REYKJAVÍK ARTS FESTIVAL 2011 CLOSES IN STYLE

The Reykjavík Arts Festival 2011 closed past Sunday night after seventeen eventful and action-packed days, with the participation of over 500 artists and tens of thousands of delighted Festival guests. Attendance to this year's Festival was exceptional, with many of the events selling out well in advance.

The opening week of the Reykjavík Arts Festival was filled with awe, excitement and standing ovations.  In downtown Reykjavík, thousands watched The Birth of Venus by Spanish group La Fura dels Baus with the participation of more than seventy brave volunteers, who danced in the high sky above the ground.

In Harpa, Iceland's new concert hall, no one was untouched by the opera concert performed by the great German tenor Jonas Kaufmann and the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. More memorable events starred, amongst others Tony Allen, Ojos de Brujo, Krakow Sinfonietta, Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir, Les Slovaks Dance Collective and the Beijing Dance Theatre.

The vibrant Icelandic music scene shone during the Festival, with memorable concert by Ólöf Arnalds and Skúli Sverrisson, Högni Egilsson, Tómas R. Einarsson, Haukur Tómasson, Ben Frost, Daníel Bjarnason and many more. Festival guests sound-walked by the sea, flocked to free lunch-time concerts at the University and visited Icelandic writers in their homes.  

The 2011 Reykjavík Arts Festival was much about theatre and dance, and saw premieres of numerous Icelandic performing-arts pieces, in addition to welcoming esteemed dance collectives from Europe and China. Visual arts exhibitions of works by Louise Bourgeois, Tomi Ungerer, Claus Carstensen and Icelandic contemporary artists will be open through the summer.

The Festival's events were extremely well received by audiences and critics alike, as demonstrated by the host of glowing reviews in the local and international press. The 2011 Festival also boasts a great increase in the number of international guests and journalists, especially visiting Reykjavík during the Festival weeks to experience the unique ambience and vibe of the city.

The Festival team hopes that you have enjoyed the past three weeks with us. The dates for next year's festival are May 18 to June 3 2012.

See you in Reykjavík!