Ritualising Reykjavík New Festivals in the Capital of Iceland 1998–2018

Authors

  • Terry Gunnell Author

Keywords:

modern festivals, invented traditions, Gay Pride, spaces, ritual, Reykjavik

Abstract

As the title suggests, the aim of this article is to consider the new festivals that have developed in Reykjavík between 1998 and 2018, noting how they have been influenced by the rise in the number of tourists and foreign citizens, a growing sense of international involvement, and the feeling that the ritual year needs “filling in” to make the city an all-year round attraction. Starting by noting the arrival of the Reykjavík Arts Festival in the 1970s, the article considers a range of urban festivals including Cultural Night, the arrival of Gay Pride, Women’s Free Day, Iceland Airwaves and the development of Halloween in recent years. It also considers the key differences in nature between these new festivals and those that preceded them.

Author Biography

  • Terry Gunnell

    Terry Gunnell is Professor Emeritus in Folkloristics at the University of Iceland. He is author of The Origins of Drama in Scandinavia (1995); editor of Masks and Mumming in the Nordic Area (2007), Legends and Landscape (2008) and Grimm Ripples: The Legacy of the Grimms’ Deutsche Sagen in Northern Europe; and joint editor of The Nordic Apocalypse: Approaches to Vǫluspá and Nordic Days of Judgement (with Annette Lassen, 2013); and Málarinn og menningarsköpun: Sigurður Guðmundsson og Kvöldfélagið (with Karl Aspelund), which was which was nominated for the Icelandic Literature Award in 2017. He has also written a wide range of articles on Old Norse religion, Nordic folk belief and legend, folk drama and performance.

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Published

2024-12-31

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2024): THE RITUAL YEAR 13

Section

Articles