Reykjavík Grapevine - 27.07.2018, Blaðsíða 20

The first weekend in August is known
to Icelanders as Merchants’ Weekend.
It’s a bank holiday—for Icelanders,
a phrase synonymous with driving
somewhere in the countryside to get
messy drunk. However, as the years
have passed, new family-friendly and
alternative festivals have sprouted up
on this weekend, all over the country.
There’s something for everyone at
this weekend ostensibly celebrating
merchants, or perhaps more accurately,
merchants who sell beer and hotdogs.
Here’s a rundown of the highlights.
Norðanpaunk
August 3-6, Laugarbakki, 7,000 ISK
www.nordanpaunk.org

If you’ve ever sat in a leather-clad circle
watching someone make bizarre poses
and aggressive facial expressions as
they play black metal album cover
charades, then Norðanpaunk might
be your thing. The DIY extravaganza
is best described as a family gathering
where there’s no sponsors or vendors—
just a bunch of freaks looking to make
the Gathering Of The Juggalos for the
Icelandic fringe community. This year’s
lineup features US punk rock mavericks
Limp Wrist, the mysterious NYIÞ, Börn,
dj. flugvél og geimskip, and so much
more. You can camp, cook—there’s a
plethora of barbeques on site—or just
chill with your fellow weirdos.
Innipúkinn
August 3-6, Húrra & Gaukurinn,
3,990-6,990 ISK
www.innipukinn.is

“Innipúkinn” is a slang word that trans-
lates literally as “indoor demon”—a
somewhat dramatic Icelandic version
of “couch potato.” The festival was
created 16 years ago specifically for
people who prefer to stay in Reykja-
vík over Merchants’ Weekend, hanging
out in proper concert venues with real
sound systems, with not-from-a-can
beer and easy access to a warm bed.
Notorious for booking the A-team of
the best new and established acts in
Iceland, it’s consistently been a raucous
banger. This year, see everyone from
Hatari to Geisha Cartel to Une Misère
to Logi Pedro—the best of all genres,
really. Don’t miss the grass oasis cover-
ing the street outside the venues. It’s
like the countryside, with bathrooms.

Mýrarbolti
August 3-5, Bolungarvík, 6,000-10,000 ISK
www.myrarbolti.com
Imagine this: You’re in the majestic
Westfjords. You’re drinking a can of
beer. Surrounding you are hundreds of
people in Halloween costumes covered
head to toe in mud. Confused? Don’t
be. Mýrarbolti is the annual European
Swamp Football Championship, where
teams from all over compete for eternal
dirty glory. While the football games
are 100% serious, there are some silly
editions, like the pink card, which
makes the perpetrator of any injuries
kiss the victims' booboo, and the black
card, which makes serious foulers wear
a black head-bag for two minutes. Get a
team together and sign up or just cheer
from the sidelines. There will also be
concerts by Daði Freyr, JóiPé x Króli,
and more.
Þjóðhátið Vestmannaejar
August 1-6, Vestmannaeyjar, 19,900 ISK
www.dalurinn.is/en

The OG Merchants’ Weekend festival
is held in the Westman Islands. While
it’s ostensibly a family festival, the
gathering has become infamous for
scary drunken antics (and a series of
sexual assaults). That said, they’ve been
trying to exorcise the festival’s demons
in recent years. This year, Páll Óskar,
Emmsjé Gauti, Jón Jónsson, Áttan, and
many more will be taking the stage, so
it’s basically the epitome of mainstream
Icelandic culture. Put on your lopapeysa
and rain boots, grab your favourite beer
koozie, and be ready for all weather. A
little rain won’t dampen the party here.
Ein með öllu
August 2-5, Akureyri, pay
individually for different events
www.einmedollu.is/is

Ein með öllu (“One with everything,”
the classic Icelandic hot-dog order)
is back with a four-day 2018 instal-
ment of their beloved festival in
Akureyri. With four fun-packed days
of concerts, museum shows, walking
tours, markets, and classes, there’s
a wide variety of activities on offer.
Sirkus Íslands will be performing
during three nights of the festival,
and there will be concerts featuring
Flóni, Birnir, Hjálmar, Emmsjé Gauti,
Páll Óskar, and Úlfur Úlfur. You espe-
cially don't want to miss an epic AQUA
ZUMBA class at the Akureyri pool.
Neistaflug
August 2-5, Neskaupstaður,
no price listed yet
www.neistaflug.is

The picturesque town of Neskaupstaður
in the rural Eastfjords is the perfect
getaway for Merchants’ Weekend, and
they will once again be hosting their
annual family-friendly festival offering
that classic Icelandic pairing of nature
and nightlife. They have only confirmed
a few acts so far, but the line-up is
already impressive, featuring Stuð-
menn, Stjórnin, Dúndurfréttir, Logi
Pedro, Birnir, and more. Bring the kids.
Kotmót 2018
August 2-6, Kirkjulækjarkoti, Fljótshlíð,
Free tickets, but 1,400 ISK for camping
www.kotmot.is

If you find all this drunken weekend
revelry a little too sinful, this Christian
festival will be your true sacrament.
A five day holy extravaganza, there’ll
be daily prayer sessions, pool visits,
all the hymns you can sing, and much
more. Guests this year include Preacher
extraordinaire Andreas Nielsen, who is
known for his prowess on the football
field as well as his power on the pew.
Along with that, they also have a special
program for the tots. Yours in Christ.
20 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 13— 2018
shop.grapevine.isSUPPORT THE GRAPEVINE! GET THE
MERCH!
These people really want to celebrate merchants
Fuck yeah merchants!
Blessed are the merchants
Come for the merchants, leave with the merch

Your Merchants
Weekend Bulletin
Party with the punks, couch potatoes,
country folk and Christians
Words:
Hannah Jane
Cohen & Juliana
Wilczynski
Main photo:
Hörður Sveinsson