The 29th Viking Festival – Starts tomorrow
Víkingar koma upp aðstöðu sinni á mettíma nú í dag fyrir 6 daga hátíðarhöld sem hefjast á Víðistaðatúni á morgun 16. júní. Fólk kemur frá ýmsum Evrópulöndum og tekur þátt í þessari alþjóðlegu Víkingahátíð hér í Hafnarfirði.
The Viking Festival in Hafnarfjörður is unique.
Fighting displays, crafts, a Viking school, archery, a variety of stalls and food and drink await those who attend this year's Viking Festival in Hafnarfjörður. The festival runs for 6 days and begins tomorrow, 16th June. This is the 29th time the festival has been held.
Jökull Tandri Ámundason, Earl of Rimmugýgjar, which is the oldest Viking society in the country and is based in Hafnarfjörður, says that preparations are being made quickly.
„220 to 250 Vikings will attend. Here you can come and try your hand at Viking games, archery, axe-throwing and spear-throwing. The youngsters can attend the children's Viking school. We also have re-enactments, a story time and a court jester performing his tricks.“
Jökull Tandri suggests, for example, sitting on the slope below Vidistaðakirkja and watching the wrestling tournament on 20th June. An Irish television channel will be in the area. He encourages people to come. The opening ceremony will be at 11.30 tomorrow.
„The festival is slowly and steadily growing. We see more and more people coming back again and again. We have a team of volunteers from Denmark working here. They are our right-hand men, yes, our local lads,“ he says. The festival is international. Swedes, Germans, Brits, a Norwegian and a few lads from Akureyri.
„There's a great deal of anticipation and excitement here,“ says Jökull Tandri.
„A few Americans are on their way and a group is coming from Italy. They are excited and so are we about their arrival, because they specialise in the Icelandic Viking Age.“
Yes, the Viking Festival in Hafnarfjörður is like something out of a fairy tale.