Iceland has grown to become one of the world’s most coveted travel spots, if not for its utterly photogenic landmarks like the Blue Lagoon and landscapes that serve as the backdrop for TV shows like Game of Thrones. Its capital city, Reykjavíc, is also the hub for long-running destination music festival Iceland Airwaves, which is celebrating its 21st installment this year. The festival is the country’s oldest and largest, and has consistently delivered a wide-ranging, exciting lineup. The first portion of Iceland Airwaves’ 2019 slate was unveiled today, flaunting headlining names like Mac DeMarco (returning back after playing the fest in 2013), Whitney, London-based Shame and Norwegian electro-pop artist Anna of the North.
The festival will take place in downtown Reykjavík for four days and four nights from November 6–9 this year. The city’s historic downtown area plays host to artists in eclectic performance spaces from art galleries to churches and various concert halls. While Iceland Airwaves’ lineups feature worldwide-recognized artists, they also strive to champion diverse, homegrown local talent, which makes it a wonderful place for artist discovery. This year’s Icelandic-based not-to-miss billings include Nordic Music Prize nominee GDRN, industrial-goth trio Hatari, hardcore collective Une Misére, and more.
Early-bird tickets, passes and travel packages to the 2019 Iceland Airwaves Music Festival are on sale now. You can purchase them here. Find the full list of the 30 announced acts above, and get familiar with their sounds on Iceland Airwaves’ curated artist playlist below.
