Westfjordian Easter break

CULTURE Music

Easter adventure in Isafjordur

Surprise Easter eggs, great music and ski slopes covered in candy.

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TEXT: Lisa Gail Shannen PHOTOS: Roman Gerasymenko

The extensive aerial views of snowtopped mountains, fjords, and glittering shores from the window seat of our Bombardier Q200 are thrilling enough, but it’s hard not to feel like an excited kid when you’re handed a surprise Easter egg by the flight attendant: just one of the unexpected perks during our holiday weekend away. And when we’re about to land in Isafjordur, the remote yet modern hub of the Westfjords, my husband and I are on a chocolate-induced happy high, ready to take on both the annual Aldrei for eg sudur (“I never went south”) music festival and Ski Week.

Between them, these two major events make Isafjordur during the Easter holidays an irresistible destination. Come Good Friday – or so we’re told by the folks at the local information centre – the town’s modest population of almost 3,000 people increases by roughly 2,000, although they can’t be sure since the music festival is entirely free.

Ski Week

Long before Isafjordur became home to the much-loved music festival, the town, with its annual Ski Week, was already renowned for its superb skiing facilities and was well established as a popular Easter destination. The Ski Week event, which draws skiers from all over the country to participate in funpacked cross-country and downhill races, is the oldest town festival in Iceland, dating all the way back to the year 1935.

Gleaming with snow and dotted with brightly dressed skiers, the rising heights of the Tungudalur ski resort present an idyllic scene of winter in Iceland. By the time we arrive there, a five-minute drive

02 02 Cross-country skier at the Seljalandsdalur ski resort.

03 Maritime museum in Isafjordur.

04 Girl with the AFES festival tattoo.

05 KK band performs at the Aldrei for eg sudur festival.

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from the town centre, a lightweight aircraft flies overhead, airdropping a hoard of candy which rains down on the ski slopes. Us grown-ups don’t stand a chance against the mob of excited children, all in fancy dress, as they swarm the area to gather as much candy as they can stuff in their mouths and pockets.

I never went south!

The curious name of this music festival was dreamed up back in 2003 by two local musicians: Papamug and Mugison (father and son). The idea was not only to create opportunities for locals but to provide a new and exciting place for performers outside of the capital. Over the years, some of the biggest names in Icelandic music have performed, and this year is no exception.

When we arrive at the main venue – a local shrimp processing plant transformed for the occasion – the legendary KK is on stage belting out old-time classics as an impressively mixed audience of kids, teens, adults and older folks, all sing along loudly. The festival includes a line-up of contemporary acts too, with award-winning newcomers Between Mountains in attendance and the “topless, gender-bending, cat-loving Messiah of Icelandic hip-hop, Kott Gra Pje. The latter ends the night with a sensational three-minute motivational speech, ordering us all to “rida meira, sprengja minna” – a slightly more explicit version of the “make love, not war” slogan.

→ The next Aldrei for eg sudur festival will be on from 30 March to 1 April, 2018.

DID YOU KNOW...

Six is the number of blades for each engine on the Bombardier Q400, which makes them 12 in total for each aircraft.