Prestigious yearly festival held in the Laugaldalur Park near the center of Reykjavik, Secret Solstice doesn’t get its name for nothing – it takes place during the solstice days indeed. And in this part of the world solstice means midnight sun – a unique natural phenomenon when the sun doesn’t go down for several days straight. This alone is a solid reason not to miss the festival, but the music spread around seven different stages is quite an attraction too. Every year Secret Solstice books top worldwide bands to headline the event, while also showcasing promising local artists – and of all European countries, Iceland definitely has one of the most thriving local scenes and probably the highest artist-per-capita ratio (it bears mentioning that the entire population of the country is just a little over 300 thousand).
Masterminds behind Secret Solstice know how to capitalize on Iceland’s unique nature and culture. Each stage is named after a place or a person from the local mythology: Valhalla, Gimli, Askur, Fenrir, Ragnarok, Hel. The latter basically means “hell”, and appropriately, Hel is the only indoor stage, with dim, darkened light, where you can take a break from the omnipresent sunlight. In addition to the performances on seven stages in Laugaldalur Park, there are also other special events and side parties taking place on each festival. Among the unbelievably exotic venues used for staging rock and electronic music concerts are a picturesque natural lagoon, a glacier, and Raufarhollshellir, a 5000-year-old underground cave system. Obviously, the capacity of these natural venues is highly limited, so be sure to book your tickets in advance!
The festival is organized in cooperation with local tourist agencies, so the festivalgoers can easily take advantage of the special offers and do sightseeing in Iceland before, during or after the event.
Take a look at upcoming festivals similar to Secret Solstice and choose your next festival adventure: