Lectures and sightseeing
1 “Reykjavík Pure Energy”, the secret behind a creative destination. Lecture.
2 Creative co-operation between the city and private entities. Lecture.
3 Optional sightseeing tours with lectures at the Reykjavík Art Museum, the City of Reykjavík
Library, the Reykjavík Museum of Photography, the Reykjavik City Museum and Gerduberg Culture Centre.
4 Cultural work of young people. Lecture.

In the past decade, Reykjavík has gained a reputation as an exciting destination for many reasons. The city is regarded as an exciting destination for young people; Icelandic musicians, with Björk and Sigurrós leading the way, have opened the way for other Icelandic musicians and made Reykjavík the capital city of improvisational/new music in Northern Europe. At the same time, guests enjoy the use of geothermal pools a great deal, take exciting day-tours in nearby nature and visit museums and events of various types, increasingly more than they did about 10 years ago. In addition, the night-life of the city has a reputation for being energetic and fun. How have city authorities and others managed to create such an exiting destination and make their trademark known to travellers in the extremely fierce competition for tourists? What aspects have joined forces to make Reykjavík, a city of less than 200 thousand people, snuggling just under the Arctic Circle, such an attractive destination?

The City of Reykjavík has initiated a number of highly successful projects in co-operation with the business sector and NGOs. The purpose of the projects is to strengthen cultural and artistic life by ensuring that ideas are brought to life through the provision of start-up money and at least the same amount from another source. An example of this are artwork loans (Listmunalán), a non-interest bearing loan for the purchase of artwork from galleries, and support to artists exporting their work and advertising the city at the same time. Other examples are festivals such as Culture Night and the Winter Lights Festival.

There are diverse and interesting museums in Reykjavík, some operated by the city, and many others operated by the state or private entities. The City of Reykjavík operates art museums in three locations, seven libraries, a museum of photography, a cultural centre and a city museum with both an open air museum and the new Settlement Exhibition 871 +/-2 in the city centre that is focused on the interpretation of the ruins of a Viking age longhouse, whereby a multimedia technique the guests can find out about the oldest settlement ruins in Iceland. These cultural institutions all play their part in making the city a creative cultural city and run interesting and ambitious activities.

The home of culture for young people is Hitt Húsid – to create is to invent, experiment, grow, break the rules, make mistakes and have fun. This definition fits the cultural work of Hitt Húsid, the cultural and information centre for young people. Emphasis is placed on active participation, learning by doing and ensuring that the projects are constructive and informative for young people. These projects should create channels for young people to participate in the democratic processes and to influence society in the field of culture and arts. Gallerí Tukt is the venue for visual arts and is open to all. Listsmidjan is a fantastic work environment for creating art in various forms and is open to groups and individuals. Fimmtudagsforleikurinn (the Thursday prelude) in the Kjallarinn is hot when music is on the menu. Músiktilraunir (music experiments) is a leading force on the Icelandic music scene. The Götuleikhús (street performers) of Hitt Húsid please everyone in summer. Creative summer jobs are red hot innovative projects managed by the artists of the future. Unglist – the young people’s art festival – gets top billing during red autumn days.