Iceland review - 2014, Qupperneq 12

10 ICELAND REVIEW
FuN, FuN, FuN
From the first weekend of June to the first one in September,
every town and village in Iceland hosts its own festival.
The oldest and biggest is Þjóðhátíð í vestmannaeyjum, held
the first weekend of August in the Westman Islands. Be pre-
pared for fun and adventure and to see the generations unite
in singing old ballads of fishermen and the sea.
The most colorful on the jamboree calendar is the reykjavík
gay pride parade, taking place the following weekend,
where tens of thousands of Icelanders head to the city center
and celebrate with the LGBT community.
If you’re on a tight budget, Fiskidagurinn mikli (the great
Fish day) offers a free taste of fish from the local fish facto-
ries of Dalvík, located by the Eyjafjörður fjord. You will not be
alone; last year more than 60,000 people came to this town of
1,400 souls. Held on the second weekend of August.
For music lovers, bræðslan in Borgarfjörður Eystri, East
Iceland, held in late July, is a festival like no other. under the
bright midnight sky in this picturesque, tiny village, thousands
of people come together for performances by the best of the
best in music, from home and abroad. unforgettable.
If you are looking for quietness, head to the northernmost
village of Iceland, Raufarhöfn, and walk with the locals
across its most remote part, Melrakkaslétta peninsula.
sléttugangan, as the event is called, is held on the third
weekend of July.
On the farm Melnes in the Rauðasandur region of the West
Fjords, the rauðasandur Festival takes place during the
first weekend of July. If you want to experience something
different, great music, a red sky and a red beach, head west.
reykjavík culture night (Menningarnótt), is the capi-
tal’s gigantic birthday party, held on the third weekend of
August. Formal and informal events and great art shows in
alleys and squares make it one of the best days of the year.
The best way to start this eventful day is by running the
annual Reykjavík Marathon. *
FestivAls
The best way to see the real
Homo Islandicus is to visit
one of the countless
weekend festivals,
held all across
the Republic
over the
summer.
photo By páll StefánSSon
WORdS ANd PHOTO
By Páll StefánSSon