Viking Festival from 12th to 18th of June 2008
28.04.2008
The Viking Festival in Hafnarfjörður is the oldest, largest and most important event of its kind in Iceland. For those who don't know, Hafnarfjördur is a neighboring town of Reykjavik! Since 1995 Hafnarfjörður has been a playground of Vikings, demonstrating most aspects of Viking culture, such as their ships, cuisine, handcraft, storytelling, archery, games, music and battle demonstrations. Many artists have come from far and wide, from Europe and America to join us in celebrating the memory of our ancestors. Sometimes there have been opportunities to bring forth unexpected things, anachronism to underline even further how the Vikings of old and modern times can coexist and make a strong union.
From the beginning the emphasis has been on authenticity, so the guests at the Festival experience that they have been taken a thousand years back. Ships from foreign countries have come ashore and merchants have taken out their goods and started to trade. The atmosphere is festive, music, jesters and dancing people, good food and drink. But when everything seems to be peaceful, a battle breaks out and in kindness and joy men fight each other.
In addition to the Viking Festival, a Viking street will be opened on the 30th of May on the 100th anniversary of the town of Hafnarfjörður. Viking tents will be erected that will stand there until the end of August. The viking street will be open every day between 13.00 and 19.00 and after that the viking feasts take over inside the Viking Restaurant as usual and continue into the night.
