Grapevine Events: So Many Concerts, Graduation Showcase, Spicy Challenge

18°. 18°?! If you own a pair of shorts, now’s your (only) chance. We’ve got some hot recommendations for you to hit as you stroll around town barelegged. Tonight there’s Smátíðni 3 at 12 Tónar at 19:00, the fundraising concert series for July’s Hátíðni — they’re even selling tickets to the festival in person! Then there’s RAM’s release concert at Bird at 21:00, with Grapewaves veterans BKPM opening.

On Saturday, if the weather’s got you in the mood to be outside, Samtökin ’78’s annual Hamingjuhlaup starts at 11:00 from Elliðaárstöð. On Saturday night, check out WORSHIP FEST at Bird! Starting at 19:00, this minifest features World Narcosis, Hippie Death Cult, Svartþoka, and Gubbi Horn, with an afterparty set from MC MYASNOI.

Then there’s Sunday — if you’ve got a competitive edge or you’re looking for a spectacle, make your way to Ramen Momo’s Bankastræti location for the SPICY CHALLENGE. Competitors have limited time to finish their bowl, top 3 get a free meal, and 1st place gets Ramen Momo merch! If you’re looking for a different vibe, there’s Sunday Jazz at Iðnó, with none other than Óskar Guðjóns & CO’s MOVE group playing at 20:00.

Got an event? Add it to the calendar at events.grapevine.is, or check out what’s already happening around town.

Caput Corvi, Private Cult, Geðbrigði

Friday, May 16 — 20:30 — LEMMY — Free

A triple lineup featuring recent Músíktilraunir winners Geðbrigði (who were interviewed by Irina Shtreis in the latest Grapevine), LEMMY is the spot to be in such good weather. We recommend alternating between the concert space and the outdoor beer garden. Plus, the event tonight is “Free like in no Money needed,” as they put it on Facebook. We like the sound of that. ISH

“Eldmóðir” – Music of Love, Loss, and Forgiveness

Friday, May 16 — 20:00 — Hannesarholt — 4.900 ISK on tix.is

The Cauda Collective brings their winter concert series, Eldblik, to a close with “Eldmóðir.” This title comes from a portmanteau of “eldmóður,” meaning fervent or passionate, and “móðir,” or mother. The concert explores motherhood in its many forms, presenting music for strings from Sóley Stefánsdóttir, Sveinn Lúðvík Björnsson, Þuríður Jónsdóttir, and Arnold Schönberg. ISH

Graduation Showcase IUA — All Inclusive

Saturday, May 17 — 13:00 — Reykjavík Art Museum Hafnarhús

“Magic tricks. Pizza. Registration. Wind energy. Consumerism. Shame.” reads the introduction to the IUA (Iceland University of the Arts) graduation showcase. Over 70 students graduating with bachelor’s degrees in art, design, and architecture offer works in a plethora of mediums with wide-ranging themes. The exhibition will only be presented for eight days — go, or you will regret missing it. ISH

Water and electricity / Vatn og raf

Saturday, May 17 — 16:00 — Gallery Port, in Rammagerðin

This exhibition is twofold: the opening of a solo photography exhibition by Björgvin Sigurðarson, and the release of a vinyl LP by musicians Jóhannes Birgir Pálmason and the late Árni Grétar Jóhannesson (Futuregrapher). Both mediums explore four different hydropower stations around the Þjórsá river area, and exhibition attendees can submerge further into this environment by listening to field recordings and the album at a listening station in the gallery space. ISH

International Museum Day 2025

Sunday, May 18 — Opening Hours — Participating Museums

On International Museum Day, museum entrance to various city museums is free! This year, they’re celebrating under the theme “The Future of Museums in Changing Societies.” There will be free admission to Árbær Open Air Museum, The Settlement Exhibition in Aðalstræti, Reykjavik Museum of Photography, and Reykjavík Maritime Museum. All the museums have fun programmes full of fun activities for, as Árbæjarsafn puts it, “kids and the young at heart.” Enjoy! ISH