The National Icelandic Horse Festival opened in Hólar, North Iceland, on June 27. More than one thousand people had arrived by the time competition began on Monday. About 5,000 guests are expected to attend, according to RÚV.
This is the first time in half a century that the festival is held at Hólar. Lárus Ástmar Hannesson, head of the Association of Riding Clubs, states it’s good for Hólar to be able to host this main event of the year for horse enthusiasts. “In terms of providing education about the Icelandic horse, this is the world’s top educational center. It’s good that we can take advantage of this area and build it up in an effort to continue to encourage young riders.”
In preparation for the festival, large projects were completed.
The format of the festival has changed from previous years. It’s shorter than it used to be and now concludes on Saturday night, although festivities will continue into Sunday. Horses meant for breeding are fewer than they used to be, since rules regarding access have been tightened.
About 5,000 tickets to the festival have been sold, a quarter of them purchased ahead of time by foreign guests. The busiest days will be Friday and Saturday.
For more information, visit landsmot.is.
