Reykjavik Arts Festival will take place 30 May-14 June 2026.

Adgengi_Idno

All events in the Festival Hub are free of charge.

A café with food and beverages is in Iðnó. 

There will be a pop up kitchen offering buddha/poké bowls on 30 May, 5 June and 14 June between 17:00-22:00.

A ramp leads to the front entrance, but the door is not automatic. There is a 5 cm threshold at the entrance with a sloped edge when entering the building, though there is no sloped edge when exiting. Indoor access is generally easy, with elevator access between the 1st and 2nd floors and sloped edges at all public thresholds. An accessible restroom is available on the 1st floor, although it is fairly small. One designated accessible parking space is located on Tjarnargata by Tjarnarskóli.

Following events have live captions in Icelandic through a website that guests can keep open on their phones during the event. Posters with a QR code will be displayed at the venue, which guests can scan to view live captions.

In conversation with Hildur Guðnadóttir

A dedicated quiet room is on the 2nd floor

Aðgengislýsing á Klúbbnum

An event for children and families in the form of a pop‑up café run by children. Children take part in shaping the programme and sometimes help serve at the café. There is always space for creative activities, such as games, dance workshops, classes, or other activities. Children and families are welcome to come and take part on their own terms.

Sound levels are kept to a minimum. Background music is sometimes played, although there is often general chatter from the guests themselves.

Lighting is standard, and there is good natural daylight in the space.

Kid's café

An event that combines dance, live sound, food, visual material, and spoken word. The event takes place at Iðnó. Spoken text and poetry are performed. Some of the poems address topics such as miscarriage and drug use but in an abstract manner. The work includes a live video installation created on site. The videos are not stored and are used only for this event. Live soundscape is also created on site. In addition, there is a food installation that audience members can eat.

Audience members may remain in the space for as long as they wish. It is possible to take part in certain elements of the work, but participation is optional, and it is also fine to simply observe. Guests are free to move around the space, stand or sit.

The sound level is moderate. The space is quite dimly lit and illuminated using spotlights.

The event is suitable for both adults and children.

Linked by Óheimsk

A workshop held at Iðnó, conducted in English.

The workshop is suitable for participants of all levels of physical ability. It focuses on inclusion and explores how everyone can engage with movement. At times, the work takes place in groups or pairs. Some activities may involve physical contact—for example, guiding another person—but this is always done with the consent of all participants.

Soft background music will be played. Lighting will be even, with a good amount of natural daylight.

Creative movement session

The event consists of 8 different performance works that are all works in progress. Some are performed in Icelandic, some in English, and some are non‑verbal. The works address a wide range of themes. One piece explores crime fiction and our relationship with violence in written language, including references to violence against adults by the police. Some works use masks, while others touch on themes such as sex, overeating, and death.

Sound levels vary between works. Some rely on spoken text, while others use music played at a higher volume. Lighting also varies, ranging from standard lighting to complete darkness. Some works use harmless theatrical smoke.

The event is suitable for young people but not for young children.

tóma rýmið experimental evening

An artist talk with flautist Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson, conducted in Icelandic. The conversation will be moderated by a host. The space will be arranged like a café, with Stefán and the host seated so that all guests can see them, possibly on a raised platform. The discussion will be informal and focus on Stefán Ragnar’s artistic career. Both speakers will use microphones. In addition, Icelandic captions will be provided, which audience members can access on their phones.

The sound level will be comfortable, and the lighting will be standard.

In conversation with Stefán Ragnar

An artist talk held in English at the Festival Hub in Iðnó, moderated by a host. The audience will be seated facing the stage. The artists and the moderator will discuss the exhibition Ode to Freedom by the Ukrainian collective Open Group, currently on display at the Living Art Museum. The exhibition explores the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequences of war, and the artist talk will focus on these themes.

English captions will be provided, which audience members can access on their phones.

Sound levels will be comfortable, and lighting will be standard.

Artist talk Open Group

This is a participatory event in the form of a reading group, where participants sit together in a circle and read aloud from a text that has been selected in advance by the organisers. The text is in English and will be provided on site; there is no need to bring anything. The organisers are available to answer questions and to help translate individual words if needed.

Participants take turns reading aloud, each in their own way, and the group then discusses the text together. The text focuses on rethinking how history is told and encourages participants to reflect on narrative perspective, as well as on how society can become more accessible to minority groups and better include them in written history. As a result, the discussion may address challenging topics, such as discrimination.

The organisers aim to create a safe and respectful space. At the beginning of the session, the group will collectively agree on guidelines for the discussion and how conversations will be conducted.

There will be no music in the space, and the lighting will be general.

Garg Listening Room

A spoken‑word poetry evening at the Festival Hub in Iðnó. Poets will take turns coming on stage and composing verses live on a wide range of topics. The content may vary and can include current affairs, news, recent events, politics, and everyday life.

Audience members are seated facing the performers. Some members of the audience will take part in the event; these participants will be prepared in advance.

Sound levels and lighting will be standard.

Verse night

This event is a festival with a varied programme running throughout the day, celebrating Arabic culture. The programme includes dance workshops, market stalls, language sessions, drumming performances, and a dance party. Visitors may take part in the full programme or choose to attend individual activities. It is possible to join the workshops, or simply spend time in the space. During the drumming performances, audience members are seated and watch the drummer on stage.

Sound levels will vary depending on the activity. For most of the day, sound levels will be moderate, but they will be higher during the drumming performances and the dance party. There may also be sudden or unexpected sounds.

Lighting will be standard for most activities, while stage lighting will be used more extensively during concerts and the dance party.

The event is suitable for both adults and children. Visitors are free to come and go as they please.

Arabian Nights

An artist talk with composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, conducted in Icelandic. The conversation will be moderated by a host. The space will be arranged like a café, with Hildur and the host seated so that all guests can see them, possibly on a raised platform. The discussion will be informal and focus on Hildur’s artistic career. Both speakers will use microphones. In addition, Icelandic captions will be provided, which audience members can access on their phones.

An artist talk held in English at the Festival Hub in Iðnó, moderated by a host. The audience will be seated facing the stage. The artists and the moderator will discuss the exhibition Membrane in the Nordic House.

Artist talk Himna

A music event at Iðnó. The aim is to create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. There are four performers, positioned in the middle of the room. Audience members may sit or stand around them, and are also welcome to move through the space if they wish. Chairs will be available for those who want to sit, and there will also be mats and cushions on the floor, encouraging people to lie down and make themselves comfortable. There will be an artistic discussion following the event, where guests are welcome to join. 

Around the middle of the performance, the audience will be invited to take part in a guided musical improvisation led by Ingibjörg Fríða Helgadóttir. Participants may, for example, join in a simple mantra-like chant. Participation is entirely optional.

The event consists of live musical improvisation alongside a drone played through the venue’s sound system. Sound levels will vary, sometimes slightly above average and sometimes lower, but will never be uncomfortable. The lighting in the space will be soft.

Carried

An event where visitors are invited to take part. Guests sit opposite the artist, who draws an abstract portrait based on what she experiences while looking at them. During this time, guests may read, draw, or use their phones. Guests and the artist can talk together in either Icelandic or English, depending on individual preference. Drawing each guest takes approximately five minutes.

The event takes place in the foyer of Iðnó. Lighting is standard, and there is good natural daylight in the space. Some background chatter may be present, but overall sensory stimuli are kept to a minimum.

Autistic Diagnosis

A storytelling event featuring Greenlandic folk tales and narrative dance using masks. The stories are told in English and partly in Icelandic. Greenlandic folk tradition is conveyed by a masked dancer, and the performance is very energetic and expressive. The masked dancer often comes close to the audience, but there is no physical contact during the event. At times the dancer speaks loudly and calls out, which may startle some people.

The folk tales address various everyday themes, as well as issues such as discrimination against the Greenlandic people by the Danish authorities. The patterns on the Greenlandic mask reference bones, blood, genitals, and pubic hair. Greenlandic dance traditions also draw on themes of death, love, and life. All of this is presented in an abstract way, and there is no explicit or graphic content in the event.

The lighting in the space is standard, and the sound level is moderate.

Mask

This is a participatory event that explores emotions and processes of healing. Guests are invited to make gnocchi — a potato-based pasta — under the guidance of a facilitator. Ingredients used include butter, flour, potatoes, sage, salt, garlic, and possibly turmeric. The gnocchi is then boiled and fried, so food aromas will be present in the space. Guests prepare the gnocchi themselves, using their hands as well as utensils such as forks and knives.

Participants move between different stations where the facilitator speaks with them. At one point, guests may be invited to remove their shoes and place their feet in soil. At the end of the event, there will be an opportunity to eat the gnocchi together.

Sound levels are kept to a minimum, there will also be sound created live on site. Lighting will be standard.

From Potato to Recovery

Guests are encouraged to bring broken ceramics or objects that no longer serve a purpose. There will also be an opportunity on site to break what one wishes to let go of and transform it into a work of art.

Visitors are invited to contribute broken ceramics, or objects that no longer fulfil their original function, to the artwork.

What has been broken — or needs to be broken — will become part of a collective artwork.

Warning:
Please exercise caution and keep a close eye on children. The artwork contains broken pieces and sharp surfaces.

Brothætt: Ritual I - The Healing

Before each performance a soft bell will ring, and information on duration and possible triggers will be announced. Possible triggers include:

a gentle movement workshop in the upstairs space 14.30-15.00 with slow movement and soft speaking by a small group in the centre of the room (to which all are invited 😊)

loud speaking (not shouting or screaming) 15.00-16.00.

Accessibility in the Festival Hub

Aðgengislýsing á Klúbbnum

Skynlýsingar á viðburðum í Klúbbnum