Westfjords · events calendar 2026–2027
Events and festivals in the Westfjords — dates, and where to stay
The northern Westfjords pack their year into a handful of big weekends, and every one of them has the same bottleneck: beds. Ísafjörður is the venue for most of it, and it sells out first — Bolungarvík, 15 minutes away through the tunnel, is where people stay when it does. The two dates to plan hardest around are Easter (Ski Week plus the Aldrei fór ég suður music festival, 26–27 March 2027) and the Fossavatnsgangan ski marathon (14–17 April 2027). Both are confirmed; both fill the fjord.
The dates worth booking early
Ranked by how hard they squeeze accommodation around Ísafjörður:
Wed 24 – Mon 29 March 2027 · confirmed
Easter: Skíðavikan (Ski Week) + Aldrei fór ég suður
The Westfjords’ biggest week of the year. Ski Week runs the whole Easter week on Ísafjörður’s slopes, and the free Aldrei fór ég suður rock festival takes over the town on Good Friday and Easter Saturday (26–27 March 2027). Accommodation across the fjord is effectively gone months ahead.
Wed 14 – Sat 17 April 2027 · confirmed
Fossavatnsgangan ski marathon
Iceland’s oldest and largest ski marathon, and a Ski Classics Challenger — so the field is international. Night race on the 14th, freestyle and family races on the 15th, and the main 12.5 / 25 / 50 km races on Saturday the 17th.
Fri 30 July – Mon 2 August 2027 · usual window — date not yet announced
Verslunarmannahelgi + Mýrarboltinn (swamp football)
Iceland’s biggest domestic travel weekend (Commerce Day falls on Monday 2 August 2027), and the European Swamp Football Championship is traditionally played in the mud outside Ísafjörður that same weekend. Domestic demand, booked late and fast.
Early August (2026: 6–8 August) · usual window — date not yet announced
Act alone — Suðureyri
A free theatre, music and arts festival in the tiny fishing village of Suðureyri, about 25 minutes from Bolungarvík. The village has almost no accommodation of its own, so audiences sleep around Ísafjörður.
Thu 3 – Sun 6 June 2027 · confirmed
Þuríðardagurinn (Bolungarvík) + Seamen’s Day
Our own town’s weekend. Þuríðardagurinn honours Þuríður Einarsdóttir, the legendary female sea captain, and is held the Thursday before Seamen’s Day — the fishing calendar’s biggest celebration, on the first Sunday in June.
First weekend of July · usual window — date not yet announced
Markaðshelgin — Bolungarvík
Bolungarvík’s own town festival: a family market weekend in the village itself, held the first weekend of July. Locals come home for it, so beds in town go to family first — book early if you want to be here for it.
Early November · usual window — date not yet announced
Ástarvikan — Bolungarvík
A week-long, deliberately homespun celebration of love in all its forms, put on by our own village in early November. It is one of the very few reasons to be in the northern Westfjords in November — and it lands in the middle of the aurora season, when prices are at their lowest.
Mid-July (2026: 17–18 July) · usual window — date not yet announced
Hlaupahátíð á Vestfjörðum — running festival
A weekend of races staged across Ísafjörður, Bolungarvík and Dýrafjörður, from short distances up to a marathon, on some of the most dramatic coastal road in the country.
Late June · usual window — date not yet announced
Við Djúpið — classical music festival
A week of concerts and masterclasses in Ísafjörður, with musicians and students arriving from abroad; concerts spill into churches around the fjord.
8–11 October 2026 · confirmed
The Pigeon International Film Festival
An international film festival in Ísafjörður — a rare autumn draw, and a good excuse for a shoulder-season trip when the northern lights are already out.
The rest of the year
Ísafjörður has a nine-hole golf course at Tungudalur, and a summer tournament series sponsored by the local seafood companies — but those competitions are for Westfjords club members, so golf here is something you play rather than travel for. August rounds off the summer with a national-costume festival and the Blús milli fjalls og fjöru blues weekend. September brings the réttir, the traditional sheep round-ups in the valleys. From November the nights are long enough for reliable northern lights, and the sea is quiet. On 6 January, Þrettándinn — the thirteenth day of Christmas — is marked in Bolungarvík with bonfires, elves and fireworks, and from late January the villages hold their Þorrablót midwinter feasts. Easter then reopens the season.
Why beds are the constraint
Bolungarvík and Ísafjörður are the only towns of any size in the northern Westfjords, and between them they hold a few thousand people. There is no wave of hotels to absorb a festival weekend — when Ski Week or Fossavatnsgangan comes, the fjord is simply full. Book festival dates months ahead, and treat a bed 15 minutes out of town as a win rather than a compromise.
Not sure where to base yourself? Where to stay in the Westfjords — our honest guide →
Between events: things to do in and around Bolungarvík →
Common questions
When is Aldrei fór ég suður 2027?
Friday 26 and Saturday 27 March 2027, in Ísafjörður. The festival is free and is held over Easter every year — the national broadcaster and the festival have agreed to keep it in Ísafjörður for the next five years. It runs alongside Skíðavikan (Ski Week), which fills the whole Easter week.
When is Fossavatnsgangan 2027?
The main races are on Saturday 17 April 2027 (12.5, 25 and 50 km), with the night race on Wednesday 14 April and freestyle plus family races on Thursday 15 April. It is Iceland’s oldest and largest ski marathon and part of the Ski Classics Challenger series.
Where do people stay for Westfjords festivals?
Mostly in and around Ísafjörður, which is where nearly all of the events are held. Because Ísafjörður books out first, many visitors stay in Bolungarvík — 15 minutes away through the Bolungarvíkurgöng tunnel — or in the villages of Suðureyri and Flateyri.
How far ahead should I book for Easter or Fossavatnsgangan?
Months. These are the two weekends of the year when the fjord genuinely runs out of beds, and the region has only a few thousand inhabitants to begin with. If your dates are fixed, book as soon as the festival dates are announced.
Is there anything happening in winter?
Yes, though it is local rather than touristic: Þrettándinn on 6 January with bonfires and fireworks, and the Þorrablót midwinter feasts through late January and February. Winter’s real draw is the northern lights and the quiet — and prices are at their lowest.
Sources: westfjords.is, aldrei.is, fossavatn.is, skidavikan.is, bolungarvik.is.
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