Taking centre stage at the height of summer and making the most of the long days and the midnight sun, the 5th annual Reykjavík Fringe Festival takes place from 24th June - 3rd July 2022. RVK Fringe is the home of the Icelandic grassroots art scene as well as a platform for more established performers to experiment and play. With a huge variety of performances and something to offer all ages and tastes, the artists are a combination of local and international performers, speaking, singing and screaming in a variety of languages - or none at all. 

With six main venues, all in central Reykjavík and within walking distance from each other, 90 acts will perform over 200 times during the 10 day festival. Around 60% of the acts are local Icelandic performers and the remaining 40% come from all over the globe. The majority of the performances take place in English or are non-verbal - such as dance performances or gallery exhibitions. At weekends, there are family friendly events and workshops in the daytime, with the evenings offering a variety of comedy, theatre, cabaret, music and experimental works. 

Festival Director Nanna Gunnars said “This year is going to be absolutely amazing and I am delighted with the line-up. Everyone always asks what I would recommend seeing and the truth is that it is impossible to predict what the most popular shows will be so the best advice I can give is to listen out for the word on the street about unmissable acts, or just take a gamble and check out something you don't know anything about. You're sure to be surprised with something new and unexpected at the Fringe.  The festival is also a great platform for anyone wanting to get to know the inspirational and often surprising Icelandic art scene. Tickets are always affordable and the atmosphere is always welcoming.” 

Highlights of RVK Fringe:

• The Opening Party, Preview Night, Comedy Taster, Closing Party and Award Ceremony are all open to the public and free to attend.
• At the Preview Night in Tjarnarbíó, all performances get two minutes each to introduce their show - a cabaret night like no other - where guests can figure out what they might want to see.
• Ari Eldjárn: Saga Class - Iceland's biggest comedian (and first-ever Netflix star) hits the Fringe with his eagerly awaited third show in English, which includes Nordic observations on drumbeats, sleep, parenthood and much more.
• Mini Burlesque Fest - There are so many burlesque and cabaret performances taking place at the festival that a smaller burlesque festival has formed within the festival. Margrét Maack is the mother of the Icelandic cabaret scene and now her students have formed several burlesque groups, plus international performers that will take part in shows and host workshops. Additional Norwegian group Bootyswing also brings their performance. The cabaret groups are Búkalú, Ladies & A Gentleman, Dirty Undies, The Tutti Fruttis and Bootyswing.
• THEM by Spindrift Theatre. Icelandic/Finnish theatre group Spindrift Theatre premieres their long awaited physical theatre performance of THEM. The play is based on interviews with men about their experiences in a gendered society and has been in the works since 2016.

Explore Iceland from the RVK Fringe

Where to stay: is there a hotel partner? The festival partners with Kex Hostel which offers a 20% discount with the discount code RVKFRINGE.

How to get there: is there an airline partner? There is not an airline partner, but Nice Air is the country's low cost airline. 

International guests, artists and volunteers can spend their days going on day tours of the Icelandic countryside, the festival partners with Grayline Iceland that offers a 20% discount off their most popular day tours with the code RVKFRINGE - and then they can see a show or three when they're back in town in the evening. On weekdays the shows generally start in the late afternoon and go on as late as 1am in the morning.

The full schedule and box office are accessible here.

-ENDS-