Prepare yourself for a night of fireworks, bonfires and parties, as Reykjavík certainly knows how to celebrate New Year’s Eve, and you will even have a chance to wonder at the Northern Lights, before the firework displays start. The following routine takes place pretty much everywhere in Iceland, whether in Reykjavík or tiny villages around the countryside:
– Icelanders will meet up with family or friends to have dinner around 6 or 7 PM.
– Following dinner, around 8 PM locals gather at their nearest bonfire to meet and greet friends and shoot some fireworks.
– Following the bonfire, at 10:30 PM the streets empty as Icelanders go home to watch a comedy TV show, a satirical take on all the events of the past year.
– Just before midnight, people flock back to the streets to shoot more fireworks.
– Around 1 AM it’s time to go partying, and most people go to house parties, although bars and clubs are also open until the early hours.
Reykjavík is, of course, the largest settlement in Iceland and where people are spread out the most; both Akureyri and Isafjordur have most people gathering in only one location. Icelanders spend a large amount of money on fireworks each year, partly because they’re obsessed with the colorful display on New Year’s Eve, but mainly because they are supporting the ‘Icelandic Search and Rescue Teams’ that heavily rely on income based on firework and Christmas tree sales each year. Run by volunteers, the ‘Icelandic Search and Rescue Teams’ often work in dangerous environments and all kinds of weather to help people that are in danger, all around the country: make sure you buy your fireworks from sales that support them, such as Flugbjorgunarsveitin or Landsbjorg. In Reykjavík, there are a couple of popular locations where people gather to watch the impressive display: by Hallgrimskirkja church or Perlan. The area in front of Hallgrimskirkja church, surrounding the statue of Leifur Eiriksson, is very popular with both locals and travelers. Anywhere that’s up high with a view over the city is a good location, so the area around Perlan at Oskjuhlid hill is another popular location. Down by the seaside is also a good spot, so perhaps go to Aegissida where a bonfire is lit earlier in the night, or to the Sun Voyager sculpture or Harpa Concert Hall. Yet another option is to see the fireworks mirrored in Reykjavik’s lake Tjornin.
Read more on Visitreykjavik.is, Guidetoiceland.is
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