Reykjavík This Week
August 24 to August 30
✓ Last verified August 24, 2026 against reykjavikjazz.is, harpa.is, tix.is, bioparadis.is, ksi.is, safetravel.is, and straeto.is. Icelandic listings drift, so call or check the venue page before you make a special trip.
🎷 The city exhales: Reykjavík Jazz Festival, Tue Aug 25 to Sun Aug 30
After the Marathon and Culture Night, this is the calm, grown up week. Six days of jazz and improvised music spread across small venues, with musicians from Iceland, Europe and the United States. Nothing closes, no streets shut, no crowds to escape. You can walk into most of it.
The important thing for visitors: tickets are not sold per concert. You buy an evening pass (8,990 ISK, with a lower 6,990 ISK option and a 9,990 ISK supporter price) which covers every concert that night, or a festival pass at 28,990 ISK for the whole thing. Pass holders get a wristband at the start. Book at tix.is.
The free concerts, if you are not buying a pass
- • Wed Aug 26, 17:30, Hafnartorg Gallery: Sigurður Flosason Trio. Free, downtown, five minutes from Harpa.
- • Thu Aug 27, 12:00, Þingvellir: Albert Sölvi Trio. Free, and yes, that is jazz in the national park. If you are doing the Golden Circle that day, time your Þingvellir stop for midday.
- • Thu Aug 27 and Fri Aug 28, 15:00, MÍT (Skipholt 50): open workshops, free.
- • Fri Aug 28, 17:15, Fríkirkjan: Föstudagsfílingur with Sigríður Thorlacius and Jóel Pálsson. Free, in the little church by the pond, and the best low effort hour of the week.
- • Sat Aug 29, 12:00 and 13:30, Hannesarholt: children's jazz programme, free, registration required.
- • Sat Aug 29, 15:00, Jómfrúin: RGS Quintet on the Lækjargata patio. Free.
- • Sat Aug 29, 23:00, Austurbær (Silfurtungl): DJ Charlie Vetter. Free.
- • Sun Aug 30, 16:00, Óháði söfnuðurinn: Þakkargjörð, Tómas R. Einarsson. Free closing concert.
Evening pass venues rotate: Fantasía (Kjarval's Studio) on Tuesday, Harpa Norðurljós Wednesday to Friday, Austurbæjarbíó on Saturday, Iðnó on Sunday. Full programme: reykjavikjazz.is.
The two odd ones, which are the ones you will remember
- • Sat Aug 29, 17:00, Fríkirkjan: Elegy for Grindavík. Written for a town that people had to leave. If you have been reading about the eruptions, this is the human side of it.
- • Sun Aug 30, 12:00, Vesturbæjarlaug: SVoM í sundi, jazz in the swimming pool. You get in the water and the music happens around you. Normal pool entry, 1,430 ISK. Very Icelandic, and the single most local thing on this week's list.
🚗 No road closures this week, and that matters
Last week the centre was shut for the Marathon and Culture Night. This week nothing closes. Ordinary paid parking applies in zones P1 to P4, roughly 09:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and 10:00 to 16:00 on Saturday, free on Sunday. If you deliberately avoided Reykjavík during Culture Night, this is your window: same city, a fraction of the people.
🎤 Ásgeir Trausti in Eldborg, Harpa (Sat Aug 29, 20:00)Ticketed
The biggest single concert of the week and a proper Icelandic night out. Ásgeir is the artist most visitors already have on a playlist without knowing he is Icelandic. Eldborg is the big red hall in Harpa, so this sells well; check remaining seats on harpa.is.
Getting there: Harpa is on the harbour front, walking distance from almost every downtown hotel. Its underground car park fills before big shows, so arrive early or walk.
🎻 Also in Harpa this weekTicketed
Our Classics, Fri Aug 28 at 20:00, and Ea Fantasia, a release concert in the Sunday Classics series, Sun Aug 30 at 16:00. Both are gentler, shorter evenings than the jazz passes and easier if you have one free night rather than six.
How to become Icelandic in 60 minutes and The Volcano Express also run through the week in Harpa. The comedy show is the reliable rainy evening with teenagers.
⚽ Football: the title decider, KR vs Víkingur (Sun Aug 30)Ticketed
Round 21 of the Besta deild is played on Sunday Aug 30, and the one to go to is KR vs Víkingur Reykjavík at KR-völlur (Meistaravellir), Vesturbær. Víkingur lead the league and KR have scored more goals than anyone. This is the closest thing Iceland has to a title six pointer, in a small ground, with real noise.
Getting there: KR-völlur is at Frostaskjól in Vesturbær, about a 25 minute walk west from Hallgrímskirkja along Vesturgata, or Strætó lines 11, 13 and 14 into Vesturbær. It sits in a residential street grid, so do not plan on parking outside the gate; leave the car near Vesturbæjarlaug and walk five minutes.
Kickoff times for round 21 shift in the final weeks of the season, so confirm on ksi.is or the club page the day before. Tickets are usually available at the gate.
No Uber, Lyft or Bolt car service in Iceland. After the whistle: Hreyfill 588 5522, BSR 561 0000, or the Hopp taxi app.
⚽ Free European football: Breiðablik women vs FK Csíkszereda (Wed Aug 26, 17:30)Free
Breiðablik's women's team play the first qualifying round of the UEFA Women's Europa Cup at Kópavogsvöllur, kickoff 17:30, and entry is listed as free. Proper European football, no ticket, fifteen minutes from downtown. Easily the best value evening of the week.
Getting there: Strætó line 2 or 28 from Hlemmur towards Kópavogur, get off at Fífuhvammur or Kópavogsvöllur, about 20 to 25 minutes. Line 4 also runs into Kópavogur. Plan the exact departure in the Klappið app or on straeto.is. Driving is easy, there is free parking at the ground. Confirm kickoff on the club page the day before, European qualifiers move.
🥁 Dans Afríka Barakan Festival (Wed Aug 26 to Sun Aug 30)Ticketed
Ninth year of the African dance and drumming festival, at Íþróttahús Selásskóla, Selásbraut 109 in Árbær. Workshops from 17:00 daily, drop in classes are paid per session and the closing party is ticketed. Open to beginners, no partner needed.
Getting there: Selás is out in Árbær, not walkable from downtown. Strætó line 5 or 24 towards Árbær, roughly 25 to 30 minutes from Hlemmur, then a short walk. By car it is 12 minutes on Miklabraut with free street parking.
💃 Weeknight social dancing, good if you are travelling aloneFree
The easiest way to be in a room with Icelanders on a weeknight. Salsa at Hafnar Haus (Tryggvagata 17) Tue Aug 25 from 20:00. Kizomba Wednesdays at Iðnó (Vonarstræti 3) Wed Aug 26 from 18:00. Lindy Hop at White Lotus (Laugavegur 22a) Wed Aug 26, with a free beginner taster at 19:00. No partner required, and the tasters cost nothing.
Getting there: all three are in the 101 centre, five to ten minutes on foot from Hallgrímskirkja or Harpa. No bus needed. Some door charges apply later in the night for the social itself, so bring a card.
🍸 Two low key nights out: BARSVAR and Jazz by the HarborFree
BARSVAR, the Europe Bar Challenge quiz with Gummi Fel and Blævi, Tue Aug 25 at 20:00, Garðastræti 6. Free to join, in English enough to follow. Jazz by the Harbor at GK Reykjavík, Wed Aug 26 from 18:00, free live jazz with dinner service, and a softer alternative if you did not buy a festival pass.
Getting there: both are central, under ten minutes walk from Lækjartorg. If you are staying outside 101, Strætó lines 1, 3, 6, 11, 12, 13 and 14 all stop at Lækjartorg or Hlemmur.
🖼️ Exhibitions that run all week, the rainy Monday answerTicketed
Jeremy Deller, National Happiness at Gerðarsafn (Hamraborg 4, Kópavogur) until Sep 6, the strongest international show in the country right now. Street Scenes and Þórdís Erla Ágústsdóttir at the Reykjavík Museum of Photography (Tryggvagata 15, top floor of the library). Staður by Íslenska grafíkfélagið in Hafnarhús. Jón Ingiberg at Skálda bókabúð, a bookshop show and free to walk into.
Getting there: the photography museum and Hafnarhús are downtown and walkable. Gerðarsafn is in Kópavogur, Strætó lines 1, 2 or 28 to Hamraborg, about 15 minutes from Hlemmur, and the stop is directly outside. The photography museum and Skálda are free entry.
🎭 The theatres wake up againTicketed
Icelandic theatre goes dark most of the summer, and this is the week it comes back. Borgarleikhúsið (Reykjavík City Theatre, Listabraut 3 by Kringlan) has Moulin Rouge! Söngleikurinn on the main stage, Fri Aug 28 and Sat Aug 29 at 20:00. Þjóðleikhúsið (National Theatre, Hverfisgata 19) opens its 2026 to 2027 season with Lína Langsokkur (Pippi Longstocking) on Sun Aug 30 at 13:00, on the big stage.
Both are performed in Icelandic. Moulin Rouge carries on the songs you already know, and Lína is a Sunday matinee that works for children even without the language. If language is a barrier, the jazz and the cinema are the safer bookings this week.
Getting there: Þjóðleikhúsið is a five minute walk from Hlemmur. Borgarleikhúsið is out by Kringlan, Strætó lines 1, 3, 6 and 8 stop at Kringlan, then a two minute walk, and the theatre has its own free car park.
🎞️ Bíó Paradís (Hverfisgata 54)Ticketed
The arthouse cinema downtown, and the correct answer to a wet evening. Every screening is tagged ENG SUB, ICE SUB or NO SUB, so check the tag before booking on bioparadis.is. Icelandic films with English subtitles are the reason to go rather than a multiplex.
🖼️ Museums, now without the queueTicketed
Listasafn Íslands (National Gallery) by the pond, Hafnarhús on the harbour for Erró and contemporary work, and Kjarvalsstaðir by Klambratún for the quiet one. One Listasafn Reykjavíkur ticket covers three buildings on the same day. Late August is when the summer crush finally drops off, so mid morning on a weekday is genuinely calm now.
🎶 Hús máls og menningar, The Old Bookshop (Laugavegur 18)Free
Live music almost every night, listed in some apps as The Bookstore Band, plus occasional stand up. A mix of locals and visitors, no cover most nights. If you want one free evening that feels like the city rather than a tour, this is it.
Getting there: Laugavegur 18 is the main shopping street, three minutes walk from Hlemmur, five from Lækjartorg. Every downtown Strætó line passes within a block.
🌌 Aurora season has actually startedFree
The nights are now dark enough. Thursday and Friday look like the clearest, calmest nights of the week, which makes them the first real chance of the season. Get away from streetlights, Grótta on Seltjarnarnes is a twenty minute drive, and give your eyes twenty minutes to adjust. Our Northern Lights guide explains what a faint August display really looks like, which is not what the photos show.
🏊 Pool dayTicketed
Vesturbæjarlaug (Hofsvallagata) for the local feel, and the venue for Sunday's jazz in the water. Laugardalslaug (Sundlaugavegur 30) for the most hot pots and the best option with children. Sundhöllin downtown for the indoor pool plus rooftop when the wind is up. Standard adult entry 1,430 ISK.
Nervous about the shower rules? Read our pool etiquette guide first. It takes the whole thing apart, calmly.
🐋 Whale watching, and the puffins are goneTicketed
Humpback and minke sightings from the Old Harbour stay strong into September. The puffins have left the offshore islands, so if a tour still advertises them, ask what they actually saw yesterday before you pay. It is far colder on the water than on the dock, and the operator's overall is warm, so do not wear your own heavy coat under it.