’ll be on the season’s agenda somewhere in Reykjavík. Every year Reykjavík also hosts a Jazz Festival (late Sept./early Oct. 2007), and the third Reykjavík International Film Festival (also late Sept./early Oct. 2007) offers movie buffs a top-notch programme. Both festivals are international events with plenty of celebrated guests.
October 15-19
Iceland Airwaves Festival October 17–21. This festival is fast gaining a reputation as one of the best alternative music events to go to and garnering praise from the broadsheets and music magazines.
Christmas
Icelanders go in for Christmas in a big way, with 13 separate Santa Clauses who play pranks and sing in the beautifully illuminated streets. Check out the delicious Christmas buffets and traditional festive season delicacies such as smoked lamb, ptarmigan and reindeer.
December 31
New Year’s Eve goes off with a bang, with the biggest fireworks display you’ll probably ever see – everyone takes part. There are public bonfires, and the merrymaking lasts right through to the following year.