Grapevine Events: Winter Lights Festival, Nordic House Opening, House Of Revolution x Belonging?, And More

We’re all trying to catch our breath after a whirlwind of a week — Best of Reykjavík celebrated on Monday, sending a new issue to print and then hosting the Grapevine Music Awards on Thursday — but the show must go on. And this weekend holds one of the biggest events of the year: the Winter Lights Festival!

Tonight, the annual Museum Night takes over the town as part of the Winter Lights Festival. It’s not every day that all the museums are free, and it’s not every day that they’re open until 23:00, so we recommend checking it out! For a couple of our picks, scroll down to our full round-up of the Winter Lights Festival.

Then, beginning at 20:00, performance artist and musician Curro Rodriguez shows FLAMENCOSOMIA at Mengi.

On Saturday, the book release party of Á milli mála: fiður, fingur, fálmarar at 14: 30, invites visitors to celebrate Tjörnin, along with the birds that spend their time in it, and they promise light refreshments that are suitable for both birds and people.

In the evening, at 20:00, the bold and exciting dance show Garðurinn premieres at the Reykjavík City Theatre. Curious to know what it’s about? Read Iryna Zubenko’s interview with the choreographers and directors of the show.

At 12 Tónar, DJs Lóa & Lipstikkboy go b2b starting at 21:00. Later, around midnight, LiteFun will take over Prikið for their Smirnoff Season, just a few days after releasing their debut EP INTERRAILED.

Looking for something else? Just scroll down. Got an event? Add it to the calendar at events.grapevine.is, or go there to check out what’s already happening around town.

Winter Lights Festival: Museum Night, Pool Night, Light Installations

February 5-8 — All over town! — Free!

February 6 is Museum Night, where museums across the Capital Area are free to enter and open from 18:00 to 23:00. Performances such as “The Rat Choir” at the House of Collections and “A/V Show: Unfiled and MOTET” at Hafnarhús keep your ears entertained while you roam the exhibitions. February 7 is Pool Night, where these swimming pools in the Capital Area are free to enter from 17:00 to 21:00. And throughout the weekend, installations of light sculptures are taking over Ráðhúsið, the tower on Lækjartorg, and about twenty other locations. There are even more events happening during the festival — for example, there are performances, book releases, poetry readings, workshops — so we recommend you check out the extensive bill of programming at reykjavik.is and enjoy! ISH

Group exhibition — Ripples: Shifting Realities in the Arctic

February 7 — 17:00 — The Nordic House (Hvelfing) — Free entry

Four Arctic artists and scientists unite to present an exhibition reflecting on the significant transformations occurring in the Arctic right now, collecting Indigenous perspectives, art, and scientific acumen. Documenting changes to glaciers stands out in the exhibition, and these creatives employ a mix of textile art, data, video work, and futuristic imagery to represent the changes happening in their communities right now. ISH

House of Revolution x Belonging?: TEMPTED

February 7 — 21:00 — The National Theatre Basement — 5.200 ISK (suggested), 7.000 ISK (with donation)

Belonging? comedy shows have become a favourite go-to for expats and immigrants around town — a few hours of feeling like somebody is in exactly the same boat as you, a short-lived sense of belonging on this island most of us ended up on for some obscure reason. This time, Belonging? is moving away from its traditional home base at Salurinn and into the 101, collaborating with the highly acclaimed House of Revolution shows (produced by R.E.C. Arts Reykjavík) at the National Theatre basement. IZ

Andervel At Mengi

February 7 — 20:00 — Mengi — 2.500 ISK / 2.000 ISK students / pay what u can

Musician Andervel — the project of José Luis Anderson — has just announced his debut album, Ironclad & Palm Trees, which will come out May 1. If you’re really excited and want to get a sneak preview, then check out Andervel’s performance at Mengi this Saturday night. The title of the debut album evokes both the landscape of Iceland and Andervel’s native Mexico, and the album itself combines Icelandic, English, and Spanish to paint a beautiful picture of the singer’s memories. ISH