Reykjavik Children's Culture Festival
I have one enduring memory of the Reykjavik Children’s Cultural Festival. It involves sitting in a room spotted with red balloons, playing a board game I don’t really grasp the rules of, while dozens of other families play board games they probably do grasp the rules of. A simple image. A very simple activity.
Most parents would agree that board games are great for family bonding. But how often do you play one together? In a room full of other families doing exactly the same? We never had. Until that day.
Not every aspect of the Children’s Cultural Festival was that simple. Some parts of the festival were seriously complicated. The respected Reykjavik Chamber Orchestra tried out an experimental piece of music using audience participation. We joined in the chorus at the appropriate moment by biting the tops off carrots, while they blew into plastic cups made into impromptu beards held on with elastic bands stretched around their ears.
Musicians read from an alternative score while playing alternative instruments as part of the 2012 Festival
Just down the road, Bjork’s Biophilia workshops opened up her philosophy of music meets science to families; and as we all know, nothing about Bjork is ordinary. Meanwhile Reykjavik’s Harpa concert venue became a moving mirror ball when over a thousand 10 year olds from every primary school in the city performed a single dance along with a 300 strong choir.
The Harpa Conference Centre in Reykjavik became a giant mirror ball inside when 1000 kids performed there.
And then there was the happiness circle, sitting holding hands with strangers passing squeezes of happiness around the ring. Luckily there was no need to speak (we wouldn’t have understood a word) but we knew how to squeeze and everyone knew what it meant.
Navigating around this festival was a bit of a challenge too. It was spread all over the city, in schools, theatres, halls, libraries, art galleries and the outdoors. Some of it was highly choreographed while other bits seemed to happen by accident. Sometimes we weren’t even clear if the particular activity we were watching was actually part of the festival, or just Icelandic people being themselves; like when we discovered a man going for a walk with his cat in a rather unusual manner.
The Festival programme was extensive, with a sometimes bizarre English translation, which all adds to the sense of creative confusion. And some of the activities just sounded weird. Even for us; a family who specializes in weird.
This festival is literally made for families and there is something for everyone in the myriad activities, from toddlers to teens. But it also goes beyond the family; celebrating creativity, life and the beginning of life. It coincides with the official start of summer in a country where snow and dark swamp the land for many months. As if by magic the tall dark volcanic shadows of the previous month become sharp white glacial peaks once again.
If you’re in Iceland and happen to have a child, or your inner child with you, you should go and attend one of the events. It could make you a more creative spirit this summer.
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