Further Information

Vaka Folk Arts Festival

Vaka is held in the vibrant town of Akureyri, the small capital of northern Iceland. With its spectacular scenery and historic sites, which are home to many rich folklore traditions, Akureyri is the ideal location for our festival and a great base for exploring the north of Iceland.

Vaka’s mission is to strengthen Icelandic traditional music and dance by creating performance opportunities for Icelandic traditional musicians and dancers and help them carry their tradition forward. Vaka presents a singular opportunity to enjoy Iceland’s very best folk musicians and dancers along with performers from Finland, Norway, England and Shetland who are deeply rooted in the traditions of their place.

Vaka 2018 is in cooperation with Akureyri school of music and offers 10 workshops to the music students.
Two workshops are open to the general public: Icelandic and Norwegian Folk Dancing and Choir Singing where Icelandic folk and rimur songs, arranged for choir, will be taught.

Evening concerts take place in Hof Cultural Centre, which is located down town, right beside the harbour. Hof is also home to Akureyri school of music with which Vaka runs a comprehensive workshop programme during the festival. Our afternoon talk-show-mini-concerts and late evening sessions take place in intimate local settings, Bláa kannan café and Götubarinn, which are right next door to each other and within easy walking distance of the many and varied cafes, restaurants and bars in the town centre.