Reykjavík Children’s Culture Festival starts next week!

The sixth Reykjavík Children’s Culture Festival will begin on Tuesday 19 April at 11 am with programme of festivities at the Harpa concert hall. The Children’s Culture Festival is one of the biggest festivals held by the City of Reykjavík, with about 150 free events for children and youngsters from 19 to 14 April. The Festival takes place in every district of the city: at schools, after-school programmes, youth centres, preschools, museums, galleries, libraries, City Hall and other locations. For details of the Festival programme see the website barnamenningarhatid.is 

This year’s programme focuses on diversity in Icelandic society, with many events on that theme. The Pollapönk  band has written a song for the Festival, Litríkir sokkar og vettlingar (Multicoloured Socks and Mittens), that will be performed at the opening ceremony of the Festival in the main Eldborg auditorium at the Harpa concert hall. The band will be joined by 1,450 children in year 4 at Reykjavík primary schools, who have been practising the song for the past few days. The theme of the song is that diversity makes for a more colourful and fun society. It is a collaborative venture by the Children’s Culture Festival, UNICEF, the Red Cross, and Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature. The programme at Harpa will continue into the evening, including musical performances by 700 preschool children in collaboration  with the Sigursveinn D. Kristinsson music college, and an impressive dance programme by Reykjavík’s ballet schools.

The Children’s Culture Festival also includes the international UNGI theatre festival by ASSITEJ – the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People. UNGI offers a range of drama and dance performances for younger audiences, as well as a large number of smaller events such as theatre workshops, dramatised readings, storytelling etc. UNGI events will take place at Tjarnarbíó, the National Theatre basement and City Hall.

The children’s Culture Festival will be covered on KrakkaRÚV by young reporters in year 8 to 10 of lower secondary school. This is a collaborative venture between the Festival and KrakkaRÚV.

Children’s culture will also play a prominent role on other areas of the capital region over the coming days and weeks: in Kópavogur, Garðabær, Hafnarfjörður, Mosfellsbær and Seltjarnarnes a range of events will be held related to children’s and young people’s culture, so there will be something for everyone.

The Children’s Culture Festival is held by Visit Reykjavík and the project manager for children’s culture in Reykjavík. The Festival provides a forum for children’s culture, and culture with and for children. It is aparticipatory festival in which the guiding principles are quality, diversity, equality and accessibility. This year the focus is on cultural diversity and children’s rights.

Kids at Harpa concert hall at the festival. Mbl.is/ Kristinn Ingvarsson