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 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm 🪗
On Sunday, 12 July, the annual Reykjavík Accordion Festival will take place in collaboration with Árbær Open Air Museum. The programme runs from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. 🪗
Held in memory of its founder, accordion pioneer Karl Jónatansson, the festival brings together many of Iceland's finest and best-known accordion players in the beautiful surroundings of the museum.
This marks the 28th edition of the festival, which has often been the most popular summer event at Árbær Open Air Museum.
This year's festival is dedicated to the memory of Guðrún Guðjónsdóttir, the driving force behind the Vitatorg Band, who passed away on 31 May. Guðrún was always among the first to volunteer to perform at the Reykjavík Accordion Festival and had participated every summer since 1999.
Performers this year include ensembles from the Reykjavík Accordion Enthusiasts Association and the Reykjavík Accordion Society, Agnes Harpa Jósavinsdóttir and Maria Traikova from the Eyjafjörður Accordion Enthusiasts Association, an ensemble from the Suðurnes Accordion Enthusiasts Association, the Vitatorg Band, Páll Elíasson, and Oddur Fjeldsted.
Visitors of all ages can also experience—and even take part in—traditional haymaking as it was done before the introduction of modern farming machinery, weather permitting. For centuries, Icelanders relied solely on a scythe, a snath (the wooden scythe handle), and a rake to harvest the hay needed to feed their livestock through the winter. Traditional haymaking continued well into the mid-20th century in many parts of the country, but these time-honoured skills are now rarely seen. Don't miss this opportunity to try your hand at these traditional tools and experience a piece of Iceland's rural heritage. 🌾
Please note that the haymaking demonstration may be cancelled in the event of unfavourable weather. If so, visitors can still enjoy beautiful accordion music and relax with refreshments at the museum café in Dillon's House.
The festival programme runs from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm, while the museum is open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.
Admission is free for children, disabled visitors, and holders of the Reykjavík City Museum Culture Pass.
Everyone is welcome!
Accessibility: Most paths around the museum are gravel. Access to most historic buildings involves a single step or a threshold. Assistance dogs are welcome.
By bus: The nearest bus stop is Árbæjarsafn, just a 1-minute walk from the museum. Other nearby stops are Laxakvísl and Fagribær, approximately a 5–6 minute walk away.
Accessible parking spaces are available at the museum entrance, and all parking is free of charge.
📸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.
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Reykjavik Accordion FestivalThe Reykjavik Accordion Festival (RAF)
