Reykjavík Grapevine - 08.02.2008, Qupperneq 36

16 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 02 2008 | Article
Sirkus: the 11th Hour
On January 25 - 27, legendary bar Sirkus on Klapparstígur marked
its impending closing and demolition with a three-day-long series of
concerts during which more than 50 “friends of Sirkus” performed.
The bands, (pictured clockwise from top,) included Hjaltalín, Sigur
Rós, and Jan Mayen, among others. Squeezing into the tiny pub
throughout the weekend was a crowd that was not only unrelent-
ing but distinctly dissimilar to what is known as the usual “Sirkus
crowd.” It seems that the farewell ceremony was also cause for a
little late night tourism for those who infrequently or never had
stepped inside the pub. The weekend was nonetheless a great suc-
cess, and rallied, among other things, a hoard of signatures for an
online petition against the demolition of the house, which was pre-
sented to Mayor Ólafur F. Magnússon on January 30. Sirkus is how-
ever, currently closed and the lot waiting further development later
this year. Text by Valgerður Þóroddsdóttir
Photos by GAS and Guðmundur Óli Pálmason