New Year's in Iceland (Pt. 1)

Now that we are several days into March, it is clear that I am long overdue to write about my New Year’s trip to Iceland.

Why Iceland for New Year’s?

Basically, I was a little bored of my typical house party routine in Boston and wanted to celebrate differently. So thinking back to my amazing 2016 visit to Iceland (I’ll write about this in more detail in a future post), I became curious about what New Year’s Eve might look like in Reykjavik. I had recently become the beneficiary of quite a few bonus Delta SkyMiles and looked into using them for Delta’s JFK-KEF direct flight* (I live in Boston but was flying to New York from my parents’ home airport. After deciding the miles cost was ok (and really, I didn’t need much convincing), I booked a flight to Keflavik, landing on Dec 31, returning to the US on January 3. 

*Delta would end up suspending “off-season” service from JFK to KEF, but graciously rebooked me on Icelandair. This was my first time flying with them and I thought it was great!

What I expected

Based on reading other blogs, I expected that Icelanders would do New Year’s Eve justice. Descriptions of having bonfires, shooting fireworks, and watching a year-in-review TV comedy show called Áramótaskaup(check out this homage to the defunct WOW Airlines) before heading out to the Reykjavik’s many lively bars convinced me that I had found the perfect way to shake up the holiday. I imagined something chill but still exciting with fewer than usual tourists for the season, and a distinct but indescribable quality of Icelandicness.  

Also, other blogs told me to expect all shops, restaurants, and cafes to close early on NYE and not to open at all on NYD. Images of a quiet, quaint Reykjavik were all that I expected. And not to harp(a) on it, I really didn’t expect there to be many other tourists, especially from the US. I figured New Year’s Eve tourists would likely choose larger cities or to be closer to nature. Moreover, word on the street has been that the rise in tourism seen throughout the 2010s has crested. 

But I was wrong!

New Year’s falls into the peak season of tourism to Iceland, so it was actually relatively crowded in Reykjavik. I had no trouble getting a hotel but compared to my 2016 trip during the less busy spring/summer season (spring in the US, late spring/early summer in Iceland), rates were more expensive. There were noticeably more people on the streets, and it was clear that there were tourists from all over the world celebrating the occasion in Reykjavik, several other Americans included. I went to the famous Baejarins Beztu Pylsur hotdog stand (true to its English translation, it is “the best hotdog in town”) where I counted myself as the 34th person in line. In 2016, I was sometimes the only person in line (yes, I went a few times!). With all of these people in line for a hotdog, I was feeling better about making a dinner reservation for one at a brewhouse in Reykjavik. 

How it really went down

Around 4pm, many shops and cafes closed and a countdown clock near Austurbakki (a main street cutting through the downtown area) went into action. The streets did get quieter but were far from cleared out. I passed some time at a coffee shop on Laugavegur (another primary street for shopping and dining) where I was lucky to get the last table. So, things were not quite as advertised. I was also able to stop at the 1011 (an Icelandic store similar to 7Eleven) and get the international power adapter that I forgot to pack (whew!).

Dinner was great for the most part. I went to Bryggjan Brugghús, a brewhouse restaurant near the harbor. I had found a last-minute reservation as my original dinner reservation was in the superb of Kopavogur, and I decided I didn’t want to travel that far. Bryggjan had a special holiday buffet featuring modern takes on Icelandic classics. It’s not every day that I am drawn to eat herring, but it’s absolutely not bad when coated in a blueberry glaze. The dessert spread was pretty impressive too, with the highlight being the skyr brulée. Not surprisingly, the beers at Bryggjan Brugghús were worth coming in for. 

But…even though I already knew that food in Iceland was expensive, I experienced legit sticker shock when I got the bill. Normally, I would have checked the price beforehand, but given that the only menu option was the buffet and the perceived scarcity of restaurants on New Year’s Eve, I wasn’t going to scrutinize the price. The buffet and two pints (no drinks included in buffet) came out to about $140 whereas I was expecting it to be about $80. That made me second-guess my decision to pass up the arctic char after I was already feeling stuffed :).

And as I went back out on the town, it turned out that there was plenty of food to be had. Yes, nice sit-down restaurants were not abundantly available. However, shawarma, pho, sandwiches (including hot dogs if you believe in that), and other quick and cheap(er) options were widely available. TBH, I would have been ok with this as I didn’t budget $140 for dinner. Chalk this one up to experience.

After dinner: fireworks, Áramótaskaup, and the city goes wild

As someone who grew up in the rural south, I am very familiar with people shooting their own fireworks for holidays. When you live in a place with low population density, it’s to be expected. While Iceland is nearly synonymous with low population density, that is not so much case in the capital. So, seeing so many amateur fireworks being shot off in a nation’s capital seemed odd at first. However, these amateur fireworks seemed so very well coordinated…

As it turns out, shooting amateur fireworks is illegal most of the year in Iceland. However, around the end of December, the national search and rescue team conducts a fundraiser selling fireworks. This coincides with a temporary lift on the fireworks ban. And it is not a recipe for disaster! The people in Reykjavik appear to do a very good job making sure that their citizen fireworks displays are staged in a way that they are safely spaced apart from each other (and the bonfires) and that people can see fireworks from all of the key points in the city. The organization of the whole thing was fascinating and definitely added some pop to the sky (which is needed when the sun sets at 3:45PM!).

Even though I don’t speak Icelandic, I wanted to see Áramótaskaup, which is an annual show in the style of SNL, lampooning the events of the year. Unsurprisingly, it was somewhat hard to follow many of the sketches as they were about people and events specific to Iceland. However, the ode to WOW Air (RIP) and this slightly NSFW take on self-checkouts at Bonús (probably the largest and most affordable supermarket chain in the country- you’ll want to remember that if you visit) were hilarious and apt commentary. 

And then it was 11:20PM and time to rush back downtown to see the fireworks finale and the clock strike 12. Not going to lie, it was kind of magical. People from all over gathered in the streets and while there was some slightly chaotic energy to it, it was so much more relaxed than celebrating in a larger city. I had chosen to face the clock at Hallgrímskirkja (the church overlooking downtown Reykjavik) as it affords some of the city’s best views and is the city’s clock tower. 

Then it happened, the fireworks started ramping up, then calmed, then the clock struck 12 and the crowd went wild(ish). The fireworks sped up again and the crowd dispersed as the bars are open to party, and Icelanders can get down! Despite the amazing energy, I couldn’t hang for too long (I had come in on a redeye that morning!), but it didn’t disappoint.

The next day was mostly for rest and recovery, but a few notes about NYD in Iceland. Contrary to what you may read on the internet, many things are open, especially downtown. My hotel was in more of a business district and about a 15-20-minute walk downtown, so it took a bit of walking before I found a restaurant open for lunch. Thinking I had no other options, I stopped at the first place I found : Islenska Hamborgarafabrikkan, a national sit-down hamburger chain. It was fantastic, but I would find several other eateries were open. Even many of the gift shops were open. Tours were also widely available, although I didn’t take advantage this time. I was saving up my energy for the next day, when I would fly to Akureyri to spend the day…and I’ll save that for Part 2!