Harmonikuhátíð og heyannir / The Reykjavík Accordion Festival and Haymaking
Árbær Open Air Museum, Kistuhylur 4, 110 Reykjavík Directions
Sun 12.07.2026 13:00
The Reykjavík Accordion Festival will be held in collaboration with Árbær Open Air Museum on Sunday 12 July at 13:00-16:00 🪗
The festival, which is held in memory of its founder, accordion pioneer Karl Jónatansson, will feature many of the country's best and most well-known accordion players in the beautiful surroundings of the museum.
This is the 28th time that the Accordion Festival is held, and it has often been one of Árbæær Open Air Museum's most popular events each summer.
At the museum, visitors of all ages can also observe and actively participate in haymaking as it was done before the days of haymaking machines, provided the weather remains dry. For centuries, Icelanders had no other tools than a scythe, a sickle, and a rake to gather their winter provisions. Haymaking was done in the old-fashioned way until the middle of the last century, but now the old methods are rarely seen in the countryside of the Iceland. Don't miss this opportunity to get acquainted with a scythe, a sickle and a rake and thus take an active part in the haymaking at Árbær Open Air Museum 🌾
Please note that haymaking may be cancelled if the weather is unfavorable, but at least you can always enjoy beautiful accordion tunes and a coffee at the museum's café at Dillon's House.
The program runs from 13:00 to 16:00, but the museum is open 10:00 to 17:00. Free admission for children, the disabled and culture card holders.
Everyone is welcome!
Accessibility: The museum’s footpaths are mainly gravel. Many historic houses have steps and thresholds. Service dogs are welcome.
Public Transport:
Nearest bus stop: Árbæjarsafn (1-minute walk).
Other stops: Laxakvísl and Fagribær (5–6 minutes away).
Free parking, including blue-badge parking spots opposite the entrance
📸Juliette Rowland
Performers
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Menningar- og íþróttasvið Reykjavíkur
Menningar- og íþróttasvið Reykjavíkur leggur rækt við mannlífið í borginni á fjölbreyttan hátt.
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Evening Walk | LaugavegurDuring the walk, the authors of the book LAUGAVEGUR will walk up Bankastræti and to Klapparstígur and discuss in Icelandic the architectural history of selected houses in the context of the development of shops and the layout of the city's main street. The walk is free of charge and starts by Stjórnarráðið at 20:00. Everyone is welcome! Stories will be told of what was, is and could have happened, and visitors will be reminded of hidden aspects of the appearance of the houses or the street that shed light on a larger story. The book LAUGAVEGUR was published last Christmas by Angústúra, covering 120 house numbers at Bankastræti and Laugavegur tracing the history of architecture and trade between Lækjargata and Hlemmur in words and pictures. Anna Dröfn Ágústsdóttir is a historian and lecturer, and director at the Design Department of the Iceland Academy of the Arts and Guðni Valberg is an architect and co-owner of Tripoli Architects. They are also the authors of the book REYKJAVÍK SEM EKKI VARÐ (Reykjavík which did not happen), published in 2014. Evening Walks are a collaborative programme of Reykjavík City Museum, The Reykjavík Art Museum, Reykjavík City Library, and Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature. The walks take place on Thursday evenings during the summer months. Stay tuned on Facebook. Participation is free.
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Borgarsögusafn Reykjavíkur / Reykjavík City Museum
Eitt safn á fimm frábærum stöðum. Borgarsögusafn heyrir undir Reykjavíkurborg.
