The heart of Hafnarfjörður attracts tens of thousands of visitors

The heart of Hafnarfjörður keeps on growing!

Thirty thousand guests are expected at the town´s music festival, The Heart of Hafnarfjörður in Bæjarbíó. The festival is now being held for the eighth time. It grows every year and there will be about forty music events on offer. The festival colors the town´s atmosphere — the number of people in the town center increases, now that summer is at its peak.

The singer from Hafnarfjörður, Björgvin Halldórsson, opens this year’s extensive music and town festival, as in previous years. His concert is sold out. “Björgvin is the son of Hafnarfjörður. He is our greatest musician,” claims the operator of Bæjarbíó, Páll Eyjólfsson.

Exciting opening weekend ahead

The festival started yesterday evening, Thursday, where the outdoor area opened for guests and pedestrians. Admission is free and there is an age limit of 20 years. There is a lot on offer this opening weekend.

• Sóli Hólm and band are first on the program in the tent at 19.30, as last year
• Hreimur hosts a PubQuiz every Thursday from 17.00 in the tent
• Stuðlabandið (band) will perform for the first time in the outdoor area on Saturday June 29th at 19.30

A cross-section of the Icelandic music scene

The festival runs from June 27th to July 28th; a one-month of pure joy. “A cross-section of the music scene in Iceland will be here with us,” says Palli in Bæjarbíó. “Everything from Emmsjé Gauti to Papa and Una Torfa, yes, 40 musical acts,” he says as he describes how the heart of Hafnarfjörður grows with every year.

“We held the first festival in 2017 with a 20 square meter tent. 1500 people came here. Now we have over 600 square meters of tent space and we can therefore accommodate many more guests,” he says.

KK and Mugison hit the ground running for this extensive music and town festival. They are excited: “Usually we only play together in December, but we couldn’t possibly turn it down when we were invited to play in this crazy house at this great festival,” they are quoted as saying on the Bæjarbíó website.

20 years age limit

The festival area at Bæjarbíó will be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 17-23. You can see the program at Bæjarbíó.is. There is an age limit of 20 years for the festival. Here you can enjoy fast food and drinks from the three food trucks in the area. The services on site are increasing with each year.

“Indeed, we meet the demand,” says Palli. “More space for people, more toilets and bigger tents. It takes time for a festival like this to become established and we give ourselves the decade. We are very proud of the Heart of Hafnarfjörður.”

Preparations are in full swing. Let’s enjoy together!