Þorrablót Midwinter Feast
Þorrablót Midwinter Feast takes place Jan 22 - Feb 20, 2027 (the old Norse month of Thorri) in Reykjavík, Iceland. The dress code is Warm smart-casual. Community feasts can be surprisingly dressy and Icelandic wool knitwear is always correct; restaurant versions are informal. Typical cost ranges from 60 to 200 EUR per person.
A midwinter feast running through the Norse month of Thorri, reviving a tradition of eating preserved food from the hard part of the year: fermented shark, soured ram's testicles, singed sheep heads, dried fish and cured lamb, washed down with brennivin schnapps. Communities, workplace associations and restaurants across Iceland hold their own blot with speeches and mass singing. It is a genuinely unvarnished piece of Icelandic heritage rather than a tourist production.
- When
- Jan 22 - Feb 20, 2027 (the old Norse month of Thorri)
- Where
- Reykjavík, Iceland
- Dress code
- Warm smart-casual. Community feasts can be surprisingly dressy and Icelandic wool knitwear is always correct; restaurant versions are informal.
- Cost
- Typical cost ranges from 60 to 200 EUR per person.
- Weather
- 0 to -4C, wind, sleet or snow, and only 5 - 7 hours of daylight
- When to book
- Book a restaurant Thorrablot table 2 - 4 weeks ahead during the Thorri weeks; private association feasts need a local invitation and cannot be bought into.
- Getting there
- KEF (Keflavik), about 45 min to central Reykjavik
- Where to stay
- Hotel Borg (art deco landmark on Austurvollur square), The Reykjavik EDITION (harbourfront design flagship), Kvosin Downtown Hotel (boutique suites in the old town, good value)
- Official site
- https://www.visiticeland.com
How to attend
The straightforward public route is a Thorrablot buffet at a Reykjavik restaurant - Cafe Loki by Hallgrimskirkja, Fjorukrain in Hafnarfjordur, or Perlan - at roughly EUR 30 - 95 per head, booked directly a few weeks ahead. Private association and village blot are invitation-based and cannot be bought into, though hotels and locals will sometimes get you in. No ticket or membership is needed for the restaurant version. Go in the second half of Thorri when more venues are running them.
The village and association feasts are private and invitation-based, and there is no festival ticket of any kind - the public route is to book a Thorrablot table directly with a Reykjavik restaurant.
Insider tip
Eat the hakarl first, chase it immediately with brennivin, and then work backwards through the milder items - doing it in the other order is how people ruin the meal for themselves.
Get inside Þorrablót Midwinter Feast
Booking matters here: book a restaurant Thorrablot table 2 - 4 weeks ahead during the Thorri weeks; private association feasts need a local invitation and cannot be bought into. Members track that window, what it really costs, and 573 more events across the season.
Free while in beta. One email when your invitation is ready, nothing else.