Make the most of your weekend in Reykjavík with our guide to the best events and activities taking place between 11-13 December.
Dance, dance, dance
President Bongo (of Gus Gus) and DJ Casanova will perform at Paloma, Naustin, on Friday, 11 December. Make sure you don’t miss this one if you are in party mood!
Sugar and other things nice
Sykur (meaning sugar) is an electro-pop band, famous for their energetic live sets. Sykur will perform at Húrra, Naustin, on Saturday along with GKR. The concert begins at 9 pm and tickets are available at Tix.is.
Valdimar in Hafnarfjörður
The band Valdimar was founded in 2009 when Valdimar Guðmundsson and Ásgeir Aðalsteinsson started writing songs together in Ásgeir’s apartment. They quickly grew into a 6 member band and have since become one of Iceland’s most popular bands. The music Valdimar plays has been described as an electro indie mix with roots in Americana.
The concert takes place on Saturday, 12 December, at Bæjarbíó in Hafnarfjörður (Bus 1 will take you directly from downtown Reykjavík to Hafnarfjörður’s centre) and begins at 10 pm. Tickets are available at Tix.is.
Icelandic Christmas concert
The men's chorus Fóstbræður will perform their annual Christmas concert at Harpa Concert Hall on Saturday, 12 December. The choir was established in 1916 and will perform such Christmas classics as Ave Maria, Lux Aurumque and När det lider mot jul. The concert begins at 5 pm. Tickets are available at Tix.is.
Christmas market at Elliðavatn
The Forestry Commission of Reykjavík’s Advent Market takes place every weekend until Christmas. The market is located in Heiðmörk, a proclaimed a municipal conservation area of Reykjavík since 1950, and offers Christmas trees and hand-crafted goods for sale. Live music and a special children’s programme take place between 1 pm and 3 pm every weekend.
The market begins at 11 am and ends at 4 pm.
Old fashioned Christmas!
Anyone in the mood for an old fashioned Christmas are advised to visit the Árbæjarsafn Open Air Museum in Reykjavík where visitors get a chance to experience Christmas as it was long ago. This includes the preparation of traditional Icelandic Christmas food and crafts such as candle making. Traditional Christmas sweets will be on offer in the old General Store, hot chocolate is served at the Museum’s coffee shop and the Yule Lads will pay a visit to entertain the youngest guests.
Admission fee for adults is 1300 krónur (8 euros/ 10 US dollars) but free for children.
Grandi gets into the festive spirit
Over the past couple of years, the Grandi harbour area has evolved into a fantastic conglomeration of restaurants, shops, museums and IT businesses, as well as fishing boats and baiting huts.
This December, businesses at Grandi will come together to create a lovely festive atmosphere for guests. As of Saturday, 5 December, shops and businesses in the area will stay open until 9 pm. And should that not be enough to lure you into the area, they’ll also have products on special offer!
A day of family fun
Ingólfstorg square, located at Aðalstræti in downtown Reykjavík, has been transformed into a temporary ice skating rink for Christmas. Opening hours are between 12pm-8pm from 2-11 December, and between 12pm-10pm from 12-22 December. Entrance is free of charge and guests can rent a pair of ice skates and a helmet for 990 ISK (7 Euros/7.4 USD)
Make the most of your weekend in Reykjavík with our guide to the best events and activities taking place between 11-13 December.
Dance, dance, dance
President Bongo (of Gus Gus) and DJ Casanova will perform at Paloma, Naustin, on Friday, 11 December. Make sure you don’t miss this one if you are in party mood!
Sugar and other things nice
Sykur (meaning sugar) is an electro-pop band, famous for their energetic live sets. Sykur will perform at Húrra, Naustin, on Saturday along with GKR. The concert begins at 9 pm and tickets are available at Tix.is.
Valdimar in Hafnarfjörður
The band Valdimar was founded in 2009 when Valdimar Guðmundsson and Ásgeir Aðalsteinsson started writing songs together in Ásgeir’s apartment. They quickly grew into a 6 member band and have since become one of Iceland’s most popular bands. The music Valdimar plays has been described as an electro indie mix with roots in Americana.
The concert takes place on Saturday, 12 December, at Bæjarbíó in Hafnarfjörður (Bus 1 will take you directly from downtown Reykjavík to Hafnarfjörður’s centre) and begins at 10 pm. Tickets are available at Tix.is.
Icelandic Christmas concert
The men's chorus Fóstbræður will perform their annual Christmas concert at Harpa Concert Hall on Saturday, 12 December. The choir was established in 1916 and will perform such Christmas classics as Ave Maria, Lux Aurumque and När det lider mot jul. The concert begins at 5 pm. Tickets are available at Tix.is.
Christmas market at Elliðavatn
The Forestry Commission of Reykjavík’s Advent Market takes place every weekend until Christmas. The market is located in Heiðmörk, a proclaimed a municipal conservation area of Reykjavík since 1950, and offers Christmas trees and hand-crafted goods for sale. Live music and a special children’s programme take place between 1 pm and 3 pm every weekend.
The market begins at 11 am and ends at 4 pm.
Old fashioned Christmas!
Anyone in the mood for an old fashioned Christmas are advised to visit the Árbæjarsafn Open Air Museum in Reykjavík where visitors get a chance to experience Christmas as it was long ago. This includes the preparation of traditional Icelandic Christmas food and crafts such as candle making. Traditional Christmas sweets will be on offer in the old General Store, hot chocolate is served at the Museum’s coffee shop and the Yule Lads will pay a visit to entertain the youngest guests.
Admission fee for adults is 1300 krónur (8 euros/ 10 US dollars) but free for children.
Grandi gets into the festive spirit
Over the past couple of years, the Grandi harbour area has evolved into a fantastic conglomeration of restaurants, shops, museums and IT businesses, as well as fishing boats and baiting huts.
This December, businesses at Grandi will come together to create a lovely festive atmosphere for guests. As of Saturday, 5 December, shops and businesses in the area will stay open until 9 pm. And should that not be enough to lure you into the area, they’ll also have products on special offer!
A day of family fun
Ingólfstorg square, located at Aðalstræti in downtown Reykjavík, has been transformed into a temporary ice skating rink for Christmas. Opening hours are between 12pm-8pm from 2-11 December, and between 12pm-10pm from 12-22 December. Entrance is free of charge and guests can rent a pair of ice skates and a helmet for 990 ISK (7 Euros/7.4 USD)
