Happening This Weekend: Our Picks!

The weather sucks. Politics look bleak. The Króna is falling and we’re sure a volcano will probably explode sometime soon.

We all need a bit of a cheer-up, so here are your not-to-miss events to have the best weekend ever.

Friday:

Love Actually: Christmas Party Screening

Bíó Paradís, 20:00, 1,600 ISK

Remember that moment Emma Thompson, after finding out her husband, Alan Rickman, gave the gold necklace to his secretary for Christmas rather than her, sat in her room tearing up while Joni Mitchell’s ‘Both Sides Now’ played in the background before putting on a brave face for the kids while they go to the nativity play? When Hugh Grant went to every house in Wandsworth—the dodgy end—to find his love and ended up singing ‘Good King Wenceslas’ to a group of cute kids with his opera singer bodyguard? Of course you do. While you could watch ‘Love Actually’ at any time, the annual Bíó Paradís Christmas screening is legendary. Get ready to laugh, cry, and confess your love in broken Portuguese to your neighbour.

Saturday:

Ng Hui Halen – The Weight Of Air

The Reykjavík Museum Of Photography, Runs until February 4th

In her search for quiet, Ng Hui Hsien photographed everything from hostile snowstorms to the magical Northern Lights. Come explore your subconscious, as well as that of the Icelandic wilderness. Besides the exhibit, a hand-stitched artist book of the work will be on display and available for purchase. The Reykjavík Museum of Photography is open Mondays to Thursdays from 10:00 to 18:00, Friday from 11:00 to 18:00, and Saturday and Sunday from 13:00 to 18:00.

Sunday:

Katie Buckley & Mary Lattimore

Mengi, 21:00, 2,000 ISK

Mary Lattimore is a harpist from Los Angeles who has risen to prominence in recent years for her peaceful, luscious solo compositions, as well as her collaborations with musicians such as Kurt Vile, Thurston Moore and Steve Gunn. Her cassette-only ‘Collected Pieces’ is a dreamy album on which the soothing patterns of plucked notes ripple and shimmer, melting into each other as she layers up loops and employs reverb to make her compositions melt before you like an ice sculpture. She has been to Iceland before, performing twice at Sónar Reykjavík, and winning over local muso types in the process. Her 2018 album, ‘Hundreds of Days,’ is just as mesmerising. She’ll play with Katie Buckley—one half of the duo Harpverk, with percussionist Frank Aarnink—and also a soloist, chamber musician, and the harpist with the Reykjavík Symphony Orchestra. Settle in, and drift away.