Reykjavík Grapevine - 01.11.2018, Qupperneq 4

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
Iceland A
irw
aves Special 20
18
4
HOW TO SURVIVE ICELAND'S BEST FESTIVAL
Words: John Rogers Photo: Art Bicnick
Iceland Airwaves has a special way
of dragging you through a happy
melée of gigs, smiling faces, packed
dancefloors, chance encounters and
bizarre after-parties, leaving you
hanging on for dear life. Disclaim-
er: We’re not saying these tips will
make you a superhuman and some-
how avoid the traditional post-Air-
waves existential hangover. But
hey, they’re worth bearing in mind.
Clothing
This ain’t no Sónar Barcelona.
Airwaves has been sliding further
into the winter months for years,
and you can safely bet that the
November sky is gonna puke out
plenty of interesting weather. So
bundle up, right? Wrong. The sec-
ond you get into the venue, you’ll
be hit by a wall of human heat;
you’ll regret the Michelin Man
cosplay when you’re suddenly in
the mosh pit.
Our advice: Dress in several warm
layers and have a waterproof outer
coat that you can easily carry.
Pro tip: If you’re a total Iceland
n00b shivering in a wet denim jack-
et, Cintamani are renting out par-
kas this year, so you could try that.
Drinking
Those terrifying £10/$13 beer
rumours are true—drinking in
Iceland is expensive. All of the
liquor stores are state-run, close
at 6 p.m. (7 p.m. on Fridays), and
tax everything heavily. Corner
stores and supermarkets don’t
sell booze. Given all this, skipping
the duty free is practically heresy
in Iceland. Duty free alcohol is
not just your friend, but a sworn
soul sistah for whom you’d gladly
lay down your life.
Our advice: Get the maximum
allowance, even if you’re tired and
you’re dragging around a huge suit-
case.
Pro tips: Skip the Evian and drink
a glacier—Iceland’s tap water is
super pure.
Eating
With chill off-venue concerts
happening in the daytime, it’s
easy to head out for an after-
noon show feeling all fresh, see
a bunch of cool stuff, and then
suddenly realise the atmosphere
has changed and people around
you have started partying. You,
my friend, have slipped into the
festival proper—and you forgot
dinner. This is a serious error.
Our advice: The town is full of
people who are eating out, so book
a table somewhere nice with your
friends at 7-ish. That way you have
to show up, so you’ll definitely eat.
Pro tip: Reliable late night options
are a pylsur at 10/11, a slice at The
Deli or a falafel at Mandi.
Queues
Airwaves is a festival with no big
venues. The upside is personal-
ity—you’ll find yourself watch-
ing shows in museums, churches,
dingey bars, dark basements and
fancy concert halls. The down-
side, however, is that when an
act is especially popular, even
the larger venues can hit capac-
ity fast.
Our advice: If there’s one act you’d
cry over missing, get to the venue
a couple of bands in advance and
camp out.
Pro tip: If you’re stuck in a static
queue after they’ve started, skip it.
Hit up a random venue and bet on a
wild card. Airwaves is about discov-
ery, not hype.
Afterparties
If you’ve been to the festival,
drank and danced in Kaffibarinn
or Paloma, and still have some
wind in your sails, you’re gonna
need an afterparty. After hours
house-parties are standard in
Reykjavík. Make friends with
some fun locals and see what
happens.
Our advice: You probably don’t
wanna walk for miles at this stage,
so if the party is outside the 101
postcode, maybe skip it.
Pro tip: Rumour has it there’s a
Facebook group where people will
deliver you some booze.
Surfing The
Airwaves
“You’ll regret
the Michelin
Man cosplay
when you’re
suddenly in
the mosh pit.”