New Year's Eve in Iceland - Resolve to See It

Seriously, New Year’s Eve in Iceland, especially in the capital city of Reykjavik, is simply amazing.  Imagine an entire country buying huge box loads of fireworks - and not the small stuff - and lighting them off creating a fireworks show of almost unimaginable and spectacular length. You may want to add see this event to your New Year’s resolutions.

Iceland is famous for many things, most notably its unspoilt nature, breathtaking landscapes and vibrant culture.  But, a lesser known treat is the way Icelanders celebrate New Year’s Eve.  Yes, Iceland is a small country so how is this possible?  It’s pretty simple, imagine almost every inhabitant of this Nordic country personally investing in many hundreds of dollars worth of fireworks.  And, we are not talking about firecrackers and sparklers, we’re talking about near-commercial grade fireworks.

The show starts at midnight (as you’d expect) and can last for hours. Imagine a near constant stream of fireworks going off across an entire city as every man, woman & child in every neighborhood in Reykjavik - every neighborhood across the country - contributes to this spectacular show.  In other places this might pose a significant fire hazard but, Iceland is not exactly flammable this time of year with ice and snow on the ground.  

Another New Year’s tradition in Iceland are the bonfires, which have their origins from the Middle Ages when people built bonfires to burn the old things they no longer needed. In Reykjavik, you can find several of these scattered around the town.  These are an excellent rally point to witness one of the prodigious and prolific fireworks show on planet Earth. And that’s not hyperbole, that’s fact.  So do yourself a favor and resolve to see it one day!  And, should you decide to, Berjaya Hotels has two hotel locations in Reykjavik, Reykjavik Natura and Reykjavik Marina. Both of which make an excellent place to witness this amazing show.