The Children's Culture Festival in Reykjavík takes place April 23-28. The festival showcases the diverse and vibrant children's culture that thrives in the city.
The Festival is held throughout the city, offering large and small exhibits and events designed for children or with children. Children largely take over the city's cultural life and display their work at prestigious cultural institutions during the festival. This year's festival theme is democracy, as the Icelandic Republic celebrates its 80th anniversary. With events for all ages, the Children's Culture Festival program ensures no one will be bored.
“Spyrja eftir þér” (Asking For You) - 2024 song of the Children's Culture Festival
This year's festival song, Spyrja eftir þér, is performed by the band Celebs, who composed the music while collaborating with the city's fourth-graders on the lyrics. The children worked on democracy projects at school where they shared their views about society and what they want to change, and their responses are woven into the lyrics. The band Celebs consists of siblings from Suðureyri - Valgeir Skorri, Hrafnkell Hugi and Katla Vigdís - known for their colorful stage performances, great sense of humor and passion for children's culture. Celebs will perform the song at the Children's Culture Festival opening event to a packed audience of children in Harpa's Eldborg Hall on April 23.
Diverse art exhibitions
The Children's Culture Festival features various art forms including fine arts, music, dance, film, performing arts and electronic textiles, to name a few. There's plenty to choose from, and seeing is believing.
Architecture, Breiðholt and our city
In the Nordic House lobby, visitors can see the exhibition Architecture, Breiðholt and Our City, which opens April 23, 2024 and will be on display throughout the festival. The exhibition features work by Hólabrekkuskóli students created this winter in collaboration with teachers and Nordic House education staff. The project drew inspiration from the Wasteland Iceland exhibition and sustainability in architecture, while also incorporating general education about architecture, examination of Breiðholt's development and the design of Alvar Aalto, architect of the Nordic House. The project also emphasized general discussion and introduction to architecture to increase students' awareness of how environment can affect individual well-being. The works were created using materials also found in the Wasteland Iceland exhibition combined with other traditional and non-traditional materials for the model-making. The exhibition is in partnership with the Children's Culture Festival and DesignMarch.
What's missing - art from the LGBT+ community center
Kjarvalsstaðir Museum will host the art exhibition What's Missing. The exhibition features works by youth from the LGBT+ community center. The exhibition's theme is the artists themselves, their vision and world of experience. The youth center's art club has visited the Reykjavík Art Museum regularly this winter, where they have engaged with artworks, reflected upon them, and contemplated the messages they want to convey through their own creations. The result is a diverse and sincere exhibition by emerging young artists. The exhibition opens April 23 and runs through the festival.
Festival performance by dance schools
Numerous dance students will participate in the festival performance by dance schools taking place Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. The event will offer a diverse and entertaining dance performance featuring children ages 6-18. Students come from the following dance schools: Dansakademían Selfossi, Danslistarskóli JSB, Dansskóli Birnu Björns, Listdansskóli Hafnarfjarðar, Dansgarðurinn - Klassíski Listdansskólinn og Óskandi, Listdansskóli Íslands and Plie Listdansskóli.
Family disco at Úlfarsárdalur City Library
What's better than dancing and having fun? A family disco will take place in Miðgarður with Sunna Ben keeping the energy high on Wednesday, April 24 from 5-6 p.m. After the dancing, there will be a relaxing pajama story time from 7-7:30 p.m. Few things are as cozy as coming to story time at the library, especially in pajamas.
First Day of Summer - music, workshops and stage festival
BIG BANG on First Day of Summer
First Day of Summer holds a special place in Icelandic children's hearts as it marks the arrival of summer. Music will take center stage when summer's arrival is celebratedon April 25 in Harpa.BIG BANG music festival for youth is a European festival that aims to put children's experience in the foreground. Harpa fills with children who want to enjoy music in the broadest sense. The program is diverse and ambitious, consisting of concerts, installations and music-related workshops led by music professionals. Performers include the brass band Svanur, which will enchant the audience, DJ Ívar Pétur spinning records for children at Baby rave, the band Celebs with concerts that won't disappoint, Fellakrakkar performing original music and much more exciting entertainment. There’s something for everyone at BIG BANG.
Electronic textiles at Elliðaárstöð
Elliðaárstöð participates in the Children's Culture Festival for the third time, offering an electronic textile exhibition and experimental workshop for families Thursday, April 25 from 1-3 p.m. The exhibition consists of works by Selásskóli seventh-graders who participated in a specially designed electronic textile workshop, a collaboration between Elliðaárstöð, Selásskóli and textile designer Emma Shannon. Students were tasked with creating something new from old, unusable Reykjavík Energy work clothes, with the goal of educating students about the textile industry, waste, electrical conductivity and circuits. The project was also a practical way for students to combat waste that empowers them to take action through direct participation in that process. Visitors can experiment with electronic textiles in the exhibition's hands-on workshop.
UNGI performing arts festival
The UNGI performing arts festival officially opens at Reykjavík City Hall on April 25 with the show Look Mama, No Hands, which British performing arts group Daryl&Mimbre is coming specifically to perform at the Children's Culture Festival. The 30-minute dance performance beautifully explores friendship and personal growth. The performance makes exceptional use of one dancer's wheelchair, which opens up creative possibilities and unexpected solutions. The performance is accessible to everyone since it uses no spoken words — only dance and music. UNGI runs April 25-27 and the festival features magnificent theater performances, with seven shows this year. Six are from Iceland and will be performed at Tjarnarbíó and Reykjavík City Theater. Admission is free. You can reserve tickets at ungipostur@gmail.com or arrive 30 minutes before the performance to get tickets.
Adventure Palace
The city center district hosts the weekend of April 27-28 with a spectacular program at Adventure Palace in Grófin City Library. You can see the art exhibition Everyone Included, which will be open all week from April 23-28. Everyone Included is a joint exhibition of artwork by students from Ævintýraborg preschools (Eggertsgata and Nauthólsvegur), Grænaborg, Miðborg and Tjörn (Öldugata and Tjarnargata). Cooperation, friendship, environment and language characterize the exhibition, with all the works taking us down different paths through the minds of these youngest artists. The works in the exhibition were created around the 2024 festival theme of democracy.
The library days begin with family yoga and toddler time, followed by a variety of program activities. Various creative workshops will be offered where children can make protest signs or work with lyrics and rhythm. Kids' karaoke will be available for those who want to step outside their comfort zone and sing from the heart, and the Youth Circus will perform circus acts for guests and invite everyone to try. Dans Brynju Péturs and Dans Afríka will host a dance party and dance performance that won't disappoint anyone. Then you can wind down by listening to readings in various languages.
Premiere at Bíó Paradís
The short film "Köld jól" (Cold Christmas) by 14-year-old Magnús Gíslason will premiere on April 28 at 3 p.m. at Bíó Paradís. Magnús is a young and up-and-coming filmmaker who directed and produced the film himself. The short film deals with kids in the upper grades of primary school and various serious issues like bullying, parental violence toward children and neglect. Don't miss this short film that shows the world through a teenager's eyes.
Happy Festival!
During the Children's Culture Festival, the city becomes more exciting than any other time of year. Children will make their mark on the city's cultural life this week. They'll have the chance to attend diverse events and exhibitions, and also express themselves about various world issues from the heart. All festival events can be found at barnamenningarhatid. It's time for all of us to enjoy and experience everything, and no one has to pay a single króna because it's all free!
Enjoy!