Awarded 12 Cultural Grants and 6 Building Grants

Twelve received cultural grants at the cultural festival of the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður, which was held in the middle of last week. The festival began with guests commemorating the singer Björgvin Halldórsson, who passed away on 9 April. The festival, which was scheduled to take place on that day, was postponed out of respect for his memory.

“We are endlessly proud of his life’s work and the gems he leaves behind in Icelandic music history. The void he leaves behind in our town is enormous, and we will always remember him with great gratitude and warmth,” said Guðbjörg Oddný Jónasdóttir, Chair of the Cultural and Tourism Committee, in her speech prior to the awards.

Priority given to strengthening cultural and artistic life

Guðbjörg Oddný spoke about how the Cultural and Tourism Committee has made strengthening the town’s cultural and artistic life an absolute priority. “We are letting actions speak,” she said, noting how both the Hafnarfjörður Brass Band and Rimmugýgi have now been secured with multi-year funding agreements.

“And just recently, we established a new and long-awaited Choir Fund to support the remarkable choral activity that characterizes Hafnarfjörður.”

Allocation of cultural grants 2026

Funding for cultural grants has increased in recent years. “We can clearly see how much this gives back in terms of vibrant and lively community spirit,” said Guðbjörg. “Today, we have the great pleasure of supporting nine exciting projects and announcing three new three-year partnership agreements.”

The first allocation of cultural grants in 2026 is awarded to:

• Sigtýr Ægir Kárason – Villingar farandlistasmiðja, 250.000 kr.
• Helena Jónsdóttir – Physical Cinema myndvörpun, 300.000 kr.
• Erlendur Sveinsson – INNBLÁSTUR: Stefnumót listar og trúar í Krýsuvík, 1.000.000 kr.
• Logi Guðmundsson – Hamingjuhátíð í Hellisgerði á Sólstöðum, 200.000 kr.
• Kristmundur Guðmundsson – Ægileg tónlist III, tónleikar á Ægi, 200.000 kr.
• Brynja Björk Hinriksdóttir – Garnival, 400.000 kr.
• Steinar Björgvinsson – Líf í lundi, 250.000 kr.
• Sigga Eydís Gísladóttir – HFJ Tattoo Expo, 500.000 kr.
• Sveinn Guðmundsson – Melodica Festival, 200.000 kr.

The committee also approved three new partnership agreements for the next three years (2026–2028), in addition to the strong agreements already in place with HEIMA and the Song Festival in Hafnarborg. The new agreements are awarded to:

• Ingunn Fjóla Ingþórsdóttir – Fjölmenningarleg 17. júní hátíð, 350.000 kr. á ári.
• Elvar Gunnarsson – LG // Litla Gallerý, 1.200.000 kr. á ári.
• Andrés Þór Gunnlaugsson – Síðdegistónar í Hafnarborg, 900.000 kr. á ári.

Also allocated from the Building Preservation Fund

On this day, grants were also allocated from the 2026 Building Preservation Fund. “Hafnarfjörður has a unique soul, and a large part of that soul lies in our old houses. Two years ago, we revived the Hafnarfjörður Building Preservation Fund to support dedicated owners in preserving this architectural heritage. It is our committee that allocates the grants following professional assessment by the Town Heritage Officer,” Guðbjörg Oddný explained.

Two million ISK were allocated to six houses, all of which share the common goal of enhancing the townscape.

• Dagbjört Reginsdóttir – Suðurgata 27 (400.000 kr.)
• Sigurgrímur Skúlason – Skúlaskeið 3 (250.000 kr.)
• Elísabet Pétursdóttir – Hellisgata 19 (350.000 kr.)
• Anna Guðný Möller – Vesturbraut 3 (600.000 kr.)
• Sölvi Steinn Sigurðsson – Strandgata 19A (150.000 kr.)
• Þóra Breiðfjörð Sigurgeirsdóttir – Brekkugata 11 (250.000 kr.)

Warm congratulations to all, and thank you for making Hafnarfjörður a better and more enjoyable place.