The Reykjavík City Theatre is very accessible for wheelchair users. Hearing loops are available at the ticket office.

BUS: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 13, 14, 55

Seven acrobats are pushed to their physical limits in this intimate performance which is simultaneously raw, frantic and delicate. Immersed in every moment, the audience can feel the heat and hear every breath. The show features live percussion which sets the tone for this unique event which will captivate festivalgoers of all ages.

A Simple Space evokes real responses in audiences, bringing them in close to surround the stripped back stage where the acrobats perform their breathtaking feats. This honesty is the essence behind A Simple Space, a performance that will appeal to festival guests of all ages.

Performed more than 900 times across over 35 countries, A Simple Space has been described by the world press as “an awe-inspiring display of strength, skill and creativity”, “a total triumph” and “a joy to watch.”

The performance is suitable for ages 7 and up, irrespective of language abilities.

Performers:
Andre Augustus
Annalise Moore
Alyssa Moore
Axel Osborne
Jackson Manson
Jordan Hart
Lachlan Harper
Nicholas Martyn 

by Gravity and Other Myths, Australia

Simultaneously raw, frantic and delicate, seven skilled acrobats push their physical limits without reserve. Supported by driving live percussion, immersed in every moment, A Simple Space evokes real responses in audiences, visceral rather than cerebral.

There’s no fine-tuning of performance with makeup, lighting and contrived theatrical overlay. Sitting close to a stripped back stage, the audience feel the heat, see the sweat and hear every breath.

Armed with nothing more than brute strength and cat-like agility the acrobats break down their usual guards, introducing the reality of failure and weakness. With nothing left to hide behind, personal narratives shine through. This honesty is the essence of A Simple Space.

A multi-award winning show, that has captivated sold-out audiences around the world.

Featuring Lachlan Binns, Jascha Boyce, Rhiannon Cave-Walker, Jacob Randell, Martin Schreiber, Daniel Liddiard, Triton Tunis-Mitchell and Elliot Zoerner

Filmed at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, February 2014. Edited by Closer Productions

A Simple Space Trailer

11 June 2022, 16:00
12 June 2022, 16:00
12 June 2022, 20:00

A Simple Space.mp4

One of the world’s foremost circus companies!

The Akureyri Art Museum offers good access for wheelchairs.

Agnieszka Sosnowska (US), Christopher Taylor (UK), Katrín Elvarsdóttir (IS), Páll Stefánsson (IS), Spessi (IS) 

The exhibition Black and White at the Akureyri Art Museum presents the works of a diverse group of artists who use the medium of black and white photography in powerful ways. The subjects span a wide spectrum: landscape, people, stories, places and atmosphere. These five photographers play around with opposites and threats, intimacy and care as well as representations of daily life, adventures, culture, the unknown and the familiar.

The artists whose work makes up the exhibition are Agnieszka Sosnowska, Christopher Taylor, Katrín Elvarsdóttir, Páll Stefánsson and Spessi. They each in their own way possess a particularly strong command of the black and white form and the depth, light and shadow this medium offers. When the work of these very different artists comes together, a black and white magic happens. The exhibition extends through five rooms in the museum and will be on display until the autumn.

The exhibition is curated by Hlynur Hallsson, Director of the Akureyri Art Museum.

2 June - 11 September 2022
Opening hours:
12:00 - 17:00

Harpa is very accessible for wheelchair users, with three lifts going straight from the basement car park up to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th floors. Special wheelchair seating areas must be pre-booked at Harpa. Hearing loops are available in reception. Seats for guests accompanied by assistance dogs must be pre-booked at Harpa.

BUS: 1, 3, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 55 

Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra (IS)
Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir (IS)
Martina Trumpp (DE)
Mirian Khukhunaishvili (GE)

Music enthusiasts are in for a veritable treat at the festival this summer, as the Reykjavík Chamber Orchestra presents takes on the music of Richard Wagner for the first time. The concert opens the Reykjavík International Wagner Festival.

The programme features the original version of the Siegfried Idyll, a work especially composed for Cosima Wagner on the birth of their son and to which she awoke on Christmas Day, 1870. Award-winning singer Hanna Dóra Sturludóttir will perform the Wesendonck Lieder as arranged for string quintet. This work was composed to the poems of Mathile Wesendonck, who was intimate with Wagner and had great influence on his life. Hanna Dóra will also sing Isoldes Liebestod from Tristan and Isolde, an opera that in many ways reflects the relationship between Wagner and Wesendonck. The concert also features German violinist Martina Trumpp‘s special arrangement of scenes from Tristan and Isolde for string septet and voice. Widely praised for her solo work as well as chamber music performances, Martina Trumpp will lead the orchestra through this compelling concert.

A group of tall, fantastic beings clad in red, accompanied by a band of merry drummers, stroll through the streets, striking just the right chord for the festivities ahead. These graceful beings swing their red flags and enormous fans over the crowd and the air is fraught with excitement, beauty and rhythm.

The Dutch company Close-Act Theatre has been active for almost three decades and been praised around the globe for their enchanting street theatre that sweeps the audience along into a world where anything can happen. Their dinosaurs from the show Saurus tramped around central Reykjavík during the opening of the 2018 festival, to the delight of audiences of all ages. The group now return with a mesmerizing event that is a must-see for everyone.

The ActRed performance in Reykjavík is part of the opening ceremony of the 2022 Reykjavík Arts Festival.

Performers:
Anna Zurkirchen
Eefje de Groot
Zjoske van Niekerk
Roos van Berkel
Tonny Aerts
Guy Pek
Erwin Vorstermans
Linda Jacobsen
Liduine van Baars
Lilly Bendl

3 June 2022, 17:00 (Reykjavík)
4 June 2022, 12:00 (Reykjanesbær)  
4 June 2022, 16:00 (Garðabær)

Austurvöllur, Reykjavik; Garðatorg, Garðabær; Hafnargata 88, Reykjanesbær

The route taken by Guru Dudu is quite accessible to wheelchair users but please note that the route is on a slope.

Guru Dudu’s Silent Disco Walking Tours are a hilarious walking, dancing adventure through the streets. Put on a headset and join the disco!

Guru Dudu leads participants through town with his fun commentary on their surroundings and plenty of spontaneous flash-mob dancing antics that will be sure to wash away all inhibitions and leave everyone smiling from ear to ear. A dance mix of uplifting favourites will be the soundtrack to an unforgettable tour that is delightful for all ages.

As the charismatic Guru Dudu, Melbourne comedian David Naylor has taken his Silent Disco Walking Tours to festivals and events around the world, lighting up the streets wherever he goes.

This event takes place in English but only requires basic language skills. The route is quite accessible to wheelchair users but please note that it takes participants through sloping streets.

11 June, 13:00 from Iðnó
11 June, 15:00 from Hallgrímskirkja
12 June, 13:00 from Iðnó
12 June, 15:00 from Hallgrímskirkja

Silent Disco Tour - A fun and unforgettable experience for all ages!

Harpa is very accessible for wheelchair users, with three lifts going straight from the basement car park up to the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th floors. Special wheelchair seating areas must be pre-booked at Harpa. Hearing loops are available in reception. Seats for guests accompanied by assistance dogs must be pre-booked at Harpa.

BUS: 1, 3, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 55

Barbara Hannigan (CA)
Iceland Symphony Orchestra (IS)

Canadian soprano Barbara Hannigan has drawn great acclaim the world over in recent years, both for her magnificent vocal performances and her prowess as a conductor. She has performed with all of the world’s leading orchestras and has premiered over 85 new works, including pieces by György Ligeti and Hans Abrahamsen. She has also sung in leading opera houses all over the world and performed such roles as the demanding title role in Alban Berg’s Lulu.

Barbara Hannigan has won innumerable awards for her work, including a Grammy Award for her album Crazy Girl Crazy in 2018 and the coveted Léonie Sonning Prize in 2020. When she received the Rolf Schock Prize for Musical Arts, the adjudication panel called her an “extraordinary and innovative performer with a dynamic and intensive approach to the music she performs.” 

This is Hannigan’s first performance in Iceland, one that will surely rank among the major musical events of the year.

The diverse program includes Ives’ Unanswered Question, Schönberg’s Verklärte Nacht, Berg’s Lulu Suite and Gershwin’s Girl Crazy Suite as arranged by Bill Elliott.

Ives  -  Unanswered Question
Schoenberg  -  Verklaerte Nacht

Berg  -  Lulu Suite 
Gershwin  -  Girl Crazy Suite (arranged by Bill Elliott)

Tjarnarbíó offers good wheelchair access. 


It’s a celebration of being-in-the-world

It’s where the time rests in itself, where it deepens vertically

It’s a space for dwelling, directionless floating, contemplative lingering

It’s where we find the pleasure in welcoming the unknown

In dAzzleMAZE, we surrender to reflection, glow and beauty

dAzzleMAZE is an immersive dance performance for our youngest audience and neurodiverse children. This choreographed installation offers diverse sensory experiences and encourages curiosity, exploration, relaxation and contemplation. In this space, there is no right or wrong behaviour and the audience is invited to enjoy the performance freely and on their own terms. Guests may enter when ready, exit and re-enter as suits them. To enhance the sensation of togetherness, guests are invited to choose and put on costumes that are accessible in the welcoming area and which correspond to the costumes worn by performers.

The Friday and Sunday performances are for babies aged 3-16 months. The Saturday performance is dedicated to neurodiverse children aged up to 4 years. 

17 June, 10:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00
18 June, 10:00-13:00
19 June, 10:00-13:00, 14:00-17:00

A captivating experience for our youngest audience.

A wheelchair ramp is located by the entrance to Petersen-svítan and provides access for guests of Gamla bíó. A lift will take you to accessible toilets in the basement area.

BUS: 1, 6, 11, 12, 13, 14

Loverboy (SL), Zainab (SL), Samúel J. Samúelsson (IS)

Loverboy, Zainab & Sammi postponed until 2024

We are sad to announce that the concert of wonderful Sierra Leone artists Loverboy and Zainab, who were programmed to perform with Samúel J. Samúelsson Big Band in Gamla bíó, has now been postponed to the 2024 festival. This is due to complications around the issuing of their aritst visas. All ticketholders will be contacted directly.

Enthralling beats will take over Gamla bíó when esteemed musicians Loverboy and Zainab travel all the way from Sierra Leone to Iceland to perform with Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band. In 2018, Samúel traveled to Sierra Leone to attend a music workshop funded by the Aurora Foundation where he got to know Loverboy and Zainab. The musicians were immediately keen to collaborate further. Now a joyous reunion will finally take place in Gamla bíó as the big band welcomes these two outstanding Sierra Leonean artists. 

Loverboy is known for singing his original songs while playing a homemade guitar and drumming with his foot. Zainab is the singer of Jelliba‘s, one of Sierra Leone‘s most beloved bands which plays traditional West African folk music. Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band are veterans on the Icelandic music scene. This is the band‘s first concert since the pandemic broke out so its members are highly excited to be playing together again. 

Reykjavík Arts Festival will next take place 1-19 June 2022.

Reykjavík Arts Festival hosts outstanding artistic creations from all corners of the world while also nurturing a powerful and vibrant relationship with its audiences, widening the circle to include as many as possible so that they may enjoy the arts on their own terms.

Reykjavík Arts Festival celebrates diversity and prioritises accessibility and respect for the environment in all decision making. Programming is driven by courage, professionalism, joy and big thinking.

Eyrarrósin
Award
2023

Welcome to Reykjavik Arts Festival!

News