Culture in magnificent darkness - Winter Lights Festival 2026

Winter Lights Festival will open Feb. 5 at 7 p.m. in the garden of the Einar Jónsson Museum, Hallgrímstorg 3.

Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir, the mayor of Reykjavík, will open the festival alongside Logi Einarsson, minister of culture, innovation and higher education, who will speak about the recent merger of the Einar Jónsson Museum and the National Gallery of Iceland.

The festival's opening work is Synergy 2.0 by the art collective Mercury Maze Studio, consisting of Owen Hindley, Katerina Blahutova and Þorsteinn Eyfjörð, which will premiere at the opening ceremony. The work is an interactive video, light and sound piece that will be projected onto Hnitbjörg, the building that houses the Einar Jónsson Museum. In this multilayered work, viewers can explore the building's architecture and the acoustics of the setting through transformations of material and spirit.

The installation will be on display in the garden throughout Winter Lights Festival from 6:30-10:30 p.m.

HyperOrgel at Hallgrímskirkja

Immediately following the opening ceremony in the Einar Jónsson Museum garden, a concert will begin at Hallgrímskirkja at 7:30 p.m. Four interactive musical works will be performed on a computer-controlled organ. Computer-controlled instruments operate under different principles than instruments played by human performers, opening new dimensions in performance, interpretation, sound quality and audience experience.

Hallgrímskirkja will host evening concerts, noon concerts, lectures and computer-controlled musical works during church hours throughout Winter Lights Festival.

Concerts at Reykjavík City Hall every evening of Winter Lights Festival

Reykjavík City Hall will host concerts featuring both Icelandic and international musicians. Performing artists include:

Thursday, Feb. 5 at 9 p.m.:

Coby Say is a songwriter, producer, vocalist, instrumentalist and DJ from Southeast London who has carved out a clear and distinctive position as an artist and performer. His released material spans live instrumental performance and experimental music.

Friday, Feb. 6

At 8 p.m.: 
Cryptic Freedom Duo consists of Brian DeGraw (Gang Gang Dance) and Professor Bear (Sean Linezo). With shared backgrounds in music, film and performance art, the duo works with understated approaches to cascading and resonant frequencies based on flute and keyboards.

"Sleepy" Doug Shaw is a songwriter born in London who has lived in New York since 2003. He weaves complex guitar patterns into mind-expanding soundscapes, drawing inspiration from desert blues and vintage calypso.

Saturday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m.
Benni Hemm Hemm and choir will perform a packed program of songs spanning the group's entire career working together since 2024. They will immerse themselves in the adventurous visual environment of Abigail Portner under the direction of Ásrún Magnúsdóttir. There will be a mysterious atmosphere with dramatic lighting and plenty of music to warm the spirit.

Light Trail

This year's Light Trail features 18 works creatively illuminating the dark winter days, forming a walking route from Hallgrímskirkja church to Reykjavík City Hall.

Two light art installations were selected in a competition by Reykjavík City and Veitur Utilities last year for Winter Lights Festival 2026. They are the works Ljóslifandi and Í NÝJU LJÓSI.

Ljóslifandi
The piece is more of an experience than a physical object or outdoor sculpture. The work invites visitors to enter a space — a world that blends materials and light. Part passage, part resonance, where light itself guides visitors on their journey through the corridor. The piece is by Sigurður Bogi Ólafsson and Gunnlaugur Eiður Björgvinsson, with lighting design by Vikar Máni Þórsson. The work is at Austurvöllur.

Í NÝJU LJÓSI
The work attempts to shed new light on the brightness within all of us, hoping it can brighten the dark winter days. Through this work, the artist invites viewers to shift their perspective for a moment and see themselves through the eyes of someone who holds warmth and love for them. The work is on the bridge by Reykjavík City Hall. The work is created by artist Björt Sigfinnsdóttir

Ljósmót at Hallgrímskirkja
Hallgrímskirkja will be illuminated during Winter Lights Festival in a piece called Ljósmót by Örn Ingólfsson. The church transforms into living light forms where colors, patterns and movement play across the building, highlighting its powerful architecture. The work is a dialogue between light and form, where space vibrates between stillness and energy.

Art exhibit at the Old Landsbanki Building
Winter Lights Festival visitors can now attend the opening of a painting exhibit at the Old Landsbanki on Austurstræti on Feb. 5 from 6-8 p.m. Anna Jansdóttir, Jón Múli, Jón Sæmundur, Narfi Þorsteinsson and Sindri Dýrason will exhibit their paintings and drawings in this historic building at Austurstræti 11. The exhibit will be open Feb. 6-9 from 6:30-10:30 p.m.

Light art installations and related events run nightly during the festival from 6:30pm to 10:30pm.

Museum Night

Museum Night takes place Friday, February 6, 2026, offering festival visitors access to about 40 museums across the capital area. The event features a fun and diverse program. The focus will be on providing unconventional events during the evening and giving visitors a new perspective on the museums. Museums will be open from 6pm to 11pm with free admission.

Reykjavík Art Museum will feature a packed program of exciting events for all age groups. Hafnarhús Museum will host guided tours of the exhibitions A Botanical Future, Lavaforming, and Erró: Remix. Two audiovisual bands, Unfiled and MOTET, will perform concerts that engage both the eyes and ears.

At Kjarvalsstaðir Museum there will be an Embroidery Party where participants stitch together a giant artwork inspired by Kristín Gunnlaugsdóttir's exhibit: Ósagt

At Ásmundarsafn Museum there will be a  flashlight tour of Ásmundur's sculpture garden, and inside the museum will be an artist talk with artist Finnur Arnar, who has set up a campsite and will tell visitors about his work in progress.

Enchanting trees in magnificent darkness
The Botanic Garden will host an educational and adventurous walk through the world of enchanting trees. The walk will explore magic, myths and cultural traditions connected to specific tree species found in the garden. Please bring flashlights or phone flashlights and remember to dress for the weather as the walk takes place outdoors.

Find the Sea Creatures! is a fun scavenger hunt at the Reykjavík Maritime Museum that takes you through the exhibition Fish & Folk – 150 Years of Fisheries. The goal is to find various sea creatures that have hidden themselves throughout the exhibit. While searching for the sea animals, visitors can learn about the history of fishing in Iceland.

Viking-style glass bead making. At The Settlement Exhibition, glassblower Fanndís Huld Valdimarsdóttir will be on site, specializing in recreating glass beads from the Viking era. During Museum Night she will demonstrate how glass is melted and shaped into beads over an open flame. The Settlement Exhibition will also offer guided tours, where visitors can jump in a time machine and learn more about Reykjavík's history.

You can also check out Poetry Slam at Grófin. Well-known poets, musicians and performing artists have taken their first steps in slam, as it's a versatile art form. Interested in performing? Sign-ups are now open.

The Rat Choir at House of Collections
Rats make 16 different sounds to express joy at frequencies that the human ear cannot detect. They give each other names and play social games according to rules they communicate through sounds, as they live mostly in darkness. Gunnhildur Hauksdóttir arranges and conducts a choral work for human voices based on these 16 sounds. On Museum Night, a group of women will perform the arrangement in the reading room of the House of Collections on Hverfisgata.

At the National Archives, there will be a presentation about the  wreck of the hospital ship Saint Paul on the coast of Meðallandssandur in 1899, which was a three-masted sailing ship that was wrecked on its third voyage to Iceland.

At The National Museum, activities will include a pool-side cinema and an evening of traditional entertainment in the communal room with the poetry society Iðunn.

 

Pool Night

Pool Night will be held Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, with free swimming at Laugardalslaug, Vesturbæjarlaug, Grafarvogslaug, Dalslaug, and the geothermal beach from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Visitors can look forward to a magical evening set in captivating darkness. Spectacular circus arts, aqua ballet, soothing whale sounds and DJs will keep the energy going. Light, darkness, and joy will fill the evening and guests are encouraged to relax and enjoy the moment.

All municipalities in the capital area will host entertainment programs for the Winter Lights Festival.

Information about the Winter Lights Festival program is available at vetrarhatid.is

All Winter Lights Festival events offer free admission. Everyone is welcome!