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THE REYKJAVÍK GRAPEVINE ICELAND AIRWAVES SPECIAL
Welcome
WORDS
Iceland Airwaves’ Director
Welcomes You To Iceland Airwaves!
BY GRÍMUR ATLASON, DIRECTOR, ICELAND AIRWAVES
To Iceland Airwaves!
Guys—great to meet you all! You have travelled all to way
from Breiðholt and Australia and everywhere in between to
enjoy this festival and spend some time with the rest of us.
That’s pretty cool! Thank you!
Over 240 bands and artists have spent
days, weeks, months and years preparing
themselves for your arrival, so they
can make this time and place as spectacular
as possible. The artists' era is
upon us, they are all around, for us to
enjoy and engage with, and to help us
recharge those dopamine batteries before
winter really hits.
Here’s some advice: Do the swimming
pools. Drop by at some of the
off-venue locations that are spread out
all over the city—there are over 50 of
them. Take the “Wall Poetry” tour,
and be sure to download the accompanying
playlist from our website. Study
our Prime Minister, whom The Financial
Times has denoted as one of the
world’s leading feminists (is that true?
You’re in Reykjavík—why not try and
find out for yourself!). Visit Breiðholt
and Grafarvogur—spend some time in
exotic postal codes like 109 and 113.
This is the seventeenth time we celebrate
Iceland Airwaves—and we’ve
come a long way baby. Steini Steph,
Magnús Steph, Guðmundur Sesar and
many others worked tirelessly on the
idea and its execution to create the Iceland
Airwaves we all love. From an airport
hangar in 1999, where six bands
played their hearts out, to this, here,
now—fuck yeah, those guys who started
it all back then should be proud, and
know that those of us who followed in
their footsteps are extremely grateful.
Iceland Airwaves rules—Skál, you
guys!
WOW! All You Need
To Know!
In One Handy Guide!
Welcome to Iceland! You’ve just landed
at Keflavík (or will very soon) and it’s
(probably) your first time in Reykjavík,
and you’re all like, “What the hell do I do
now!?!” You’re probably so pumped up
about all the Airwaves-ing you’re gonna
get up to that you haven’t even started
thinking about the daily basics. Don’t
worry; we’ve got you covered.
Coffee!
First things first: a good strong cup o’ Joe!
Nothing happens without coffee around
these parts. To blend in with the locals
you’re gonna want to do double-shots
on all your drinks and have at least four
cups every day. Got it? Alright, now here
are some foolproof places around town
to caffeinate yourself. These guys make
good coffee:
COMPILED BY RX BECKETT
Reykjavík Roasters
(Kárastígur 1, Brautarholt 1)
Stofan Café (Vesturgata 3)
Kigali Coffee & Snacks (Ingólfsstræti 8)
Mokka-Kaffi (Skólavörðustígur 3a)
Café Haiti (Geirsgata 7b)
Kaffitár (various locations)
Grub!
Next you’re going to need some sustenance.
You should start by stocking up
on some basics at the Bónus grocery store
(it’s got a bunch of locations, look for the
crazy pig), or, if the situation is dire, at
the 10-11 convenience mart. The latter is
open 24/7, but the prices are steep, so go
easy. Of course you’ll be frolicking about,
so here are some places to stuff your face,
helpfully broken down into categories.
Burgers: Búllan (Geirsgata 1, Burgerjoint),
Block Burger
(Skólavörðustígur 8, back entrance)
Pizza: Deli (Bankastræti 14), Pizza
Royal (Hafnarstræti 18), Devito’s
(Laugavegur 126)
Kebabs & Falafel: Mandi (Veltusund 3b),
Kebab Grill (Lækjargata 10)
Vegetarian: Gló (Laugavegur 20b),
Austurlanda-Hraðlestin (Lækjargata
8), Taquéria No Mames! (Ármúli 21)
Food Trucks: Shirokuma Sushi, Lobster
Hut, Fish & Chips, Waffle Wagon
(usually all stationed around Lækjartorg,
late weekend nights only)
Culture!
You’ve come here for a music festival so
we know you’re not some philistine, and
chances are you’re keen on cramming as
much culture into your weekend as possible.
The city’s nice compact size makes
it quite easy to do, so you’re in luck. Here’s
a few ways to enjoy the local spoils.
Art: Reykjavík Art Museum (three locations,
check artmuseum.is), Reykjavík
Museum of Photography (Tryggvagata
15), i8 (Tryggvagata 16), Hverfisgallerí
(Hverfisgata 4)
Shopping: Kiosk (Laugavegur 65), Aurum
(Bankastræti 4), Reykjavík Record
Shop (Klapparstígur 35), Lucky Records
(Rauðarástígur 10)
Literature: Eymundsson (Austurstræti
18 and Skólavörðustígur 11), Reykjavík
City Library (Tryggvagata 15)
Hot-tubbing like a pro: Sundhöll
(Barónsstígur 45a), Vesturbæjarlaug
(Hofsvallagata)
Drinking!
Now that you’re awake and full and culturally
satiated, it is time to cut loose.
For those who happen to be reading this
prior to arriving in Reykjavík, if you plan
on drinking or have a host to thank, go
the airport Duty Free store. Go, now! It’s
right at baggage claim, you can’t miss it.
Seriously, hurry! We cannot stress this
enough. You’ll save millions and millions
of krónur. If you still need to get a bottle
once you’re in town, the only place to buy
booze is the state alcohol vendor (Vínbúð)
at Austurstræti 10a. Aside from the
nice venues themselves, here are some
choice places to enjoy a libation.
Beery goodness: Skúli Craft Bar
(Aðalstræti 9), Kaldi Bar
(Laugavegur 20b), Mikkeller & Friends
(Hverfisgata 12)
Cocktail party: Slippbarinn (Mýrargata
2), Apótek (Austurstræti 16), BarAnanas
(Klapparstígur 38)
Fun and dancing: Boston (Laugavegur
28b), Paloma (Naustin 1), Austur
(Austurstræti 7)
Sidenote: Gear!
A question that often gets asked by first
time festivalgoers is, “What should I
wear and bring with me?” That of course
varies from person to person, but here are
some basic guidelines.
-Wear light layers topped with a waterproof
jacket. You’ll be cold and at risk for
rain outside but very hot indoors. How stylish
you go is your call.
-Pockets and small purses are your best
friend for carrying valuable items. That
said…
-Carry the bare minimum. You can’t bring
bottles or food or whatever into venues,
plus very few of them have a coat check so
having a heavy load can be terrible.
-Keep your phone where liquid can’t harm
it, at all costs. Ziploc bag it if you must.
You will get wet.
-If you have the room in your pockets or
small purse, a lighter, painkillers, condoms
and a snack can come in handy, or at least
help you make friends and find fun parties.
I WISH IT WOULD RAIN
At Reykjavik Raincoats we are extremely passionate about
raincoats and our goal is to make the perfect raincoat that
makes you wish it would rain every day just so you can wear
your Reykjavik Raincoat.
HANDMADE WITH LOVE
Using only the the finest materials and craftsmanship the
Reykjavik Raincoats are 100% waterproof like the fisherman’s
style coats that were around in the 70’s. Our raincoats are
handmade in rubberized cotton fabric with double stitched
seams and welding on the inside for the perfect protection.