Words by

Desirai Thompson

Photo by

Art Bicnick

Today a rainbow will appear in Reykjavík to break up the usual grey skies, however this rainbow will be under your feet.

To mark the beginning of Reykjavík Pride 2021, which runs August 3-8, a rainbow will be painted along Ingólfsstræti, between Hverfisgata and Laugavegur. This is one of many festivities set to celebrate this annual event that has been illuminating the streets of Reykjavík since 1999. These events are not only meant for members of the LGBTQIA+ community – all are welcome and encouraged to participate.

After a revised Reykjavík Pride 2020, due to COVID-19 public health restrictions which included bans on the gathering of crowds, the pinnacle of the week, the Pride Parade, was dispersed and smaller groups were sent in various directions. An added benefit of this, Vilhjálmur “Villi” Ingi Vilhjálmsson, the President of Reykjavík Pride, told The Reykjavík Grapevine last summer, was to bring this lively celebration to neighborhoods which had never seen a Pride parade before. After all, inclusion is one of the cornerstones of Reykjavík Pride.

Known for outdoing itself year after year, the Pride Parade will continue with this decentralized nature for 2021 with all parades beginning at 14:00 on Saturday, August 7 at various locations around the country.

With Pride Week in full swing, all events will continue to follow the evolving status of COVID-19 restrictions, the most recent iteration of which have been underway for little over a week and are set to expire on August 13. Due to this, all attendees must pre-register for events and wear a mask when a one metre distance cannot be enforced. There is also a max capacity of 200 persons for general gatherings while restaurants may hold a maximum of 100 people per compartment with alcohol only being served to seated guests.

Some events to look out for include Reykjavík Pride Opening Ceremony on Tuesday, August 3 from 20:00-22:00 at Gamla Bíó, Drag Race Dance Class on Wednesday, August 4 from 16:05-16:45 at Hafnartorg and Shameless: A Proud Comedy Show on Friday, August 6 from 19:00-20:30 at Tjarnarbíó. A comprehensive list of events can be found at their official site.

If you’re not able to celebrate Reykjavík Pride 2021 at an in-person event, check out the official song of Reykjavík Pride 2021, “PRIDE” by Icelandic star Bassi Maraj, co-written by BNGR Boy and follow the official hashtags at #stoltskref, #reykjavikpride, #hinsegindagar, #pride2021 and #takeaproudwalk.

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