New Year’s Eve is an amazing experience with ancient traditions and brilliant fireworks displays. Here’s your invitation to join us Icelanders and celebrate the New Year in our wonderful homeland.
New Year’s Eve festivities in our home city of Reykjavik are celebrated with a big bang, as the city lifts the ban on fireworks and we Icelanders light up the night sky with a brilliant show. Discover the ancient and modern traditions surrounding an Icelandic New Year’s Eve on a locally guided tour. Then kick off the evening celebration itself with a wonderful New Year’s Eve dinner and live music in the festive atmosphere at your hotel. There’s even time for a visit to the Blue Lagoon!

Winter

New Year’s Celebration in Reykjavik

Short breaks

December 30th

Arrival at Keflavik Airport. The coach for the transfer to the Blue Lagoon will be waiting outside the Arrivals Hall. Please show your Iceland Travel documents to the attendant on board the bus. Please note that this is an unguided transfer, and you will not be met at the airport.
The Blue Lagoon is a twenty-minute drive from the airport. Enjoy the views of surreal lava terrain and the unique pollution-free Svartsengi power station as you head to the Lagoon. You can store your luggage at the Blue Lagoon’s luggage facility, a small building near the entrance. The staff will store your luggage safely for a small fee.
Relax at the Blue Lagoon with the Comfort Experience, which includes towel rental, a Silica mud mask and a choice of one drink from the Blue Lagoon’s bar. The warm geothermal mineral water will soothe your skin and set you in the perfect Iceland frame of mind!
Now that you are soothed and relaxed, it’s time to head to Reykjavik on one of the scheduled transfer buses departing the Blue Lagoon. Please show your Iceland Travel documents to the attendant on board and let him or her know the hotel where you will be staying.
Travel Tip: If your flight to Iceland doesn’t match with the departure times for the airport transfer to the Blue Lagoon, we suggest that you use the one-way FlyBus airport transfer today to go to your hotel. You can then visit the Blue Lagoon as part of your transfer back to the airport on your departure day.
The rest of the day is free for you to explore the city. Reykjavik is decked out in its festive lights and decorations for the Christmas holiday season. It’s fun to walk through the streets and enjoy the atmosphere. A tradition at this time of the year is to enjoy a mug of hot chocolate or mulled wine and gingersnaps at one of the coffee houses in the downtown area.
Tonight, you might try a northern lights guided tour. Let us know, and we can add this for you at booking time!
Overnight in Reykjavik
Please note that most hotels start check-in around 14:00 &#8211; 16:00 (2:00pm 4:00pm)

Arrival

December 31st

Breakfast at your hotel. Today you’ll enjoy a combination bus sightseeing and walking tour to get a good overall Reykjavik area experience. You’ll explore special spots around Reykjavik and discover unique traditions and Icelandic folklore related to the magical New Year&#8217;s Eve in Iceland. Listen to tales about elves (also known as the Hidden People); and legends about encounters between Icelanders and elves that have taken place between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.
The first stop is to purchase fireworks, which are only available through the Icelandic Rescue Teams. The proceeds from the fireworks sale help support the amazing work of these local heroes, whose employees are mainly volunteers. Each year on December 31st, Icelanders light up over 600 tons of fireworks — that&#8217;s nearly 5 lbs. (2 kg) per inhabitant!
Then it’s off to Hafnarfjordur, &#8220;The Town in the Lava,&#8221; famous for its elf population. You’ll visit a charming elf park. Remember to treat the area with respect&#8211; the mystical Hidden People will be roaming freely on New Year&#8217;s Eve!
The excursion ends in a beautiful clearing where your group will light a small bonfire, enjoy a toast to life and love and say farewell to the passing year in traditional Icelandic fashion!
The tour ends at your hotel. The rest of the afternoon is open for your own activities. Please keep in mind many shops and restaurants will close around 12:00pm, and the city bus services stops around 15:00 (3:00pm). Some places still will be open for visitors. A list of open places is available at many hotels and from the tourism board.
In the evening, delight in a New Year&#8217;s Eve dinner at your hotel. Menu items are carefully crafted from fresh local ingredients straight from Icelandic farmers and greenhouses and the neighboring ocean. You’ll also enjoy the festive music and atmosphere of the evening.
Fireworks go off all night long, reaching a high point at midnight, when the sky lights up for a few minutes as fire trucks and docked ships ring their bells and blow their horns to welcome the New Year.
After midnight, the nightclubs and pubs are open for business. The downtown area becomes a veritable catwalk of Icelanders outfitted in their finest holiday glitz, with dancing and celebrations going well into the morning. The biggest party night in a city renowned for its nightlife, the New Year&#8217;s Eve celebration in Reykjavik is the stuff of legends.
The Program at Grand Hotel Reykjavik:
18:30 (6:30pm) &#8211; Welcome Drink
19:00 &#8211; 22:00 (7:00 &#8211; 10:00pm) – New Year’s Festive dinner buffet with live music.
22:00  &#8211; 01:00 (10:00pm &#8211; 1:00am) &#8211; Hateigur Room on the hotel’s 4th floor opens. Sparkling wine and canapes served. Enjoy the fantastic view of fireworks. Countdown to midnight.
<a href="https://icetstg.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Grand-Hotel-Gala-Buffet.pdf">Menu is here: (subject to change)</a>

New Year's Eve

January 1st

Gledilegt Ar! Happy New Year! Breakfast at your hotel. The day is open for your own activities. This is a holiday in Iceland, but there will be some restaurants and travel services open today, and many day tours are available. This is a great day for visiting places like the Golden Circle, the South Shore or chilling at the new Sky Lagoon. Another suggestion for an Icelandic-style spa relaxation is to take Golden Circle tour that visits the Laugarvatn Fontana steam baths or the Secret Lagoon.
It’s a tradition in Iceland to enjoy a nice dinner on New Year’s Day, so several restaurants, including the one at the Grand Hotel Reykjavik, offer festive dinners tonight. Reservations are recommended.
Overnight in Reykjavik.

 New Year's Day

January 2nd

Breakfast at your hotel. Use your FlyBus transfer to go to Keflavík airport (included in the package price). If you were not able to visit the Blue Lagoon on your arrival day, then you would use your transfer that stops at the Blue Lagoon on the way to Keflavik Airport.
If your flight is in the afternoon, use your last moments this morning enjoying the spa located right in your hotel or walk along the harbor seafront and breathe the fresh Atlantic breeze.
Please note that we recommend that you depart no later than three hours before your flight.