Magnificent Darkness – Winter Festival

A magnificent four-day Winter Festival will be held from 2nd to 5th February. Höfuðborgarstofa organises and runs the Winter Festival, now in its 16th year, and the festival takes place in all six municipalities of the capital region. This festival of light and darkness consists of four main pillars: Museum Night, Swimming Pool Night, Snow Celebration and Light Art, along with over 150 events where numerous artists take part in creating a unique atmosphere in the city. All these events are free of charge, and children under 16 also get free entry to the Snow Party in Bláfjöll. .

Around twenty buildings in the capital region will be illuminated in the signature colours of the Winter Lights Festival, green and purple, in addition to which light art installations will be featured on several key buildings in the capital region; Hallgrímskirkja, Harpa, Reykjavík Town Hall and Kópavogur Church. The municipalities of the capital region will also illuminate key buildings such as Bessastaðir, Lágafell Church, Grótta Lighthouse and the Hafnarfjörður Folk Museum. Never before have so many taken part in this interplay of light and darkness. As part of the festival, street lighting in the city centre will be switched off on Sunday, 5th February, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. This is to draw attention to the concept of 'dark sky quality' and to allow people to experience the night sky in its clearest form. The main purpose of the Winter Festival is to entertain people in the capital region and to give them the opportunity to enjoy culture, art, sport and the outdoors in their own municipality and/or visit their neighbours in a nearby one. Orkusalan is the main sponsor of the Winter Festival this year.

Winter Festival Programme: 

• 2nd February at 19:40: Opening evening at Hallgrímskirkja, light art installations and the Fákur light horse ride. Nearly 30 buildings in the capital region are illuminated. 
• 3rd February, 6pm-11pm: Museum Night in 45 museums. The Brekkusprettur cycling race at 7pm. 
• 4th February, 6pm-11pm: Swimming pool night in 9 swimming pools. WOW Northern Lights Run at 7pm. 
• 5th February, 10 am - 5 pm: Snow Celebration in Bláfjöll. 5th February, Sunday, 9 pm - 10 pm: City Centre Blackout. + 150 events. 

Winter Festival Opening Night – Fireworks at Hallgrímskirkja and a Light Horse Ride 

The Winter Lights Festival will be opened on Thursday, 2 February at 19:40 with the unveiling of the light art installation 'Creation of the Land' on Hallgrímskirkja. The work is by the artist Ingvar Björn and is composed of footage from various volcanic eruptions in Iceland, for example at Holuhraun (2014-2015). At the same time, a sound piece will be premiered, which includes a reading of all the largest volcanic eruptions in Icelandic history. Mayor Dagur B. Eggertsson will open the festival. After the opening, a light horse ride for children and young people will set off from the Hallgrímskirkja church, proceeding down Skólavörðustíg and on to Arnarhóll. There, people will have the opportunity to stroke the horses and talk to the riders. At the same time as the opening ceremony, a total of nearly 30 buildings across all municipalities in the capital region will be illuminated in the signature colours of the Winter Lights Festival: the colours of the Northern Lights, green and purple. The buildings will be bathed in the lights during the Winter Festival.

Museum Night 

Museum Night will be held on Friday evening, 3rd February, when 45 museums across the capital region will open their doors from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., offering a fun and varied programme. Residents and visitors of all ages can enjoy over 120 events of all shapes and sizes at museums across the capital region. You can, among other things, go to a hot dog party in the Garden Pavilion at the Gerðarsafn in Kópavogur, make ghost masks at the Seltjarnarnes Library, and attend the opening of an exhibition of works by Ilmar Stefánsdóttir at Hafnarhúsið, do yoga at Mosfellsbær Library, hear a thrilling folktale at the Whale Show, see a light circus at the Grófinborgarbókasafn, visit the archaeological cellar at Bessastaðir, see real Vikings at the Saga Museum, go on a treasure hunt at the Design Museum in Garðabær, visit a seer or take part in a ghost tour at the Árbær Museum, see the Northern Lights at Aurora Reykjavík, look at coins at the Central Bank, see the ghosts of the past at The Other House, see real blacksmiths and Vikings at the Settlement Exhibition, listen to punk bands at the Punk Museum or go stargazing at Hafnarfjörður Library. The Museum Night Game takes place in all the museums, where visitors can answer light-hearted questions and win annual museum passes, beautiful gifts from the museums, and other fun prizes. A special Museum Night bus will run between the museums throughout the capital region, making it easier for visitors to get around. This year, the Museum Night bus will have an unusual format, with the National Film Institute of Iceland hosting screenings on board, where you can see material that is not often shown to the public. The Museum Night Bus will be based at Kjarvalsstaðir. 

See the programme for Museum Night in Hafnarfjörður HERE

Hill sprint 

On Friday, 3rd February, the Brekkusprettur cycling race will be held at 7 p.m. on Skólavörðustígur. It is a test of the participants' sprinting power above all.

Swimming pool night 

Swimming Pool Night will be held on Saturday evening, 4th February, with free swimming from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at nine swimming pools in the capital region. Visitors can experience a unique evening in the swimming pools, where light, darkness and joy will be the order of the day. This year's programme is extremely varied, with activities including yoga, dance, synchronised swimming, swimming kayaking, water polo, Improv Ísland and a concert by Jón Jónsson. The swimming pools taking part in this year's Swimming Pool Night are: Álftaneslaug, Árbæjarlaug, Ásvallalaug, Klébergslaug, Lágafellslaug, Laugardagslaug, Salalaug (Sundlaugin Versölum), Sundlaug Kópavogs and Seltjarnarneslaug.

See the Sundlaugarnætur programme in Hafnarfjörður HERE

Northern Lights Run WOW 

On Saturday, 4th February, the WOW Northern Lights Run takes place for the first time. It is a fun run where participants will be fitted with illuminated wristbands that flash in time with their running rhythm. The run is 5 km and starts at Harpa at 7 p.m., then proceeds through the city centre. There is no timing for the run, which is being held for the first time. Further information can be found at: www.nordurljosahlaup.is  

Snow celebration 

We celebrate snow and bright weather in Bláfjöll on Sunday, 5th February, for the final day of the Winter Festival, where residents of the capital region are invited to enjoy a fun programme of events from 10 am to 5 pm. Free lift access for under-16s and a 20% discount on ski hire. Food and drink offers in the cafeteria. 

Darkening of the city centre 

The Winter Festival concludes with the blackout of the city centre from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday, 5th February. This is done to draw attention to the concept of 'dark sky quality' and to allow people to experience the night sky in its clearest form. Power will not be cut off to residential properties, and it is at the discretion of residents whether or not to switch off their lights during the specified time. It should also be noted that this blackout will have no effect on security systems, and all traffic lights in the city will remain operational.

Further information at: Winterhatid.is