Reykjavík Grapevine - 04.08.2008, Blaðsíða 34

34 | REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE | ISSUE 10—2008
Borgartún 10-12
105 Reykjavík
Tel: 411 9000
www.reykjavik.is
The department of welfare gives information and advice about social entitlements and provides
support in cases of social or personal problems for registered residents in Reykjavik.
For general information about operations in the City of Reykjavik and additional information on
e.g. specific housing benefits, pre-school applications or financial aid, you should contact
service centers in your own neighbourhood:
• Vesturgarður, service centre for the residents of Vesturbaer district, Hjardarhagi 45-47, tel. 411-1700
• Miðborg and Hlíðar, service centre for the residents of the city centre and the district of Hlidar, Skulagata 21,
tel. 411-1600
• Laugardalur and Háaleiti, service centre for the residents of the districts of Laugardalur and Haaleiti, Sidumuli 39,
tel. 411-1500
• Breidholt, service centre for the residents of Breidholt, Alfabakki 12, tel. 411-1300
• Ábær and Grafarholt, service centre for the residents of the districts of Arbaer and Grafarholt, Baejarhals 1,
tel. 411-1200
• Miðgarður, service centre for the residents of Grafarvogur and Kjalarnes, Langarimi 21, tel. 411-1400
Department of Welfare
Borgartuni 10-12
105 Reykjavik
www.velferdarsvid.is
DESTINATIONS By Sigurður kjartan kriStinSSon
lose your Moral Boundaries
and Get Shitfaced!
It might seem a bit crazy, even ludicrous, that one weekend a year, the preceding weekend
to The Labour Day public holiday (one Monday), Icelanders simply go berserk. Innumer-
able, both sweaty and innocuous, fetes around the country are thrown and on this cuckoo
holiday people seem to be incredibly productive which entails in both more children being
conceived and more women being raped on this weekend than over the whole year. But
whether you’re longing for a cosy family weekend or a physical abuse we have it all!
The Nation's Festival
in The Westman Islands
In 1874 Icelanders celebrated their 1000
year anniversary but infelicitously the
weather conditions were so bad that the
inhabitants of The Westman Islands were
trapped in their secluded islands and
couldn't join the mainlanders. And so they
decided to throw their own festival and for
some baffling reason they still celebrate it
once a year. This festival is the most grue-
some of em'all, and is also the most pecu-
liar. This year the line-up includes country
bands such as Í Svörtum Fötum and Land
og Synir, but also prolific experimental
numbers such as Dr. Spock. About half of
the Icelandic population loves getting wet
and dirty in the festival's sleazy campsite
but the rest despise the festival on the
whole. More info www.dalurinn.is Tickets
at your nearest 10-11 supermarket.
Innipúkinn
at NASA
Originally the festival was thrown for the
gloomy 101-ers who couldn't imagine
sleeping in a tent and boasted of interna-
tional big-shots such as Blonde Redhead,
but nowadays nobody really pays it any
attention. The original operators soon rea-
lised the idea would soon get weathered
and backed out, and so it has. The line-
up this year consists of many interesting
numbers such as Hjálmar, Dr. Spock, Múg-
sefjun and Dísa, so if you want to spend
the weekend chilling out at this very limit-
edly chill-friendly venue, go ahead. More
info and tickets at www.midi.is
Flight of the Sparks
at Neskaupsstaður
Just a couple of weeks since the grand
finale of Nesskaupstaður's Flight of the
Testes is the launch of another flight, a
more family-friendly one. The agenda is
immensely energetic and massive which
every member of the family should find
appropriate to get busy with. The volley
ball competition is always solid as is the
hilarious annual performance by the long
forgotten comedy duo Gunni and Felix. In
the evening you can ease up with some
performances by local bands and go
crazy on the dance-floor until morning.
Or at least till 3AM. And yeah, alcohol is
not cool.
Organ's One Year
Anniversary
It might come as a shock to some, but this
most expedient music venue of down-
town Reykjavík has only existed for one
year. And on this outrageous weekend
they plan to celebrate, and celebrate they
will. The festival will be layered but on the
Friday night the Rock Gods will dominate
things and bands such as Mínus, Skátar
and Dikta will perform. The Saturday
will be more electron-ish with Jeff Who?,
amongst others, sustaining the riot. On
the final night things will be cooled down
with the dreamy chords of My Summer As
A Salvation Soldier and Elín. More info at
www.myspace.com/organreykjavik
The One That Has It All
in Akureyri
Akureyri, the Capital of the North, of
course boasts of a festival of its own and
over the years it has been quite a success.
It used to be a sweaty and boozy raver
combined with the family activities dur-
ing the day, but the City Council decided
that such a controversial festival didn't
contribute to good PR. Of all the solutions
available, they decided to ban people be-
tween the age of 18 and 26 from the camp-
site without parental guidance. What a
bunch of clever people! So if you're 17
you can gather your friends and drink till
you puke, but if you're 26 you'll have to get
your parents involved if you wish to do the
same. More info at www.akureyri.is
Ísafjörður’s Swamp-
soccer Competition
The annual European championship in
Swamp-soccer will take place, as usual, in
the Westfjord town Ísafjörður, organized
by the Icelandic Swampsoccer Associa-
tion. You don’t have to be a football profes-
sional to kick a ball in the mud as this infa-
mous event is all about having fun. Team
up with your friends and head straight
over, or just show up and one. Expect it to
be muddy, violent and messy in all ways
possible and make sure to bring loads of
booze, your aggressive mood and you
might be able to finish the fight. For more
info and to register for the tournament see:
www.myrarbolti.com.
ísaFJörður's swamP-soccer match is bound to get dirty