Author: Eli Petzold - The Reykjavik Grapevine

Author: Eli Petzold

Friendly Ghosts And Langoustine: A Day In Stokkseyri

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It’s snowing in Hellisheiði. Powdery drifts sweep over the narrow strip of asphalt that cuts through the snow-laden mountains. Like…

Happening Tonight: Icetralia

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Icelandic comic and cartoonist Hugleikur Dagsson has teamed up with Aussie ex-pat Jono Duffy to put together this recurring comedy…

A Close Encounter With The Arctic Fox

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Skimming briskly along Ísafjarðardjúp, the large bay that cuts between the Westfjords’ northernmost and middle tines, I lose phone service…

Three Weird Tricks To Ensure An Elf-blessed Time In Iceland

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Get yourself a Northern Lights timetable: If you’ve ever had one of those days where everyone is going on and…

Aldrei Fór Ég Suður Puts Ísafjörður In Focus

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Ísafjörður wants you to know that it’s awoken from wintry slumber and it’s celebrating with the thirteenth annual Aldrei fór…

Aldrei For Ég Suður Festival Announces New Venue

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The thirteenth installment of Aldrei fór ég suður, a music festival held annually on Easter weekend in Ísafjörður, will take…

I <3 U Bónus Avocados

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If you’ve ever found yourself pushing your cart through the bright reds and yellows of generic brands at your neighborhood…

Icelandic Words That Didn’t Make The Cut: Hairy Berry And Flat Pies

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The Icelandic language is famous for rejecting loan words, offering up novel neologisms constructed from native components instead of adopting…

SNOWMAGEDDON! In Pictures!

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Mama Nature is not taking a break here in Iceland. Never mind that Reykjavík had already been layered thick with…

Clever Airwaves Hacks For the Savvy Traveler

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It feels like Christmas in July in Reykjavík, though it’s neither July nor Christmas. Albeit, Laugavegur is beginning to look…

Don’t Miss RWSRWS, Presented By Grandabræður

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Maybe you’ve seen the capital letters “RWS” painted in various corners of downtown; maybe you’ve seen the cryptic wheat pasted…

Sounds Of Strife: Music Collaged From Former Conflict Zones

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Looking for a way to ease into the weekend? Ambient musician Sam Slater will bring his rich, haunting soundscapes to Mengi this…

I Woke Up Like This: Making 101 Flawless With Reykjavík’s Morning Cleaning Crew

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Seagulls bicker over a pile of soggy vomit. House music and drunk banter pour out an open window. Smashed glass,…

Cycle Music & Art Festival: Conceptual Art Comes To The Suburbs

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This August, an exciting new festival comes to Kópavogur. Cycle Festival, a four-day interdisciplinary arts extravaganza, will showcase unconventional works…

Don’t Let Them Do That To You: In defence of MoMA’s “Björk”

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If you’ve read coverage of the recently opened Björk retrospective at Manhattan’s Museum of Modern Art, chances are you’ve read…

A Steady Heartbeat

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Reykjavík Dance Festival is moving to a new, faster beatThe Reykjavík Dance Festival is no stranger to flexibility and experimentation….

The Book Cellar’s Book Seller

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Children’s Books and Ancient Icelandic Porno at BókakjallarinnNarratives of Reykjavík’s used book culture often take the form of jeremiads—languorous laments…

We Own This Town

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Reykjavíkurdætur’s recipe for world dominationIt came as a surprise to many when Reykjavíkurdætur appeared on the line-up for this year’s…

Crossover Appeal

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We kiki with the producer and director of The Icelandic Drag CompetitionSince 1997, The Icelandic Drag Competition (Draggkeppni Íslands) has…

Best Place To Cool Off On One Of Those Icelandic Scorchers

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Bónus Walk-in RefrigeratorIt’s 15 degrees. Fahrenheit? No, Celsius. Shorts weather? Fuck you, it’s underwear weather. The sun bears down on…

Weather Or Not

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Come wind or rain, Rauðasandur continuesRed sands, yoga, seal-watching, camp games and nightly concerts in a barn—the only thing the…

We’re Here, We’re Skyr

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Yogurt warmongering in the StatesThis summer, as we mark the centennial of a war that entangled many of the world’s…

Hekla’s Volcanic Heart Of Darkness

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People often set aside the interior of Iceland as “other” from the rest of the country: it’s a barren, uninhabitable…

Stray Teeth

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John Steinberg greets me at the Varmahlíð bus stop with a firm handshake. “Welcome to Varm-uh-hlid, welcome to Skagafjorder,” he…

Hare Kría, Hare Rama

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Trying to recall specific details of Prince Rama’s performance at Faktorý is a bit like trying to piece together the…