Þjóðhátíð (, "National Festival") is an annual outdoor festival held in

Vestmannaeyjar Vestmannaeyjar (, sometimes anglicized as Westman Islands) is a municipality and archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. The largest island, Heimaey, has a population of 4,414, most of whom live in the archipelago's main town, Vestmannaeyja ...

island, Iceland, on the weekend before the first Monday in August. Locals and guests gather in Herjólfsdalur valley on the island of

Heimaey Heimaey (), is an Icelandic island. At , it is the largest island in the Vestmannaeyjar archipelago, and the largest and most populated island off the Icelandic coast. Heimaey is off the south coast of Iceland. It is the only populated isla ...

for four days of various events, most prominently big stage

concert A concert, often known informally as a gig or show, is a live performance of music in front of an audience. The performance may be carried by a single musician, in which case it is sometimes called a recital, or by a musical ensemble such as an ...

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...

fireworks Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...

displays and the festival's signature Sunday night crowd singing. In 2010 there was a record attendance of between 16,000 and 17,000 on the Sunday night. The local sports district association ÍBV (Íþróttabandalag Vestmannaeyja) organises and runs the festival. Most participants stay in tents in and around the Herjólfsdalur valley. Hotels are also booked out as well as homestays being rented out for the weekend. Transport to and from the island is provided by the Herjólfur

ferry A ferry is a boat or ship that transports passengers, and occasionally vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A small passenger ferry with multiple stops, like those in Venice, Italy, is sometimes referred to as a water taxi or water bus ...

to Landeyjarhöfn and flights from

Vestmannaeyjar Airport Vestmannaeyjar Airport ( ) is a two-runway airport on the island of Heimaey, in Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands), a small archipelago off the south coast of Iceland. It is also known as Westman Islands Airport. The airport services seasonal, ...

. Private companies also operate smaller boat trips.

History

Þjóðhátíð was first held in 1874 when islanders were prevented by bad weather from attending the celebration on the Icelandic mainland of the millennium of Icelandic settlement. The festival has grown to become the largest multiday festival in Iceland, and one of the largest annual cultural events in the country. In 2011, a permanent main stage was constructed, replacing previous temporary structures. The Herjólfsdalur valley forms a natural

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

for guests, where the main stage is located. A pond is located behind the main stage, adjacent to smaller stages and amenities and sales stands. On the east side of the valley, there are the 'White tents', where locals invite family, friends and the general public to their hospitality. Due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, the festival was not held in 2020 or 2021. This marked the first time it had not been held since WW1 in 1914 and 1915; Þjóðhátið was still held in 1973 despite the eruption on the island. After a 2-year break, the festival took place in 2022 with around a 15,000 participants on Sunday.

Brekkusöngur

The festival's signature Sunday night sing-along is known as brekkusöngur (lit. hill-song), named after the hill that forms the natural amphitheater from which visitors watch the main stage. From 1977 until 2012, the sing-along was led by Vestmannaeyjar local

Árni Johnsen Árni Johnsen (1 March 1944 – 6 June 2023) was an Icelandic journalist, politician, musician and athlete from Vestmannaeyjar, who represented the Independence Party in the Althing as a member of the South Constituency. Early life Árni was ...

, a member of the

Althing The (; ), anglicised as Althingi or Althing, is the Parliamentary sovereignty, supreme Parliament, national parliament of Iceland. It is the oldest surviving parliament in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ('Thing (assembly), thing ...

(Icelandic parliament), with the exception of the 2003 Þjóðhátíð when

Róbert Marshall Róbert Marshall (born 31 May 1971) is an Icelandic politician. In April 2009, he was elected as a Member of the Althing for the Reykjavik Constituency South, representing the Social Democratic Alliance (''Samfylkingin''). On 12 October 2012 he ...

filled in as Árni sat in jail. From 2013 the sing-along was led by Ingólfur Þórarinsson, another Vestmannaeyjar local. Ingólfur was slated to lead the sing-along again in 2021 but the organising committee cancelled amid anonymous allegations of sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior towards underage girls. Ingólfur denied the allegations, was never charged and later won a

defamation Defamation is a communication that injures a third party's reputation and causes a legally redressable injury. The precise legal definition of defamation varies from country to country. It is not necessarily restricted to making assertions ...

case against Sindri Þór Sigríðarson in the

Court of Appeal An appellate court, commonly called a court of appeal(s), appeal court, court of second instance or second instance court, is any court of law that is empowered to Hearing (law), hear a Legal case, case upon appeal from a trial court or other ...

, who had alleged that Ingólfur had committed the aforementioned crimes in an opinion piece in a local newspaper. Magnús Kjartan led the sing-along for the 2022 Þjóðhátíð.

External links

Official festival site

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thjodhatid August observances Music festivals in Iceland Vestmannaeyjar Annual events in Iceland 1874 establishments in Iceland Recurring events established in 1874 Folk festivals in Iceland 1874 in music Music festivals established in the 19th century Festivals established in 1874 Summer in Iceland Bonfires