Árbæjarsafn er útisafn sem var stofnað árið 1957 en auk Árbæjar eru þar yfir tuttugu hús, sem mynda torg, þorp og sveit. Í Árbæjarsafni er leitast við að gefa hugmynd um byggingalist og lifnaðarhætti í Reykjavík á 19. og 20. öld. Hvert og eitt hús geymir annaðhvort sjálfstæða sögusýningu eða þá að þar er sýnt dæmigert heimili frá ákveðnu tímabili. Á safninu má einnig sjá gamaldags verkstæði ýmiskonar þar sem sjá má dæmigerða aðstöðu, tækni og tól.

Árbær was an established farm well into the 20th century, and the museum opened there in 1957. Árbær is now an open-air museum with more than 20 buildings which form a town square, a village and a farm. Most of the buildings have been relocated from central Reykjavik. The Museum seeks to give an idea of architecture and way of life in Reykjavik in the 19th and 20th centuries. Each house contains either an independent historical exhibition or a typical home from a specific period. The museum also houses old-fashioned workshops of typical facilities, technology and tools.

The guide takes guests to all the main houses of the museum and tells their story.

Guided tour at Árbær Open Air Museum

Leiðsögumaður fer með gesti í öll helstu hús Árbæjarsafns og segir frá sögu þeirra.

Leiðsögn á Árbæjarsafni

Fræðsla

Leiðsögn

Við ætlum að prófa nokkur spennandi ný spil og bjóðum gestum einnig að setjast niður við teikniborðið, lita, teikna og jafnvel tefla ef stemningin býður upp á það.

Komið og njótið notalegrar og skapandi stundar saman á safninu – öll eru hjartanlega velkomin!

The room is filled with fun, family-friendly board games and a drawing station where little artists (and grown-ups too!) can sketch, colour, and let their imaginations run wild.

We’ll be trying out some exciting new games, and there will also be the chance to sit down for a relaxed round of chess or simply enjoy some quality time crafting and creating.

Come along and share a lovely moment with us at the museum — everyone is welcome!

In celebration of the Children’s Culture Festival, we’ve transformed the Bryggjusalur Hall into a cosy and creative space for families to enjoy together.

Family Game Time on First Day of Summer

Í tilefni af sumardeginum fyrsta höfum við breytt Bryggjusalnum í notalegt og skapandi fjölskyldurými fullt af skemmtilegum spilum og föndri. Þar geta börn og fullorðnir átt saman góða stund í leik og list.

Fjölskyldustund í tilefni af sumardeginum fyrsta

🥳 Hátíðleg sumarhattasmiðja 🥳
Við bjóðum börnum og fjölskyldum þeirra að taka þátt í skemmtilegri og skapandi sumarhattasmiðju á Sumardaginn fyrsta.
Fögnum sumrinu saman í Árbæjarsafni!
Allt efni og áhöld verða á staðnum. 

☀️ Af Sumardeginum fyrsta, sögu og þjóðtrú ☀️
Í tilefni sumardagsins fyrsta segir Dagrún Ósk Jónsdóttir þjóðfræðingur okkur frá sögu dagsins og hefðum og siðum honum tengdum. Þá segir Dagrún einnig frá margvíslegri þjóðtrú tengdri sumardeginum og þjóðsögur sem tengjast sólinni sem hækkar nú ört á lofti og við vonumst til að sjá sem mest af í sumar.

Skátafélagið Árbúar
Kátir skátar mæta á Árbæjarsafn og hjálpa okkur að halda uppá Sumardaginn fyrsta. Þeir aðstoða gesti við að grilla brauð á teini yfir opnum eld við Álfhólinn og á safnsvæðinu setja þeir upp þrautir fyrir gesti og gangandi til að spreyta sig á. Í Litla-Laufás og í skúrnum við Dillonshús verða þeir með veitingasölu en allur ágóði af sölunni rennur í ferðasjóð félagsins.  

Ljósmynd eftir Roman Gerasymenko

April 24, the First Day of Summer, will be celebrated at Árbær Open Air Museum with a diverse programme for children and their families from 13:00-16:00. Entry is free, and everyone is welcome. 

12:30 Parade starts at Árbær Church
13:00 The Scout Association Árbúar and the Árbær and Breiðholt School Orchestra march into the museum
13:00-15:00 Summer Hat Workshop at Lækjargata 4
14:00 Folklorist Dagrún Ósk tells us about the history and folklore of the First Day of Summer
13:00-16:00 Refreshments, popcorn and candy floss for sale – Árbær Scout Association
13:00-16:00 Games on the museum grounds – Árbær Scout Association
15:00 "Kvöldvaka" - Árbær Scout Association
13:00-16:00 "Lummur" and woolwork in the old Árbær farm

First Day of Summer at Árbær Open Air Museum

Sumardagurinn fyrsti, 24. apríl verður haldinn hátíðlegur á Árbæjarsafni með fjölbreyttri dagskrá fyrir börn og fjölskyldur frá klukkan 13 til 16. Ókeypis inn og öll velkomin. 

12:30 Skrúðganga leggur af stað frá Árbæjarkirkju
13:00 Skátafélagið Árbúar og Skólahljómsveit Árbæjar og Breiðholts koma marserandi inn á safnið
13:00-15:00 Sumarhattasmiðja í Lækjargötu 4
14:00 Dagrún Ósk þjóðfræðingur segir frá sögu og þjóðtrú Sumardagsins fyrsta
13:00-16:00 Veitingasala, popp og kandífloss – Skátafélagið Árbúar
13:00-16:00 Þrautaleikur á safnsvæðinu – Skátafélagið Árbúar
15:00 Kvöldvaka - Skátafélagið Árbúar
13:00-16:00 Lummur og tóvinna í gamla Árbænum

Sumardagurinn fyrsti á Árbæjarsafni

Í þetta sinn mun Andrés Hjörvar Sigurðsson, þjóðfræðingur kynna nýlega rannsókn sína, „Sannleikur og sagnamyndun“.
Þó flökkusagnir og munnmæli samtímans byggi ekki alltaf á staðreyndum birtist í þeim ákveðinn sannleikur þegar félagslegt samhengi þeirra er skoðað. Hér verður kannað hvaða áhrif íslenskar sögusagnir um flóttafólk og umsækjendur um alþjóðlega vernd geta haft á á samfélagslega og stjórnmálalega umræðu.
Viðburðurinn er haldinn í góðu samstarfi Borgarsögusafns og Félags þjóðfræðinga á Íslandi.

Þarftu táknmálstúlkun?
Í ár verður sá háttur á að þau sem óska eftir táknmálstúlk hafa samband sjálf við Samskiptamiðstöð heyrnarlausra og heyrnarskertra. Þetta verður í boði á völdum viðburðum. Samskiptamiðstöð sendir svo reikning beint á Borgarsögusafn Reykjavíkur.

Aðgengi fyrir hreyfihamlað fólk í Aðalstræti er gott. Hjálparhundar eru velkomnir í safnið.
Strætisvagnar: Næstu stoppistöðvar heita MR og Ráðhúsið (2-5 mín. gangur).

📷 Gunnar V. Andrésson

The folklorist Andrés Hjörvar Sigurðsson will present his recent “Truth and Narrative” research.
While urban legends and contemporary oral narratives are not always grounded in fact, they can still reveal a certain truth when viewed within their social context. This lecture explores how Icelandic rumours and stories about refugees and asylum seekers may influence both public discourse and political debate.
The event is presented in collaboration between Reykjavík City Museum and the Icelandic Folklorists’ Association.

Do you need sign language interpretation?
This year, those who wish to use a sign language interpreter will have to contact The Communication Centre for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing themselves. This will be available at selected events. The Communication Centre for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing will then send an invoice directly to the Reykjavík City Museum.

Accessibility:
The Aðalstræti venue is wheelchair accessible. However, please note that the lighting inside the Settlement Exhibition is quite dim, and parts of the floor are uneven. Service dogs are welcome in the museum.
Public Transport:
The nearest bus stops are MR and Ráðhúsið (a 2-5 minute walk).
Parking:
We recommend parking at Ráðhúsið (City Hall) and the parking garage on Vesturgata.

📷 Gunnar V. Andrésson

TRUTH AND NARRATIVE is the title of the second lecture in the Tuesday Threads series, held at The Settlement Exhibition, Aðalstræti, on 29 April at 16:00.
Free entry – all are welcome!
Please note: The lecture will be in Icelandic.

Tuesday Lecture in Icelandic

SANNLEIKUR OG SAGNAMYNDUN er yfirskrift annars erindis í fyrirlestraröðinni Þriðjudagsþræðir á Landnámssýningunni Aðalstræti 29. apríl kl. 16:00. Ókeypis inn og öll velkomin!

Þriðjudagsþræðir - Sannleikur og sagnamyndun

Fyrirlestur

Formaður borgarráðs, Líf Magneudóttir, opnar sýninguna.

Léttar veitingar í boði 

Sýningarspjall með Gunnari V. Andréssyni sunnudaginn 4. maí kl. 14:00.

Á sýningunni "Samferðamaður" er farið yfir ríflega fimmtíu ára feril Gunnars V. Andréssonar fréttaljósmyndara – frá 1966 til 2017. Myndir hans sem birtar voru í dagblöðunum Tímanum, Vísi, DV (Dagblaðinu Vísi), Fréttablaðinu og á fréttavefnum visir. is, eru ómetanleg heimild um íslenskt þjóðlíf. Sýningin er sett upp á þann hátt að áhorfandinn gengur í gegnum tímann, ef svo má segja. Myndirnar eru sveipaðar tíðaranda hvers skeiðs fyrir og sýna glöggt breytingarnar sem urðu á tímabilinu – hvort sem er á umhverfi eða hinum ýmsu sviðum samfélagsins.

Sýningin stendur til 7. desember 2025.

The council chair of the City Executive Council, Líf Magneudóttir, will open the exhibition.

 Light refreshments

The exhibition talk with Gunnar V. Andrésson will be on Sunday, 4 May, at 14:00.

The exhibition "Half a Century Through the Lens" explores press photographer Gunnar V. Andrésson’s career, that lasted more than fifty years – from 1966 to 2017. His photographs, published in daily newspapers Tíminn, Vísir, DV (Dagblaðið Vísir) and Fréttablaðið and on the visir. is news website, provide invaluable documentation of life in Iceland. At the exhibition, the visitor progresses through time: the photos have the ambiance of their era, clearly manifesting the changes that have taken place over the years – whether in the environment, or in diverse fields of society.

The exhibition runs until 7 December 2025.

Reykjavík Museum of Photography invites you to the opening of the exhibition - Gunnar V. Andrésson / Half a Cen­tury Through the Lens - 
Saturday, May 3rd at 15:00 at Reykjavík Museum of Photography, Tryggvagata 15, top floor.

Opening: Gunnar V. Andrésson│Half a Cen­tury Through the Lens

Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur býður þér að vera við opnun sýningarinnar - Gunnar V. Andrésson / Samferðamaður - laugardaginn 3. maí kl. 15:00 í Ljósmyndasafni Reykjavíkur, Tryggvagötu 15, 6. hæð.

Opnun: Gunnar V. Andrésson│Samferðamaður

Opnun

Sýning

Sýningin er sett upp á þann hátt að áhorfandinn gengur í gegnum tímann, ef svo má segja. Myndirnar eru sveipaðar tíðaranda hvers skeiðs fyrir og sýna glöggt breytingarnar sem urðu á tímabilinu – hvort sem er á umhverfi eða hinum ýmsu sviðum samfélagsins.

Gestum er boðið að vera samferða Gunnari í gegnum sýninguna og heyra sögurnar á bak við myndirnar.


Aðgengi fyrir hreyfihamlaða er gott á Ljósmyndasafninu. Leiðsöguhundar eru velkomnir í safnið.
Strætisvagnar stoppa í Lækjargötu (5 mín. gangur) og leiðir 11, 13 og 14 stoppa á Mýrargötu (5-10 mín. gangur).
Bílastæði eru við Grófarhús og í nálægum bílastæðahúsum eins og Vesturgötu.

Access for people with disabilities is good. Service dogs are welcome at the museum.

Public transport: The nearest bus stops are called Hafnarhús, Lækjartorg, Ráðhúsið (2–5 min. away).

Parking places are available by the museum and in neighbouring parking houses in Vesturgata 7 and Hafnartorg.

Welcome to an exhibition talk in Icelandic. The exhibition „Half a Century Through the Lens“ explores press photographer Gunnar V. Andrésson’s career, that lasted more than fifty years – from 1966 to 2017. Guests will join Gunnar as he talks about the photographes in the exhibition and how they came about.

Exhibition talk - "Half a Century Through the Lens"

Gunnar V. Andrésson fréttaljósmyndari býður gesti velkomna í spjall um sýninguna  „Samferðamaður“ en á sýningunni er farið yfir ríflega fimmtíu ára feril Gunnars – frá 1966 til 2017. Myndir hans, sem birtar voru í dagblöðunum Tímanum, Vísi, DV (Dagblaðinu Vísi), Fréttablaðinu og á fréttavefnum visir.is, eru ómetanleg heimild um íslenskt þjóðlíf.

Sýningarspjall með Gunnari V. Andréssyni

Sýningarspjall

Young Palestinean Girls resting at Austurvöllur. Photo of the Year 2023 by Kjartan Þorbjörnsson (Golli)

Reykjavík Museum of Photography

Press Pho­to­graphs of the Year 2024

Árbær Open Air Museum

Growing Pains

Reykjavík Maritime Museum

Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries

Viðey Island

Milestones│Richard Serra

The Imagine Peace Tower

Consumption – Reykjavík in the 20th century

The Age of Carts

Come and play!

From High Mass to High Jump 

Aðalstræti

The Settlement Exhibition - Step into the Viking Age

Reykjavík Culture Night at the Reykjavík City Museum 

10:00 - 22:00


**Reykjavík… the story continues**

At Aðalstræti in Reykjavík’s city centre, you can explore how the city developed from Iceland’s settlement period to the present day. Stretching underground from Aðalstræti 16 – which houses the archaeological remains of a 10th-century Viking longhouse – to the central Kvosin area’s oldest remaining building at Aðalstræti 10, this historical exhibition traces Reykjavík’s development from a farm to a city.

Further info [here](https://borgarsogusafn.is/en/exhibitions/adalstraeti-en).

10:00 - 18:00


**The Little Vikings Costume Corner**

Visitors of The Settlement Exhibition will be able to dress up in Viking costumes and carry weapons, as our ancestors did and then pose against our Viking background to take a selfie.


10:00 - 22:00

**Scavenger Hunt – Baktus and the Ghost Cat** 

Participate in Reykjavík City Museum‘s scavenger hunt in Aðalstræti and discover the cultural and historical backdrop in an exciting way.
Baktus is the house cat in Aðalstræti. He loves walking around and viewing the exhibition. Recently, Baktus has been behaving strangely, and we are starting to believe that there is a ghostly cat somewhere around here!

Do you think it is true, and can you help us find him?

To find out, you must follow the clues, which lead you around the exhibition


QR Code - Scavenger Hunt – Baktus and the Ghost Cat

19:00 -21:00


**Mead brewing – Viking Style!**

On Culture Night, guests will learn how an old traditional Viking mead is brewed, which is not to be confused with brewing beer. Brewers from Öldur brewery will enlighten guests about this tradition and give them a taste of the precious mead. Öldur is the first brewery to make mead in Iceland, it was founded by Sigurjón Friðrik Garðarsson and Helgi Þórir Sveinsson in 2017. Helgi has worked in brewing and distillation in the Icelandic craft brewing scene, and both have been active in in-home brewing in Iceland for many years. During those years they have, among other things, won prizes at local competitions as well as internationally.


13:00 - 22:00


**Lament for a horse – Hlynur Pálmason**

The photo series _Lament for a horse_ by artist and filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason, sheds visual and graphic light on the decaying process of a horse in Iceland's nature. 

Further info [here](https://borgarsogusafn.is/en/exhibitions/hlynur-palma-son-lament-for-a-horse).

16:00 - 17:00


**Guided tour in Icelandic Sign Language – Lament for a horse**

For Reykjavík Culture Night, the Reykjavik Museum of Photography offers a guided tour in sign language. Sigurlín Margrét Sigurðardóttir will be the sign language guide.
The photo series _Lament for a horse_ by artist and filmmaker Hlynur Pálmason, sheds visual and graphic light on the decaying process of a horse in Iceland's nature.

Hlynur has long been interested in exploring how the environment shapes us, how closely we are connected to nature and how it reflects our thoughts and emotional life. The Icelandic horse has been an integral part of Icelandic culture, man's friend and hard worker, for centuries.

According to Hlynur, Lament for a horse is a visual psalm of grief, a kind of tribute to the Icelandic horse, which has played an important role in the formation and history of Iceland since the settlement of the country.


17:00 - 20:00


**Exhibition Opening: Queer and Autistic – Eva Ágústa Aradóttir**

The exhibition _Queer and Autistic_ is a collection of photographs of queer individuals on the autism spectrum, with or without an official diagnosis. Eva Ágústa is a photographer, who is herself trans and on the autism spectrum, has for the last few years focused on telling people's stories from her own perspective.
From a young age, she has observed how non-autistic people behave in society, and based on that, she has tried to change her behaviour in order to fit in better with society.

Autistic people are often outsiders due to the way they sense their surroundings. Today, Eva uses this unconventional perception to her advantage in her photography.

The exhibition is Eva's attempt to make these two groups more visible, since they tend to be overlooked in society and become invisible. The way Eva worked on the project was that she got to know her subjects on a personal level and from there she photographed the people in the environment where they are most comfortable.

Eva mixes natural light and additional lighting to create the person that she sees, and the individuals agree upon.
Eva studied photography at the Reykjavík Technical College in 2009 and got her apprentice exam in the fall of 2011. She took a break from photography for a few years but has found her niche in recent years and has taken on a few projects that tell people's stories, amongst other things.


19:00 - 20:00


**Poetry reading**

On the occasion of the exhibition Lament for a horse at the Reykjavík Museum of Photography, we are inviting you to join us for a poetry reading on Reykjavík Culture Night. 

Selected contemporary poets, who have received the deserved attention of poetry lovers, will perform poems, their own or by other poets. Brynja Hjálmsdóttir, Fríða Ísberg, Jónas Reynir Gunnarsson and Kristín Svava Tómasdóttir will take the stage.

Spoken language Icelandic.


10:00 - 20:00


**Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries**

The exhibition _Fish & folk – 150 years of fisheries_ at the Reykjavík Maritime Museum is about the history of the Icelandic fisheries, from the time when rowing boats gave way to large fishing vessels in the late 19th century, through to the 21st century. This rich history is told from the perspective of Iceland’s biggest fishing port, Reykjavík. 

The Maritime Museum’s setting is an appropriate one, as the building once housed a flourishing fish factory.


10:00 - 20:00


**We are Earth – We are Water**

In the video work _We are Earth – We are Water_ by Heimir Freyr Hlöðversson, we get an unusual insight into sublime forms in nature, a poetic view of the micro in the macro, which is enabled by technological innovations. The work is furthermore a dreamy visual play with ever-changing forms that are constantly created around us, but we usually do not notice. We are invited on a journey almost into the materials themselves, their chemical reactions and the intelligence of their transformative processes.


12:00 - 18:00


**Bazaar**

The Reykjavík City Museum is hosting a bazaar on Culture Night, Saturday, August 24th, from 12:00 to 18:00 at the Reykjavík Maritime Museum.

Used and new items for sale!


15:00 - 17:00


**Are you ready to rumba! – BLÆR**

On Reykjavík Culture Night the fabulous accordion band BLÆR will visit the Maritime Museum in Reykjavik. If you are ready to rumba, do the samba or even cha, cha, cha this is the place to be!


Reyk­javík Cul­ture Night at the Reyk­javík City Mu­seum

Aðal­stræti

Reyk­javík Mu­seum of Pho­to­graphy

Reyk­javik Mari­time Mu­seum

Reykjavík Culture Night at the Reykjavík City Museum

Aðalstræti

Reykjavík Museum of Photography

Reykjavik Maritime Museum