What To Do This Week | Stockfish, Dark Ambient and Other Events
2026-03-15 - 19:36
Iceland is a cinematic country. It is hardly surprising that it continually attracts the attention of filmmakers and serves as fertile ground for visual art. This week brings several events celebrating the power of cinema—the opening of the Stockfish Film and Industry Festival and a screening of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai. In between, there are plenty of other forms of entertainment: a special Spring Equinox dark ambient night, a trip inside the crater of a volcano, a traditional music session, a multimedia exhibition about the 2021 eruption, and much more. Monday, 16 March St. Patrick’s session at Ægir, 20.00 Although Saint Patrick’s Day is officially celebrated on 17 March, this gathering of folk musicians offers an opportunity for an early celebration. Organised by the Reykjavík Trad Sessions, the evening will take the form of an impromptu session featuring artists who share a passion for traditional music from any region. Newcomers are very welcome. Tuesday, 17 March Kerið Crater. Photo: Michael Chapman. Iceland Review Golden Circle, Bruarfoss Waterfall & Kerið Volcanic Crater, 9.00 If Iceland had a business card, it would have the pictures of the Golden Circle attractions, as those are the most iconic ones. However, even within this area, one may find hidden gems. Some operators, like Troll.is, run have an extended Golden Circle programme and take you to places such as sapphire-blue Brúarfoss Waterfall and the strikingly colored volcanic lake inside the Kerið Crater. Book your tour on Troll.is. Wednesday, 18 March Exhibition H.f. Radio, Loftskeytastöðin, 17.00 This year marks 100 years since Iceland hosted its first formal radio broadcast at Loftskeytastöðin in Reykjavík. The exhibition presented in situ is a journey through the early years of radio in Iceland, before the establishment of Ríkisútvarpið, the Icelandic National Broadcasting Service. The opening will take place on the anniversary day this Wednesday. Thursday, 19 March Stockfish Film and Industry Festival, an opening party at Bíó Paradís, 21.00 One of the country’s major cinema events, the Stockfish Film and Industry Festival, begins this week. Traditionally, a warm-up night is held at Bíó Paradís, also the main venue of Stockfish. Here, attendees can dance the night away to the sounds of Reykjavík-based DJ Melerito de Jeré, a Spain-born artist crafting retrofuturistic electronic compositions. Friday, 20 March Harmonic Tremor, an exhibition at The Living Art Museum, 20.00 Artists Ben Frost and Francesco Fabris present their multimedia project Harmonic Tremor which documents the volcanic eruptions on Reykjanes peninsula. The scaffolding of the exhibition is the collection of field recordings channeled through the speakers with the help of the spatial audio technology. There is a visual component too. Each of the eight speaker cones are filled with lava collected from the eruption sites. The exhibition opens on Friday with a live performance featuring both musicians. Saturday, 21 March Dark Ambient and Wine III, a concert at Port 9, 20.00 Wine and intense music are a perfect combination for a spring equinox celebration. The special crepuscular show at Port 9 will feature American black metal project Xasthur, Swedish solo artist Lukas Häger and Icelandic dark ambient artist Mondernte. All three have folk undertones to their music, which adds a fittingly ritualistic vibe to the programme. There will be wine pairings for each artist curated by Port9. Sunday, 22 March Seven Samurai, a film screening at Bíó Paradís, 15.00 With Stockfish at full pelt, it might be easy to miss some other notable film events. This Sunday, Bíó Paradís will hold a screening of yet another classic in collaboration with the National Film Archive of Iceland. Seven Samurai by Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa tells the story of seven warriors hired by farmers to protect them from a local gang.