Celebrating New Year in Iceland

New Year's eve in Iceland is about food, fireworks, bonfires, alcohol and parties after midnight. And when I say fireworks... I mean a crazy amount of fireworks. So be prepared for that.

Most of these New Year's celebrations are pretty common in other countries too. But bonfires are maybe the one thing you don't immediately think of when thinking of New Year's Eve.

Bonfires

On the last day of the year in Iceland, most people head out to see a bonfire around 8pm. There's more than 90 bonfires spread over the whole country, 10 of which are in or around Reykjavík.

Because you are most likely to spend your New Year's Eve in Reykjavík, you just need this map to find a bonfire close to you:

Location of bonfires in Reykjavík

Áramótaskaupið

After watching the bonfires, most Icelanders will go home again to watch a tv show called Áramótaskaupið (a satirical show about what happened in Iceland the last year). So it will be very quiet in town from 10:30-11:30pm because people are glued to their tv's.

And only after that the party begins. So be prepared to wait until after midnight to get the party started in town!

Let me know if I can help you plan you Iceland trip and give you all the inside information I have. Book a video call with me.

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