Update 7/30/20: Visit Reykjavik announced the festival has been cancelled this year due to stricter social distancing regulations. Follow Reykjavik Pride on Facebook for updates on livestreams in place of in-person events.
From August 4th – 9th, Reykjavík will be celebrating its annual Pride Festival! In light of restrictions due to COVID-19, Pride Week will focus on awareness in the LGBTQ+ community, the fight for equality, and education on queer matters in Iceland and beyond! Check out the full 2020 program here.
Over the last two decades, Pride has grown to not only become one of the country’s most-attended festivals but probably the most-attended Pride event in the world – relative to the population. This year’s festival welcomes a new board of directors, with Vilhjálmur Ingi Vilhjálmsson celebrating his first year as the President of Reykjavík Pride!
Reykjavik Pride has a long and rich history, marking it’s beginning in 1999 when Samtökin ’78, the National Queer Organization of Iceland, organized the first “Queer Weekend in Reykjavík” to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Christopher Street Uprising. With a turnout of fifteen hundred guests that year, it was decided to hold a similar event annually. A year later, when the first official Pride Parade was underway, twelve thousand people attended. Today Reykjavík Pride is fondly known as “the biggest small Pride” celebration in the world. To get in the Pride spirit, check out some of the beautiful photos from last year’s parade here.
Despite the challenges presented this year, Reykjavík Pride will remain true to its mission in the month of August to celebrate, educate and fight for equality! How are you celebrating Pride this year? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!
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