The exhibition takes place in the Old Herring Factory in Djúpavík, where access is limited. Visitors must go up 12 steps with a handrail to enter the building. The exhibition spans two floors, connected by steep staircases. The floor is unfinished concrete. There are no accessible toilets on-site. General toilets are available at Hótel Djúpavík, a 5‑minute walk from the venue. There are no designated accessible parking spaces, but it is possible to park on the grass near the entrance.

The Factory is an annual art exhibition held in Djúpavík’s abandoned herring factory. By uniting the vanished past and contemporary art, diverse expressions merge, evoking  a space of sensory experiences and artistic diversity. 

In 2026, The Factory explores the theme of connectedness. Within this context, site-responsive art will be exposed, approaching Djúpavík's herring factory as a co-creator. What emerges when seizing a location not merely as a shell around the art, but as a creator equal to the artist? 

The idea of connectedness also raises questions about its opposites: alienation and disconnection. Thus, the exhibition will encompass worlds  of fiction, dreams, heritage, nostalgia, and possible futures.

Opening: 23 May at 21:00
Opening Hours: Daily 10:30–18:00

medium

The exhibition takes place at Samuel’s Art Museum in Selárdalur. A gravel path runs throughout the exhibition area. Ramps lead into the museum buildings, and there are no steps along visitor routes. A spacious toilet with a sink is available, but no grab rails are installed. There are no designated accessible parking spaces, but cars may be parked near the entrance.

In Selárdalur, where time seems to pass more slowly and the works of sculptor Samúel Jónsson appear in the landscape like memories cast in concrete, different voices come together in a shared resonance. Artists working in Listvinnzlan create new works in close  dialogue with Samúel‘s sculpture garden. 

The main focus  of the exhibition are sculptures that become part of Samúel‘s remarkable garden. His works were realised in Selárdalur,  yet drew inspiration from around the world. Through his works he brought the world home to his valley. 

Here, the artists engage with a new medium, a new space  and new conditions; art that lives out in the open and is shaped by wind and weather. In his time, Samúel was marginalized as an artist. He was self-taught, unconventional and worked outside the mainstream. His experience resonates in the present, where disabled artists are still often pushed to the margins of the  art scene. In this exhibition, a beautiful resonance forms  between Samúel and the artists: a resonance between past and present, Reykjavík and Selárdalur, between the centre and the periphery, and between different generations. 

The exhibition is an act of respect, a response, and a continuity; a living testimony to the fact that art finds its way, even – and perhaps, especially – beyond the conventional.

Opening 24 May at 15:00
Opening Hours / Always Open

Access in Eldborg is generally good. The building is easily accessible and getting around inside is easy. There is elevator access to all floors. There are 8 wheelchair spaces in Eldborg. Accessible toilets are available on all floors of Harpa. There are 19 designated accessible parking spaces in Harpa’s underground car park and 2 additional spaces on the seaside of the building.

The performance of Mahler's Symphony no. 8 is without a doubt a major event in the Icelandic music scene and will mark a milestone in the history of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. This masterpiece of musical history has never before been performed in Iceland. Early on, the symphony became known as “the Symphony of Thousands”, since its performance calls for an unusually high number of performers, singers as well as instrumentalists.

Nearly four hundred performers will appear on stage: an unusually large orchestra, eight soloists, a choir and a children's choir. Mahler composed this moving piece of music in just six weeks in the year 1906, a towering celebration of love and humanity, full of optimism and faith in human spirit. Mahler was convinced that the work's message applied to the whole world, and even today, any performance of his symphony is a truly international musical event.

In celebration of Reykjavík Arts Festival, Fischersund presents a fragrance inspired by our thriving city — by everything that grows quietly around us, unseen yet ever-present in the air. 

These are the unnoticed companions of daily life: freshly cut grass resting by a fence post, chervil spilling across a sun-warmed sidewalk, a lawnmower shredding dandelions and sorrel, the echo of a distant party, blackcurrants dropping one by one from bare branches. 

In a small greenhouse at Lækjartorg, guests are invited to step into Fischersund’s world — to breathe in this invisible landscape and listen to the voices of the urban environment. How does the melodic song of chervil differ from the base notes of birch? How does the bright scent of sorrel contrast with the deeper, woody tones of poplar? 

We invite you to visit and experience the city around you with new senses — to see, smell, and listen to Reykjavík anew.

Fragrance of Reykjavík Arts Festival: Fischersund

Karin Sander is a celebrated German artist who has cultivated a long-standing relationship with Iceland since her first exhibition in Reykjavík in 1993. 

The Reykjavík Art Museum now presents a comprehensive exhibition of both her new and earlier works. Karin‘s work draws on existing situations, the country’s landscape, culture, and society. Her practice involves analogue and virtual technologies, the participation of visitors, and explores the interplay between material, time, and place. 

The exhibition Karin Sander 1957-2057 examines notions of presence and site-specificity - geographical, social, bodily, and experimental discourses. Visitors are invited to be part of a 3D-portrait series, and white-primed canvases gather traces under varying conditions throughout the country. The exhibition featuring approximately 500 works becomes the starting point for a process of narratives and exploration. 

Karin Sander (b. 1957) is known for her conceptual approach to material time and space, working with everyday objects, architecture, and digital media. Her work has been exhibited internationally at leading institutions, including the Venice Architecture Biennale 2023, Kunstmuseum Winterthur, and SFMOMA. In 2018, she won a competition for a public artwork in Reykjavík.

Opening Hours: Daily 10:00–17:00 / Thu 10:00–22:00

To mark the opening of the 2026 Reykjavík Arts Festival, we present composer Samúel Jón Samúelsson’s new work, Loftvægi, for Reykjavík’s four school wind bands. Loftvægi is an old word for air pressure, which here refers to the equal value of all the wind instrumentalists. 

The piece will be premiered by almost 600 young members of the bands, playing brass, wind and percussion. The bands will converge on Hörpu torg from different directions, ultimately coming  together in a unique musical experience as the festival begins. 

The Reykjavík school bands have enriched the city for decades and helped increase children’s access to musical education. The Vesturbær and Miðbær and Austurbær School Bands have operated since 1954, the Árbær and Breiðholt School Band since 1968 and the Grafarvogur School Band was formed in 1992. Samúel is a trombonist and composer who has performed with innumerable bands and musicians. He has composed and arranged a wide array of music. In 2023, he graduated with an MA in Music Composition from the Iceland University of the Arts. Samúel’s experience teaching music and conducting Reykjavík school bands has granted him good insight into the work of the bands. 

The project is led by Samúel, Reykjavík Arts Festival’s artistic director, Lára Sóley Jóhannsdóttir and choreographer Valgerður Rúnarsdóttir.

An inimitable and mesmerising duet, spiralling entwined into the air, harnessing their differences and strengths into dance. The Air Between Us is both intimate and spectacular, created by acclaimed New Zealand dancer and choreographer Chloe Loftus, performed alongside Belgian dance artist Florent Devlesaver. 

Arriving at this point in time from diverse backgrounds and experiences, this unique aerial dance explores our innate capacity to exist in symbiotic harmony, with each other and with our environment. A celebration of equality and connection, using a bespoke counterweighted rigging system, this extraordinary performance will captivate your imagination. 

Based in Aotearoa New Zealand, Chloe Loftus Dance creates captivating performances that have toured internationally  to critical acclaim since 2005. Specialising in unique contemporary and aerial outdoor dance performances, the company champions accessibility and community.  

Exhibitions:
30 May at 15:30 & 17:00
31 May at 13:00 & 15:00

James Merry : Metamorphlings is the first museum retrospective of the artist’s work. Comprising over 80 artworks, the exhibition offers a window into the evolution of Merry’s artistic output over the past decade. During this time, he has developed a body of work centered on the mask – operating as a conduit for transformation, a catalyst for performance, and a portal through which identity can mutate. The exhibition focuses on the moment of metamorphosis when form and self are fluid. 

The masks on view showcase Merry’s craftsmanship, which uniquely blends traditional techniques with contemporary, avant-garde expressions. Visitors encounter works in a range of mediums: embroidery, metalwork, 3D printing, jewelry,  and interactive digital displays. Collectively, these works – the Meta morphlings – form a family of shape-shifting creations that can offer a deeper insight into Merry’s unending fascination with the natural world, as well as his abiding interest  in archaeology and ancient ritual.

Many of the masks included in the exhibition were created  for Björk Guðmundsdóttir as part of their long-standing artistic collaboration. The exhibition will also include commissions made for other notable collaborators, among them Tilda Swinton and Iris van Herpen. While many of these works have appeared in live performances and high-fashion contexts, this exhibition offers a rare opportunity to engage with them as standalone artworks. 

The National Gallery of Iceland presents an exhibition of Björk,  the visionary musician whose work keeps pushing conventional boundaries, interweaving art, nature, and technology with restless experimentation.

Three songs are presented at the museum on a theatrical  scale for the first time – two elegiac works, composed and arranged by Björk in honour of her mother, are accompanied  by a new work derived from the artist’s forthcoming album.

Ancestress reckons with the cyclical nature of life. Set in a remote valley in Iceland, the lamentation is staged as a ritualistic procession of musicians and dancers. 

Sorrowful Soil is a 9-part choral work – a requiem where  canon-like melodies tumble amongst 3 groups of singers in  a polychoral way. Thirty speakers each transmit a single voice from the Hamrahlíð choir, conducted by Þorgerður Ingólfsdóttir. 

The exhibition is presented alongside Metamorphlings, an exhibition of James Merry, Björk's long-time collaborator,  in the fourth and last gallery of the museum.

Opening 30 May at 18:00
Opening Hours: Daily 10:00–17:00

A participatory work about the beauty of imperfection

In The Healing, the central gesture is to let go of what is broken, fractured, or no longer serves. Broken ceramics are given new meaning in a different context, where they come together as part of a larger whole in a mosaic shaped through the participation of guests. Alongside the mosaic, a sound work emerges, built from stories about what has been broken in life.

 Artists’ Salary Fund, Dansverkstæðið & Fagurgerðir

The evening kicks off with the premiere of Move With Pride; a powerful homage to the importance of Queer nightlife and dance, as told by a diverse cast of local Queer performers. Complete with a live DJ, this performance will immerse you into the “club” as you get to know the stories that brought these unique souls to the dance floor; the pain, love, tears, sweat, history, rage and joy … and the beat that promises never to stop.

After the performance, DJ Seth Sharp will send the crowd spinning onto the dance floor and into the night.

Move With Pride is a dance performance piece by Rebecca “Ondina” Hidalgo in collaboration with Iceland Dance Company.

The Kids’ Café takes over the Festival Hub and offers creativity, games and refreshments for young guests. Children’s cafés are community cafés where children have the power to organize the program and are given space for free play and creativity, the opportunity to participate in artistic events, where they can share a slice of cake and hot chocolate with friends. The café is a social space where all guests, despite different economic backgrounds, can become members and participate.

Rót is a new poetic puppet play for families from Handbendi Puppet Theatre, about roots, empathy, and the stories that make us whole.

The piece takes place in the summer of 1995 when a young boy in a small Icelandic town meets his grandmother, his abuela, for the first time. She arrives from Paraguay like a burst of colour and song, bringing with her a suitcase filled with stories, memories, and a touch of magic.

Through music, puppetry, and visual enchantment, the story travels between Iceland and South America, past and present, reality and imagination. With song, puppetry and magical visual theatre, the play explores what it means to grow up between different worlds, carrying different stories within us. It is a heartfelt, colourful, and visually rich show celebrating family, heritage, and the beauty of being oneself.

Handbendi is an award-winning puppet theatre based in rural Northwest Iceland. The theatre specialises in original, impactful productions for audiences of all ages and tours widely abroad to great acclaim. Founded in 2016 by director, performer, and puppeteer Greta Clough, Handbendi has established itself as one of Iceland’s most original performing arts groups.

Exhibitions:
31 May at 14:00
4 June at 18:00
7 June at 16:00
13 June at 16:00

A multisensory performance blending dance, live sound, edible art, visuals, and spoken word. At its core, the project revolves around connections—between people, places, and practice. Formed by diverse artists shaped by life in Iceland and united through Reykjavík’s grassroots scene, the group weaves their unique voices into a shared, multidimensional work. Their bond, rooted in community and collaboration, drives a creative process that explores and celebrates the links between disciplines, identities, and environments.

Þórður Steinþórsson creates interactive sound design and music. Máni Sigurðsson designs live visuals. Pola Sutryk creates the edible installation and Katie Hitchcock contributes dance and spoken word. Presented simultaneously, the audience is invited to experience through all their senses and to immerse themselves in the world created by these artists.

Do you want to paint big and see your art come to life on a wall? 
A creative course where participants learn about the techniques, conceptualizing and execution of mural painting. From sketching to experimenting and creating a work that leaves an impression on the environment. 

The course is suitable for both beginners and those who want to develop their skills further.
Registration: klubbur@artfest.is

2 June 12:00 - 16:00 - Sunnusalur, Iðnó

Mural Painting: workshop for ages 16 - 20

The exhibition presents a retrospective of artists associated with the Fish Factory, featuring artists affiliated with the  centre and former participants in its residency programme. 

The Fish Factory, the recipient of the 2025 Eyrarrósin award, was established in 2011. Since then, it has evolved into a cultural centre and international art residency, supporting artistic production, exchange and experimentation in East Iceland. 

The exhibition reflects on more than a decade of  creative activity, highlighting the diversity of practices and artistic relationships that have shaped the space and  its community.

Opening 1 June at 17:00
Opening Hours: Daily 12:00–17:00

Viewpoint is a group exhibition that brings together five artists working with photography: Einar Falur Ingólfsson, Elvar Örn Egilsson, Jói Kjartans, María Kjartans and Snædís Malmquist.

Photographs shape how we see the world, and Iceland is  

no exception. Over the past decade, postcard-perfect landscapes have commanded Iceland’s public image, but that  only tells half the story.

Viewpoint explores Iceland’s other sides, from mundane  moments and people-led protests to mountains obscured  by local supermarkets. Each artist presents the island  through their own lens, creating a view that’s stranger,  richer and ultimately truer.

Opening 1 June 17:00
Opening Hours: Daily 12:00–17:00

Creative movement session with acclaimed artists and performers of The Air Between Us, performed at Hörputorg, 30-31 May. 

Championing disability arts and inclusive practice, this playful workshop will enhance your own unique movements and creativity, giving you an insight into the artists’ creative process. 

No experience necessary, just comfy clothes you can move in. 

The workshop is ideal for those working in the disability sector as well as movement enthusiasts, with and without disabilities.

Reflections is a retrospective celebrating the work of Hallsteinn Sigurðsson (1945–2024), one of Iceland’s most prolific sculptors. Presented in the artist’s studio at Ystasel 37, the exhibition offers rare insight into his creative process and artistic development over six decades. 

Key works in aluminum, iron, and concrete are shown alongside sketches, archival materials, and previously unseen pieces that illuminate his conceptual approach and material explorations. 

The exhibition is a vivid tribute to an artist whose work significantly shaped Icelandic sculpture and left a lasting mark  on the country’s cultural landscape.

Opening 1 June at 17:00
Opening Hours: Wed–Sun 12:00–17:00 

tóma rýmið invites you to an experimental evening! 

tóma rýmið is a studio and experimental stage for performing artists intended for the creation of original stage works. tóma rýmið has hosted monthly experimental evenings in recent years where members present experiments and sketches of their works. For one summer night, the event will be expanded to a takeover of Iðnó. The hall will be aired out between works to give guests the opportunity to come late, leave early, have a drink and chat. Backbiting and flattery in the smoking port, fragile self-esteems backstage. 

The works will be in Icelandic, another language ​​or simply without words. 

Stefán was Principal Flute of the Metropolitan Opera in New York from 2008 to 2016 and of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from 2015 to 2025. This past autumn, he took up the position of Principal Flute with the Berlin Philharmonic. In addition, he regularly performs as a soloist and visiting tutor around the world.

It is a great pleasure to welcome Stefán Ragnar as he now performs for the first time at Reykjavík Arts Festival, with concerts taking place in Reykjavík and in East Iceland where Stefán grew up. This is a unique opportunity to hear Stefán Ragnar perform with his dear musical friends, cellist Sigurgeir Agnarsson and pianist Liam Kaplan. The programme will feature works by composers such as Prokofiev, Villa-Lobos and Mendelssohn.

Eskifjarðarkirkja 2 June 19:30
Norðurljós, Harpa 3 June 19:30

FLOW is an exhibition of selected works by Sölvi Helgason, who went by the pseudonym Sólon Íslandus. His much-admired works are closely intertwined with his own story - that of a folk artist who refused to bow to societal restrictions and social norms. 

Sölvi’s works flowed between art forms and periods; a flow where figurative drawings, sketches, texts, and various scribbles merge into a distinctive visual world. His sensitivity is evident in delicate illustrations where garlands of flowers and other patterns twirl across the paper, often accompanied by unexpected additions such as letters, faces, or symbolic motifs that refer to places and people he encountered on his travels. 

At the opening of the exhibition, the band Mógil will hold a release concert for their new album, which was inspired by Sölvi’s images and writings. The album provides yet another example of how Sölvi Helgason continues to influence other artists. Mógil’s music will also be a part of the exhibition.

Opening and Concerts 2 June at 20:00
Opening Hours: Daily 10:00–17:00

Come for an artist talk with Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson. 

A conversation with Stefán Ragnar about his impressive career as a flautist with some of the most revered symfony orcherstras in the world. 

Stefán Ragnar has entertaining stories to share that give insight into what it takes to achieve such success like the fact that as a child he was driven the 600+ kilometres from Reyðarfjörður to Reykjavík to attend flute lessons.

In conversation with Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson

Join us for an artist talk with Marta Czyż and Open Group who will discuss their work in the exhibition Ode to Freedom at the Living Art Museum. 

Open Group has in recent years attracted international attention for its influential works in a variety of media that address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The group consists of Ukrainian artists: Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach and Anton Varga. The project is curated by Marta Czyż, an art historian and critic living and working in Warsaw. Czyż has worked with Open Group for many years and was the curator of the Polish pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2024. 

Garg is a bookstore and community space that brings the margins to the center and offers voices a space to be loud. You are invited to Garg's Listening Room where we will sit in a circle, forming a group that will read text fragments together, out loud. The text to be read is The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction by the writer Ursula K. Le Guin. Discussions will follow the reading, first in small groups and then as a whole group. Let's come together, listen, use our voices and connect. 

20 places available, book your slot by emailing klubbur@artfest.is

The Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Reykjavík Arts Festival present a fascinating evening with composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, showcasing her work in recent years. 

Hildur is one of the leading film composers of our time and has earned many accolades, including Emmy and Grammy Awards in 2019 for her score for the TV series Chernobyl and an Oscar in 2020 for her score for the film Joker. Here she hosts an evening where she shares insights into her work and influences, and her approach to strengthening a film's narrative with  dynamic music. The program is composed of Hildur's own music, including works from the films Joker, Tár, and  

A Haunting in Venice, as well as music that has had a great influence on Hildur over the years will also be performed, including works by Arvo Pärt, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mika Levi, Kaija Saariaho and Alvin Lucier.

Close up – Hildur Guðnadóttir & Iceland Symphony Orchestra

The Swiss artist Zimoun creates sound installations and sculptures made from recycled materials from everyday life and industry.

His installation will reveal a dense and hypnotic atmosphere, connecting with nature but also touching on social criticism, automated processes, the world's power structures and progressive robotisation.

Through a handmade mechanical process, he activates local materials and with scratching, clawing, knocking, and vibrating, he makes the exhibition hall resonate and transform into a living environment.

Zimoun has presented exhibitions and performances across the globe, including in Korea, the United States, France, China, and the United Kingdom. His work has consistently garnered significant and well-deserved attention.

Both hafnar.haus and hlemmur.haus offer daily, cheap, and healthy communal lunches for the creatives working there. It’s an opportunity to connect with people you might have never met or wouldn’t ever meet, if it wasn’t for this moment of sharing a meal together. The .haus community is bringing their lunch to the Festival Hub in Iðnó and opening the doors to anyone who'd like to share a taste of that feeling. Who knows, you might have found a new friend or potential collaborator at the end of the meal.

Lunch will be served for 2.000 ISK. Everyone is welcome.

Lunch date with the .haus community in Reykjavík

An exhibition by the Ukrainian art collective OPEN GROUP, which in recent years has garnered international attention  for its powerful works about Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and its effects on the Ukrainian people and their culture. 

Amongst the works in the exhibition is the video installation Repeat After Me II (2022-2024), presented in the Polish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2024, where  it received great praise from both visitors and critics. 

The art collective OPEN GROUP was founded in Lviv in 2012. Its current members are Yuriy Biley, Pavlo Kovach, and Anton Varga. Curated by Marta Czyż. An exhibition that addresses current issues in an artistic  but extremely direct way.

Opening 5 June at 18:00
Opening Hours: Wed–Sun at 12:00–18:00

The Living Art Museum, The Marshall House

The Other Side and Gallerí Kichin take over Kling & Bang  with an exciting selection of events and exhibitions. The Other Side is a new curatorial and design collective founded by Hugo Llanes, Janosch Bela Kratz, and Katerina Spathia. 

Through the show, territory appears and disappears – not only as a physical ground, but as something shaped by power, extraction, displacement, and shared memory. Gallerí Kichin was founded by Skúli Thayer and Silja Rún Högnadóttir when they began their studies at the Iceland  University of the Arts. 

The gallery is best known for its exhibition series Sculpture of the Week. During this exhibition period they will host six openings where the crème de la crème of the Icelandic art scene will present their works.

Opening 5 June at 18:00
Opening Hours: Wed-Sun at 12:00–18:00

6 June at 17:00 / First Opening
Sigurlinn Maríus 
Sigurðar Örn Alexander Ámundason

10 June at 17:00 / Second Opening
Eyrún Úa Þorbjörnsdóttir 
Guðrún Emma Júlíusdóttir 
Helga Thorlacius Finnsdóttir 
Úa Sóley Magnúsdóttir

No holds barred at the Festival Hub as nationally renowned verse-makers take to the stage and improvise witty ditties about whatever, and whoever, happens to be in the spotlight. The unique musicians of Tríó Zimsen will also sing and play. It is rare for such an event to be held in Reykjavík, and unprecedented at the Reykjavík Arts Festival. This is a splendid opportunity for Reykjavík residents and poetry lovers from all over the world who want to experience this vibrant, living tradition.

Perfumery is a harmony of notes from top to bass, fresh to bold, lilting and persisting. This harmony runs parallel to the sounds of Fischersund, where carefully crafted musical notes create a transportive atmosphere. For the first time, Fischersund brings its signature scented concert to Reykjavík. During this special evening, perfume, music, and visual art fuse together to tickle the nose, ears, and eyes, creating a memorable sensory journey. Musicians Jónsi from Sigur Rós, Sindri Már Sigfússon, and Kjartan Holm play their musical compositions that reflect the ethereal Fischersund fragrances and, through sound, bring them to life. The concert leaves an impression that transcends the physical space – an imprint in memory for all to take home. Video works are by Ingibjörg Birgisdóttir, and the host of the evening is Lilja Birgisdóttir.

Elliðaárdalur is full of life and new adventures that change from day to day. City residents and visitors alike will discover new sides to this magnificent place as Reykjavík Arts Festival and Elliðaárstöð host  a family festival in Elliðaárdalur on Sat-urday 6 June. 

Artists will fill the area with magic and deepen our connection with nature through happenings and events. Circus artists from Hringleikur will present their captivating and ever-evolving performances. The musical group Silfá invites curious listeners of all ages to join them on a walk along the forest paths of the valley and by the river, listening to birdsong and the murmur of water in harmony with viola, piano, and vocals. 

The result is a unique concert where music and the sounds of summer merge into one. In the visitor centre at Elliðaárstöð, guests will have the  opportunity to take part in the dance experience How Can  We Break This Circle? The dance duo Project HOFIE invites the audience to reflect, slow down and enjoy their creative work, and at the same time create in the moment by drawing and painting their own pictures.

Bountiful programme of Arabian culture granting anyone an opportunity to experience and enjoy diverse cultures through music, dance, cuisine and language. The highlight of the programme is a concert and storytime with the Palestinian drum queen Simona Abdallah. Simona is a percussionist who plays the Arabian drum darbuka, traditionally a male instrument. Simona is one of the first female musicians of Arabian origin to break tradition and has attracted international attention. The evening ends with a dance party until midnight.

برنامج غني بالثقافة العربية يتيح للجميع فرصة التعرّف على ثقافات متنوعة والاستمتاع بها من خلال الموسيقى والرقص والمطبخ واللغة. أبرز ما في البرنامج هو حفل موسيقي وجلسة حكايات مع ملكة طبول الدربكة الفلسطينية سيمونا عبد الله. سيمونا عازفة إيقاع تعزف على طبلة الدربكة العربية، وهي آلة موسيقية كانت تُعد تقليدياً حكراً على الرجال. وتُعد سيمونا من أوائل الموسيقيات من أصول عربية اللواتي كسرن هذا التقليد وقد حظيت باهتمام دولي واسع. ويختتم المساء بحفلة رقص تستمر حتى منتصف الليل.

13:00 - 15:00
Darbuka drum workshop - bring your own drum (not necessarily darbuka, e.g. djembe)

ورشة طبول الدربكة – أحضر طبلك الخاص (ليس بالضرورة أن يكون دربكة، يمكن أن يكون مثلاً جمبي)

15:00 - 16:00
Dabke - wear comfortable clothes to sweat in

دبكة – ارتدِ ملابس مريحة للحركة والتعرّق

16:00 - 17:00
Jallabina and belly dance - wear comfortable clothes to sweat in

يلابينا والرقص الشرقي – ارتدِ ملابس مريحة للحركة والتعرّق

19:00 - 20:00
Bazaar, Arabic food tasting & chat

بازار وتذوّق أطعمة عربية ودردشة

حفل موسيقي مع سيمونا عبد الله

21:30
Dance party: Belly dance, dabke & Jallabina

حفلة رقص: رقص شرقي ودبكة ويلابينا

TINNA is a program for young single parents and a collaborative project between the City of Reykjavík and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Housing. At TINNA, participants engage in various activities and have, among other things, worked creatively under the guidance of visual art teacher Fríða María Harðardóttir since 2020. The first TINNA group exhibition was held in 2021 at the Gerðuberg Family Center, and a total of six exhibitions have been held since the project began.

The group exhibition Dreams and reality is the result of the TINNA group’s work, where young women focus on connecting with themselves and other women through visual art. They received instruction and technical training, explored materials and methods and completed exercises based on perception and dialogue. 

Activating their curiosity and imagination and finding a channel for personal expression, they also get to experience art-making as a healing process.

Opening 6 June at 14:00-16:00
Opening Hours:
Mon–Thu: 08:00–18:00 
Fri: 08:00–16:00

Membrane explores soil regeneration as a fundamental process that makes Earth habitable, enabling life to emerge, persist, and renew itself. 

Scientific and posthumanist perspectives increasingly describe soil as a self-organising living system: a dynamic, symbiotic process rather than an inert resource. 

Soil embodies both life-generating growth and the vital cycles of decay and decomposition. Because of its opacity and non-human temporalities, soil invites speculations, myths, and narratives alongside scientific knowledge. 

Bringing together contemporary artistic practices, Membrane reveals soil as a multispecies archive and living memory, staging renewed earthly relations beyond anthropocentrism.

Opening 6 June at 15:00

Opening Hours: 
Tue–Sun: 10:00–17:00

Where to From is commissioned by Reykjavík Arts Festival, Barbican Centre, Vienna Konzerthaus and Holland Festival. In addition to Hildur, who sings and plays cello, the performance features Liam Byrne on viola da gamba, vocalists Peyee Chen and Nina Guo, violist Sarah Saviet, and cellists Constance Ricard and Clare O’Connell. Lighting design is by Theresa Baumgartner and sound design by Francesco Donadello.

On Saturday 6 June at 20:00, a concert will take place in Harpa’s Silfurberg, where Hildur and her ensemble perform Where to From for the first time in Iceland, along with Hildur's earlier works. 
She says of the piece:

“I have a fairly constant stream of music in my head. Sometimes I record this stream, and it becomes a kind of snapshot of my emotions at that moment. Where to From is my audio diary. I’m excited to open it up to the audience at Harpa, together with good friends.”

The 2026 Artist-in-Residence is Hildur Guðnadóttir. Three events will showcase her and her music during the festival.

Where to From: Hildur Guðnadóttir and friends

Hallgrímskirkja Choir hosts a concert bringing two influential Icelandic composers into dialogue: Hildur Guðnadóttir, the festival’s 2026 artist-in-residence, and Jón Nordal who would have celebrated his 100th birthday this spring. The programme features several choral works by Hildur Guðnadóttir, alongside Jón Nordal’s Toccata for organ and his monumental Óttusöngvar á vori (1993) for choir, soprano, countertenor, organ, cello, and percussion. Performers include soprano Álf-heiður Erla Guðmundsdóttir, countertenor Andrew Watts and organist Björn Steinar Sólbergsson. The concert is conducted by Steinar Logi Helgason.

Come for an artist talk with Hildur Guðnadóttir.

A conversation with artist in residence Hildur Guðnadóttir. The festival programme features three events with Hildur's music at the forefront. Close Up is a concert by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra where Hildur discusses her own work and influences. Her piece Where to From will be performed along with older works in Silfurberg in Harpa, and works by Hildur and composer Jón Nordal will be performed at Generations in Harmony, in collaboration with Hallgrímskirkja.

The artist talk will take place in the Festival Hub in Iðnó after the concert in Hallgrímskirkja. 

In conversation with Hildur Guðnadóttir

In conversation with Hildur Guðnadóttir

Join us for an artist talk with Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas and Linda Boļšakova, who will discuss their works in the exhibition Membrane at the Nordic House. The exhibition explores soil as a space of regeneration, decay, memory, and imagination. The exhibition is curated by Thomas Pausz who will also moderate this artist talk.

Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas (LT) are the founders of Urbonas Studio, an interdisciplinary research practice exploring new forms of knowledge and artistic collaboration to transform civic space and collective imaginaries.


Linda Boļšakova (LV) is an artist whose practice explores human relationships with the environment, drawing parallels between human embodiment and the material life of plants. Her work highlights these interdependencies and nurtures a deeper sense of belonging within ecosystems and the shared community of beings that mutually inhabit the planet.

Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas & Linda Boļšakova

In Venutian Wetland, the flute septet viibra unfolds, through sound and movement, as a self-organising collective of co-existing lifeforms, free from perception and bound to endless transformation in a strange environment beyond earthly reality. 

They exist in a fragile symbiosis where the line between individual and whole dissolves, and adaptation is not a choice but a necessity. Invisible flows of matter weave between them—thick, unstoppable—becoming the driving forces that reshape form, function, and being. From these processes, a soundscape arises, more like a living ecosystem than a gathering of beings. viibra was founded in 2016 in support of Björk’s Utopia. The ensemble is best known for its dynamic role in Björk’s  acclaimed theatrical concert Cornucopia, performed between 2018 and 2023. 

The flute septet explores the possibilities of expanded flute playing. The individual members of viibra are all esteemed performers, composers, and educators, working with improvisation and diverse approaches to music-making. viibra‘s first album was released in 2024.

Students from the Master's program in Arts and Welfare at the Iceland Academy of the Arts are a diverse group of professionals who are interested in developing ways to use the arts for the benefit of society and wellnes, as well as improving access and increasing participation by different groups in art projects and events.
The program will include short pieces and experiments as well as presentations of research.
Professionals working in the welfare sector are especially encouraged to attend.

LOVE LOVE is a music performance by Arnbjörg María Danielsen, unfolding as an open system of sound, movement, and material presence. 

Developed in collaboration with choreographer Leah Marojević, Ensemble Adapter (Matthias Engler and Gunnhildur Einarsdóttir), and Salka Valsdóttir, the work dissolves boundaries between music, bodies, and objects. 

At the centre of LOVE LOVE is the eternal game itself—play without points, without winners, without an end, open to interruption. In tennis, love means zero. Here, zero is pressure: the charged pause before something begins again. 

LOVE LOVE is played not to win, not to resolve, but to remain in motion.

In search of connection and processing of trauma through music, the duo Ingibjargir meets percussionist Kristófer Rodriguez Svönuson and saxophonist Óskar Guðjónsson. In the work Carried, the group improvises and plays their own compositions that intertwine into a coherent experience where the audience is invited, in silence or participation, to experience the healing power of music. 

The event is relaxed. The audience will be spread around the space on cushions, sitting, standing or moving as they please. 

The event will be followed by an artist talk.

Iceland Dance Company brings us Where We Meet, a devised performance created by the company’s dancers. Within a dancer’s body lives accumulated experience, memory, and knowledge, shaped through countless creative processes. 

The dancers are given space for independent creation, leading the process themselves and challenging traditional hierarchies by stepping simultaneously into the roles of both performer and choreographer. Audience members are invited to an evening where diverse voices unite to reflect on the empowerment that comes from listening and finding harmony.

All kinds of autistic and neurodivergent artists and performers from around the world invite you to come and explore how a neurodivergent creative space works. Here everyone can experience exhibitions, performances, readings, discussions, creative experiments and more, in a new kind of arts environment designed by neurodivergent people. 

Adventures in Autistic Space is an experiment in making a space where neurodivergent artists and performers can work and exist as themselves - and where all kinds of audiences can experience the arts as themselves.

The event is twinned with the Inter Lace Work Conference on Neurodiversity and Creativity happening in the University of Iceland from June 10-12, which is also open to everyone: anfinn.hi.is.

It is often said that autistic people have a different view of people and the world. Svava Dögg is autistic and invites you to come and get an honest analysis of what she sees when she looks at you. You sit in front of her and she draws, colors or writes what she perceives. This might take 5-10 minutes and then the piece of paper is yours to keep. She might be able to explain whatever appears on the paper.

A joyous explosion of drum, dance and song from the internationally acclaimed Ingoma Nshya: the women drummers  of Rwanda. In Rwanda, the word for “power” is the same as the word for “drum”: ingoma. 

In 2004, a group of women seeking to heal after a genocide made a revolutionary choice: they broke a centuries-old taboo against women drumming, and formed Ingoma Nshya—the first all-women drumming ensemble  in Rwandan history. 

This was literal empowerment. Ingoma! is their story—a joyous storytelling concert featuring the extraordinary talents of these remarkable women. Rwandan founder, Kiki Katese, and Ineza Mugisha, a young Rwandan-Canadian soprano whose family fled as refugees, are our guides through a thrilling collection of rhythms, song, and dance from East and West Africa. 

Joined onstage by the virtuosic women drummers of Ingoma Nshya, they reveal the hardships, triumphs, and histories behind the music—stories connected by recovery from violence, the overcoming of discrimination, and pure joy.

Exhibitions:
11 June at 20:00
12 June at 20:00

The Storytelling Collective, together with mask dancer Ivalu Skifte-Labansen, open the door to the mysterious world of storytelling. 

Through guided meditation and musical performance, the performers invite the audience into a magical world of adventure. According to Greenlandic tradition, life, love and death intertwine in stories that sweep the spectator along on a journey through the Arctic. 

The show is a game and a lively conversation between cultures that ends in a powerful Greenlandic masked dance where the ancient speaks directly into the present.

 Nordic Culture Point & Grænlandssjóður

Listening to the radio nowadays usually takes place in private. What happens if we listen together? 

Lestin on RÚV Radio is broadcast four times a week and hosted by Kristján Guðjónsson and Lóa Björk Björnsdóttir. This time they are recording an episode at the Festival Hub. This evening is about inviting the audience into the radio show, bringing listeners closer to the material, and opening up a space for conversation and shared experience.

In this intricate and playful solo show, inspired by his involvement in the Egyptian revolution of 2011, and his experience of the counter-revolution that followed, actor and activist Khalid Abdalla (United 93, The Kite Runner, The Crown) takes us on a surprising journey into his own history, set against a cartography of seismic world events. 

From the histories of colonialism and decolonisation, friendship and loss; protests and uprising against regimes across the world; to the violence in Gaza following the events of October 7th 2023, Khalid brings together the personal and  the political in an act of anti-biography that asks how we got here and how we find agency amidst the mazes of history.

Exhibitions:
12 June at 20:00
13 June at 20:00

At the Family World Music Festival at Harpa, visitors are invited to enjoy a diverse and vibrant programme in the building’s open spaces. 

Guests can listen to music from different parts of the world, explore musical instruments, take part in singing and dancing, and create crafts inspired by various cultures. 

The festival is designed as a warm and creative gathering for all ages, where families can come and go freely. Numerous artists, mother-tongue schools and cultural organisations take part. 

Special guests are internationally acclaimed Ingoma Nshya: the women drummers of Rwanda, who will premier their new work in Borgarleikhúsið during Reykjavík Arts Festival.

Participants make potato gnocchi from scratch and eat under the guidance of the artists. The work lies on the border between cooking and a self-help class. Each participant carefully selects their potatoes and creates their gnocchi with their intuition and heart. People are led inward, through mind and hand, and invited to connect with a part of themselves that they then develop and shape their dough into. The gnocchi shapes are finally cooked and eaten. This is a physical and spiritual act. A moment in the grand scheme of things. A moment to absorb. Fleeting. Whatever wants to happen can happen. Whatever you feel can be felt. And can find its form.

John Grant and his band perform in Harpa’s Eldborg hall - his first major concert in Iceland in many years.

John Grant has been based in Iceland for years and has played  a prominent role in the national and international music scene,  as a songwriter and performer, with a career spanning more than two decades. He is a multifaceted artist whose music ranges across several genres and is characterised by sincerity and sharp wit. John’s powerful lyrics have resonated with audiences worldwide; he is known for his honest and unflinching reflections on his personal experiences. His albums have received widespread critical acclaim, placing him among the most distinctive artists of his generation.

John Grant is known for his unique voice and strong stage presence. In Eldborg, John will perform a selection of songs from across his career.

Icelandic singer-songwriter RAKEL and her band will open for John Grant. She has gained recognition in the Icelandic music scene with her unique voice and layered compositions.

The American soprano Angel Blue, one of the most influential opera singers of our time and a two-time Grammy Award winner, will perform together with pianist Bryan Wagorn. 

In recent years, Angel has gained worldwide acclaim, singing in many of the world’s leading opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House in London, the Opéra National de Paris, and the Arena di Verona. She has also performed in over forty countries in solo recitals  and as a soloist with renowned symphony orchestras.

Angel is known for the remarkable range of her interpretations and for her unique tone. At Reykjavík Arts Festival, Angel and Bryan will present a varied programme in which all music lovers should find something to enjoy. This is a rare opportunity to experience the exceptional talent of an outstanding singer who captivates audiences with both her voice and her warm presence.

Programme

The Factory

Resonance

Mahler 8 – Iceland Symphony Orchestra

Fragrance of Reykjavík Arts Festival: Fischersund

Karin Sander 1957-2057

Loftvægi

The Air Between Us

Metamorphlings

echolalia

Rót

Sköpunarmiðstöðin Yfirlitssýning

Viewpoint

Reflections

Stefán Ragnar

FLOW: Sólon Íslandus & Mógil

Close up – Hildur Guðnadóttir & Iceland Symphony Orchestra

Akureyri Art Museum

Ode to Freedom

Hinum Megin & Gallerí Kichin

Fischersund: A Night of Scent & Music

Fjölskylduhátíð í Elliðaárdal

Dreams & Reality: TINNA

Membrane: Myths & Fictions of Soil

Where to From

Generations in Harmony

viibra: Venutian Wetland

LOVE LOVE

Where We Meet

Ingoma! A Revolution in Rhythm

Nowhere

The Family World Music Festival at Harpa

John Grant

Angel Blue

Festival Hub

Klúbbur Listahátíðar

Brothætt: Ritual I - The Healing

Opening Party: Move With Pride

Children's Café

Linked by Óheimsk

Mural Painting: workshop for ages 16 - 20

Creative Movement Session

tóma rýmið experimental evening

In conversation with Stefán Ragnar Höskuldsson

Artist talk: Open Group & Marta Czyż

Garg’s Listening Room

Lunch date with the .haus community in Reykjavík

Verse Night & Tríó Zimsen

Arabian Nights

In conversation with Hildur Guðnadóttir

Artist talk: Membrane

Community, arts & wellbeing

Carried

Adventures in Neurodivergent Space

Autistic Diagnosis

Mask: in the realm of storytelling

Lestin Live

From Potato to Recovery

Closing Party