Reykjavík Chief of Police Geir Jón Thórisson urges city authorities to move the annual Reykjavík Culture Night festivities from Saturday to Sunday, to prevent the problems caused by underage drinking after the formal programme ends. This is reported in Morgunbladid today.
Reykjavík Culture Night, held the third weekend in August each year, has become the biggest festival of the summer in Iceland. Last Saturday’s festivities, which began in the morning and continued throughout the day, drew a crowd of some 90,000 to the downtown core to watch the evening fireworks marking the end of the festival.
In recent years there have been growing problems with alcohol-related violence and disorder after the formal programme ends and according to police, youths appear to treat it as the final outdoor festival before the start of school. Municipal authorities have so far been lukewarm in their response to the suggestion of moving the festivities to Sunday.
