Now that some of the major Christmas events are over, Icelandic people are gearing up for the New Year. While I did talk about how amazing it is to celebrate the New Year in Iceland in episode 23, which is all about Icelandic Holidays, Traditions and Celebrations and episode 31, “16 Christmas Activities to in Reykjavík, Iceland“, I still feel like the New Year’s celebration in Iceland deserves an episode of its own. After all, it is one of the most joyous, noisy and fun nights of the year. Well, at least it is for me.
Go to a Community Bonfire
Most Icelandic people start out New Year’s eve with a gathering of friends and family for a lovely dinner. If you don’t have an Icelandic family to join, no worries because there are restaurants that are open that night. Because the word has gotten out that Reykjavík is the place to be to ring in the New Year, there are even tours now that take care of all of your logistics for that night. I haven’t gone on any so I can’t vouch for them. However, a quick google search of “New Year’s tours in Reykjavik” will bring up a lot of tour results.
After dinner, people head out around 8 or 9 to their community bonfire to enjoy the warmth from the crackling fire, chat with friends, some people are singing and many others are reflecting on the past year. It is such a cosy time. There are 18 places where bonfires will be in the Reykjavík area this year. Due to safety reasons, the use of fireworks near bonfires are forbidden. Just keep that in mind if you plan to buy some to set off during the night.
The Annual Comedy Show
After spending some time at their local bonfire, everyone hurries inside to watch Áramótaskaupið, or skaupið for short. It comes on TV promptly at 10:30 pm. This is a one hour sketch comedy show, similar to Saturday Night Live, that only happens on New Year’s Eve.
Besides major Icelandic football matches, this is probably the most watched show in the country. The show is a comedic view of all of the major events that have happened in Iceland throughout the year. Unfortunately, scandals have become quite common in Iceland, so those are always made fun of during the show. There are also jokes about artists, well known business people, activists, crazy things that tourists do and any odd occurrences. If you have not been keeping up with the Icelandic news and if you do not understand Icelandic, you will be lost.
However, it is just an hour and you might find some of the situations funny, even if you can’t understand what is being said. Also, the majority of the country is watching the show, so it will be very quiet during that time. If you want to see it, you can view it online at ruv.is. You just click sjónvarpið, or on channel 1 if you have a television where you are staying. After the show, Icelandic people usually talk about whether is was good or bad this year. If you want to see a previous episode of the show, check out the video below.
Time for Fireworks to Ring in the New Year in Iceland
Following the show, it is almost time for the clock to strike 12. After grabbing a drink or two, everyone gets their warm clothes back on. They head outside so they can be ready for the countdown. If you would like to set off your own fireworks, you can buy them from the Search and Rescue teams in Iceland. This is a volunteer led organization and the selling of fireworks is their biggest fundraiser of the year.
I know it sounds bizarre that the Search and Rescue Teams are selling something that is quite dangerous, but such is life in Iceland. They start to sell the fireworks on December 28th. Last year, there were 130 places around the country where you could buy fireworks. You will definitely be able to buy some if you would like to fire them off when the clock strikes midnight.
Where to Watch the Fireworks in Reykjavík
Many people, including lots of visitors in the country, will be in downtown Reykjavík for the festivities. When midnight comes, the city’s dark sky is lit up with bright explosions. It sounds like canons are being shot off all around you. You will see and smell smoke everywhere. One popular place to watch the fireworks downtown is at Hallgrímskirkja church.
While I can understand wanting to be in the center of all of this excitement, I am not a fan of being downtown. This is mainly do to the fact that the smoke gives me a headache. I also really like seeing the fireworks set off from a distance. I am fortunate to have relatives here that live in ideal spots for seeing the fireworks.
However, visitors can also have an awesome view if they want to watch from afar. Two decent spots include Öskjuhlíð hill in Reykjavík and Víghóll hill in Kopavogur. As I mentioned earlier, there are also tours that take people to decent spots. There, you can witness the fantastic and overwhelming amount of fireworks that will be set off throughout the night. Just make sure you bring champagne to drink if you are going to these spots on your own. Well, that is if you drink champagne.
The Party Is Only Just Beginning
Icelandic people love to party and New Year’s is just another good reason to do it all night. While most of the fireworks will be fired off from midnight to 1 AM, some people will continue into the early morning.
It is like the fireworks energize people here. The bars downtown will be packed with people dancing, drinking and celebrating all night long. There are also a ton of house parties going on. It is a fun time. If you have the energy to do it, I recommend enjoying the festivities.
Now that know how to ring in the New Year Icelandic style, I’m going to move on to the random fact about Iceland.
Random fact about Iceland
The Áramótaskaupið has been airing on the state run television network Sjónvarpið since the network started broadcasting in 1966. Some years ago it was reported that 95% of the population watched the show. I doubt it will be that high this year. Regardless, the show is part of the Icelandic tradition on New Year’s eve.
Icelandic Words of the Day
Gleðilega nýtt ár!
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I hope you enjoyed this episode that is chock full of information about how to ring in the New Year Icelandic style. I release a new podcast episode every week. Make sure you are subscribed to the All Things Iceland podcast so you don’t miss new episodes. If the platform you are listening to this podcast on allows you to leave a review, please do so, if you haven’t already.
Þakka þér kærlega fyrir að hlusta (og að lesa) og sjáumst fljótlega
Thank you kindly for listening (and reading) and see you soon!
