The long Verlunarmannahelgin ‘Merchants’ Weekend’ (or ‘Labor Day Weekend’) is coming up with festivals of all kinds celebrated around the country, including sport, camping, outdoor concerts, typically heavy drinking but also family fun.
Among the most popular festivals is Þjóðhátíð in Vestmannaeyjar (‘Westman Islands’), held for the 140th time this year. Performers include Quarashi and John Grant, ruv.is reports.
In East Iceland, a varied program for young and old characterizes the festival Neistaflug in Neskaupstaður, while the music festival Bræðslan will be held in Borgarfjörður eystri. In Ísafjörður, the West Fjords, the annual swamp soccer competition will take place.
In North Iceland, teenage athletes will compete at UMFÍ’s track-and-field tournament in Sauðárkrókur, Northwest Iceland, while the family festival Ein með öllu will take place in Akureyri and the herring festival Síldarævintýri in Siglufjörður.
In South Iceland, SÁÁ, the National Center of Addiction Medicine, is organizing a ‘sober’ festival at Laugavatn, and the Pentecostal Church in Iceland a celebration at their camp Kirkjulækjarkot near Höfn.
In Reykjavík, the indoor concert festival Innipúkinn will be held.
To many Icelanders, the weather forecast will determine where they’re headed. Currently, there’s outlook for rain in most parts of the country at some point over the weekend, except maybe in the West Fjords. For weather updates, go to vedur.is.
These are only some of the many festivals held next weekend. For further information (in Icelandic), check out verslunarmannahelgin.is.
