Recently one of the biggest dates in Iceland’s cultural calendar loomed large on our collective conscience as Menningarnótt (Culture Night) took place. In the past, I’ve not had not much exposure to Menningarnótt as I’ve either been out of town, or busy doing other worthwhile things with my life. When I moved to downtown Reykjavik last year, I decided to give it all a cursory glance, but found the weather too cold, and a child knocked into me with a melting ice cream cone, ruining my jacket. I gave up after an hour and went back to my flat, where I closed the curtains, sat down with a bottle of spirits and Russian doom metal on repeat loop and willed the day away.

But this year I wanted to do it properly and actually put in a full days shift as a veritable culture wonk. I set my sights on truly exploring all that downtown Reykjavik could offer in terms of music, art and free waffles. I wanted to be drenched in the musky moistness that only Icelandic culture can possibly provide.

So waking up on an incredibly sunny Saturday morning, I put together the following survival pack to help me get through the day.

 

...