Yearly, Icelanders buy greater than 500 tonnes of fireworks that pay for Search and Rescue.
How do you ring within the new yr? With a toast of champagne at midnight? By singing ‘Auld Lang Syne’ in case you’re within the UK? In Reykjavík, locals will greet 2025 by gathering round a bonfire – after which gathering across the TV to look at a comedy present rounding up the yr.
Iceland’s capital isn’t any stranger to distinctive winter traditions. However a number of the most distinct are reserved for the final day of the yr, when Icelanders collect with household and mates for bonfires and fireworks shows that final lengthy into the brand new yr.
In case you are seeking to have fun New 12 months’s Eve otherwise, right here is why you need to contemplate a visit to Iceland’s largest metropolis.
Reykjavík: Be part of a group bonfire for songs and dances
Contemplating it’s often known as the ‘land of fireside and ice,’ it’s becoming that these parts issue into Iceland’s New 12 months’s Eve rituals.
After household dinners, Reykjavík locals go away the freezing streets to unite round roaring group bonfires often known as ‘brenna’.
Neighbours, households and mates each new and previous sing songs, dance, mirror on the previous yr and make needs for the brand new one.
There are dozens of ‘brenna’ within the capital alone, and they’re welcoming to guests, supplying you with loads of alternatives to make new mates.
Watch comedians skewer the nationwide information stay on TV
Icelanders have a famously wry sense of humour, they usually aren’t afraid to share it. Particularly on New 12 months’s Eve.
Beginning at 10.30pm, Reykjavík goes quiet as residents retreat to their houses to look at Áramótaskaup – the annual ‘New 12 months’s Eve Lampoon’.
Aired by the state broadcaster RÚV, the laugh-out-loud comedy present satirises memorable occasions from the previous yr.
“It’s greater than a comedy present – it’s a cherished Icelandic custom that displays the highs, lows and quirks of the previous yr, making a shared second of laughter and reflection because the nation steps into the brand new yr,” explains Kristján Bjarki Jónasson, from Go to Reykjavík.
It’s one in all Iceland’s highest-rated annual broadcasts, too, with as a lot as 90 per cent of the inhabitants tuning in till the present ends shortly earlier than midnight.
Purchase fireworks that fund year-round Search and Rescue
Fireworks will not be unique to Iceland and even Reykjavík. However Icelanders have discovered a approach to make New 12 months’s Eve fireworks totally their very own all the identical.
“What’s so enjoyable about New 12 months’s Eve is all of the households setting off fireworks,” says Jónasson. “There aren’t any official firework shows within the metropolis. This legendary evening could be very a lot created by the folks of Reykjavík, who collectively do an incredible job of constructing it unforgettable.”
From December 28 till January 6, you should buy fireworks from ICE-SAR, the Icelandic Affiliation for Search and Rescue, a nonprofit, volunteer organisation that specialises in search and rescue providers on land and at sea.
The sale is ICE-SAR’s largest fundraiser annually. In 2017, the organisation earned greater than €6 million, or about 60 per cent of its annual funds, from the greater than 500 tonnes of fireworks Icelanders bought earlier than New 12 months’s Eve.
After you have your fireworks in hand, be part of the crowds within the streets and parks setting them off till the early hours, lighting up the evening sky with vibrant blooms.
Then, keep up late to have fun. Most of the bars and pubs keep open till 5am, “guaranteeing the brand new yr begins with power and pleasure,” says Jónasson.
Reykjavík: The best way to see the northern lights
After watching bonfires and fireworks gentle up the evening sky, stick round to see the northern lights placed on their very own vibrant show.
Iceland is among the finest locations in Europe to see the northern lights. Between September and April, the northern lights are steadily seen on clear darkish nights, particularly outdoors of Reykjavík the place there may be much less gentle air pollution.
It is perhaps the right approach to cap a brand new yr vacation not like another.
