Adolescenza **** Discoteche/   Web stradivariusconcerti.com

World Disco

Grazie a www.travelpuppy.com

Reykjavik Nightlife Reykjavik Nightlife - TravelPuppy.com Over the last decade Reykjavik’s nightlife has been glorified by the enthusiastic Tourist Board and a stream of travel writers. Reykjavik, however, is a small city and those arriving expecting to find a large scale ‘Ibiza of the North’ may be a little disappointed as most of the action takes place in a tiny central area. Having said that, the scene on the weekends, especially in summer, is surprisingly nefarious for such a small city, as revellers flit between bars on the customary runtur (pub crawl). One strange phenomenon is the nightly drive by as Reykjavik’s hard up youth shun the expensive bars and decide to cruise around in their cars for hours on end. Bar prices are expensive, from IKR 600 up to as much as IKR 1,200 for a pint of beer. Most locals tend to counter the expensive bar prices by consuming a large amount of alcohol at home before they can go out. Hence, it is not until around 11.30 am that the streets begin to fill with drinkers and clubbers and the real action begins. 1st time visitors should be aware that this can mean some disturbingly drunk and violent people around, although most Icelanders demonstrate a refreshing level of friendliness to visitors. All of Reykjavik’s nightlife focuses on the main street, Laugavegur, and the roads leading off it. The bars and cafés in Reykjavik tend to have a Jekyll and Hyde character, serving beer and coffee throughout the day, before transforming into buzzing drinking and dancing venues in the evening. The runtur is a way of finding the most hip bar, with the length of the queues to get in acting as a good suggestion of their hipness. Opening times for the majority of café bars are Sunday to Thursday 10.00 am to 1.00 am and Friday and Saturday 10.00 am to 3.00 am. Nightclubs close around 4.00 am or 5.00 am and the dress code is strictly smart. Alcohol is available from licensed bars, restaurants and Áfengisbúd shops (open Monday to Thursday 2.00 pm to 6.00 pm and Friday 10.00 am to 6.00 pm. The minimum drinking age in Reykjavik is 20 years. Where there is live music or dancing, expect to pay a cover charge of around IKr 1,000 per person. For nightlife updates, contact the Tourist Information Centre, Bankastraeti 2 (telephone: 562 3045). Bars Whether British pop star Damon Albarn is still a part owner or not (no one is telling after an alleged recent tax scandal involving the bar), Kaffibarinn, Bergstadastraeti 1, is still a meeting place of the city’s media set and has a certain reputation, as evidenced by the frequent queues to get in. Reykjavik’s celebs (including Björk when she is in town) head to Sir Terence Conran’s Rex Bar, Austurstraeti 9, which has a café bistro style bar upstairs and the more relaxed Mafia Room in the basement. Another popular bar is Kaffibrennslan, Posthusstraeti 9, which (despite its caffeine motivated name) has a breathtakingly large selection of beers and free English language magazines to leaf through for those in search of a quieter night. Reykjavik has jumped on the Irish bar bandwagon with The Dubliners, Hafnarstraeti 4, a decent and faintly lit stab at a traditional Irish bar and Celtic Cross, Hverfisgata 26, a less kitsch drinking den with candles and big windows. A current favourite of the smart set is Dillon Bar, Laugavegur 30, which brags live DJ's at weekends and a clientele who all seem to have strolled straight in off the catwalk. Casinos Although gambling is not illegal in Reykjavik, there are presently no casinos. Clubs Pravda, which has replaced Astro at Austurstraeti 22 (telephone: 552 9222) is the new cool and trendy place to party in the Icelandic capital. Also well known is Nelly’s Café, corner of Bankastræti and Thorningholtsstræti, a joyful bar with a small crew of house DJs playing a mix from rock’n’roll to the latest dance tracks on the upstairs dance floor. The impressive NASA (telephone: 511 1313), situated off Austurvollur, opened in 2001 and still draws the crowds with music from disco to house playing on its 3 floors, and live bands early in the evening. Also at weekends, Restaurant 22, Laugavegur 22, turns into a gay venue after 11.00 pm. Cultural Events The yearly Reykjavik Arts Festival takes place in May. This is Iceland’s premier cultural festival and brings together the best in local and international dance, theatre, music and visual art. Jazz lovers can look forward to the annual Reykjavik Jazz Festival during September or October, while film buffs generally gather in Reykjavik in September and October, for the month long Reykjavik Film Festival. The Iceland Airwaves Music Festival also takes place in October, as a forum for showcasing the best of popular international music. Dance The Iceland Dance Company (telephone: 588 0900), based at the Reykjavik City Theatre, focuses on contemporary work and has a customary programme of modern dance pieces by Icelandic and foreign choreographers. Film Reykjavik has 6 cinemas: Háskólabió, Hagatorg (telephone: 530 1919), Kringlubio, Kringlan 4-12 (telephone: 588 0800), Laugarasbio, Laugaras (telephone: 553 2075), Sambio, Alfabakki 8 (telephone: 587 8900), Smarabio, Smaralind Shopping Centre (telephone: 564 000) and Regnboginn, Hverfisgata 54 (telephone: 551 9000). The majority of the new films shown are from America, although there are also a limited number of European films. Films are generally shown with the original soundtrack and subtitled in Icelandic. The daily papers can offer further details. Literary Notes According to several experts, the foundations of Icelandic literature were laid during the 12 th century, when scribes wrote down the sagas and epic tales of the early Icelandic settlers and villagers gathered in farmhouses on winter nights to hear them. 1 of the best known, Egils Saga, is a biography of the Viking hero Egill Skallagrimsson. Iceland’s most famous modern writer is Halldor Laxness, who was born in Reykjavik and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1955, for works documenting life in Iceland, such as The Atom Station (1948) and Independent People (1935). Among the most triumphant of Iceland’s contemporary writers is Hallgrimur Helgason, whose novel 101 Reykjavik (1996) was made into a film of the same name and released internationally in 2000. A dark comic tale of life in the city, the novel tells of an aimless young man who begins to find adulthood through an affair with his mother’s Spanish lesbian lover. Evelyn McDonnell tackles the enigmatic Bjork in Army of She (2001), in an irreverent and warm book that ends up with the author truly besotted with Iceland’s pop queen. Music In winter, the Iceland Symphony Orchestra (telephone: 545 2500, facsimile: 562 4475, email address: sinfonia@sinfonia.is) usually performs every Thursday (sometimes on Fridays and Saturdays too) at 7.30 pm, in Háskólabió, Hagatorg, across from the Saga Hotel. Tickets cost from IKr 2,400. The Salurinn (telephone: 570 0400, facsimile: 570 0401) concert hall in Kópavogur, Hamraborg 6, hosts regular concerts and recitals. Ticket prices vary but normal average price is IKr 1,500. The Icelandic Opera, Ingólfsstraeti, in Garmia Bió (telephone: 551 6400 office or 551 4200 tickets, facsimile: 552 7384), performs lunch operas on Tuesday at 12.15 pm. Ticket prices are IKr 1,000. Tickets for other performances cost from IKr 2,000. 1 of the best sopranos in the country, Signy Saemundsdottir, often sings at these events. Björk, who broke onto the international music scene with the group The Sugarcubes in 1986, is 1 of Reykjavik’s most famous daughters, with a string of succeeding solo albums also to her name. Jazz lovers should aim to visit Reykjavik during the 1st week of September, when the yearly Reykjavik Jazz Festival, an increasingly prestigious event on the international jazz scene, takes place. Several of the gigs are at Kaffi Reykjavik, Vesturgata 2 (telephone: 562 5530). The rather rough and ready Gaukur á Stöng, Tryggvagata 22, claims to be ‘the Oldest Pub in Reykjavik’ and is still 1 of the most popular, with live music every night. It is recommended to arrive early to avoid the queues and also to be prepared for some dubious Icelandic heavy rock, which often bashes in among the more interesting local talent. Kaffi Reykjavik, Vifturgata 2, hosts a different band every night and features everything from disco to rock and pop. Although enormously popular, things can get a bit rough and bawdy here, in a venue that doubles as a pick up joint for 20 / 30 somethings. On a more civilised note, jazz and blues can be found alternating with rock and pop at Kringlukráin, in the Kringlan shopping mall, and at Gaukurámtöng, Triggata 22. Theatre Serious theatregoers wanting to check out Icelandic drama should head for the National Theatre, Hverfisgata 19 (telephone: 5851200 or 5511200 for tickets), or the Reykjavik City Theatre, at Listabraut 3, near the Kringlan shopping centre (telephone: 568 8000). Tickets start at IKr 1,700 at the National Theatre and IKr 2,500 at the Reykjavik City Theatre. A lively, young amateur theatre group, Loftkastalinn, is based at Hédinshúsid, Vesturgata (telephone: 552 3000), where tickets start from about IKr 1,500.