Iceland Noir

Origins and early growth

The festival was conceived when authors Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Ragnar Jónasson and Quentin Bates realised Iceland lacked an event devoted to mystery writing. Their plans crystallised during Bristol's CrimeFest gathering. In a stroke of early luck that amused the founders, The Guardian named Iceland Noir among the best crime festivals worldwide before its first run. Its debut took place in autumn 2013, running for twenty-four hours at Reykjavík's Nordic House with British writer Ann Cleeves taking part. Lilja Sigurðardóttir joined the leadership team the following year. Initially run every second year, the gathering even inspired an offshoot called Shetland Noir, mounted across the sea in Lerwick during 2015.

Format and settings

The festival spans several days in late autumn, spreading its programme across central Reykjavík. Venues sit close together so guests can easily walk between them. Sessions have been hosted in the Fríkirkjan church, the Kjarval artists' club, and the Harpa concert hall for main stage appearances. The schedule combines writer interviews, panel discussions and fringe gatherings. Although it started with detective novels, the roster now encompasses screenplays, television production, verse and broad storytelling arts. All panels and talks are delivered in English. Unlike state-backed cultural initiatives, the event relies primarily on participant ticket revenue, supplemented by assistance from Promote Iceland and Reykjavík's UNESCO City of Literature office.

Growth and guest speakers

A pandemic cancellation in 2020 pushed the schedule into an annual rhythm. The 2021 return saw attendees welcomed at Bessastaðir by Iceland's First Lady, Eliza Reid. Scale expanded rapidly thereafter: Harpa accommodated a major leap in attendance during 2023, drawing global figures such as Hillary Clinton, Neil Gaiman and Dan Brown. Succeeding years broadened the creative scope further, welcoming screen directors Lasse Hallström and Lena Olin alongside Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk and fantasy novelist George R. R. Martin in 2025. Later lineups brought in varied voices like manga creator Makoto Yukimura, sci-fi author Kim Stanley Robinson and crime veteran Lee Child, confirming its status as a multifaceted arts fixture.

The Icepick Award

Since 2014, the festival has presented an annual literary prize known locally as Ísnálin, or the Icepick Award. It honours outstanding foreign crime fiction translated into the Icelandic language. Rather than evaluating the plot alone, judges weigh both the original narrative craftsmanship and the skill of the translation. Iceland Noir established the accolade in partnership with Iceland's national translators' guild and the domestic mystery authors' society. The inaugural trophy in 2014 went to translator Friðrik Rafnsson for his rendition of Joël Dicker's novel The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair. In 2018, the distinction went to the Icelandic edition of Jo Nesbø's crime thriller The Son.

How Iceland Noir is kept

Participants register in advance and travel to central Reykjavík in mid-November. Throughout the multi-day festival, audiences move on foot between historic and cultural venues around the city core. Authors, television creators and filmmakers take the stage for panel discussions, live interviews and readings conducted in English. Attendees mingle with writers during fringe gatherings and book signings. Major evening talks and keynote conversations convene in the Harpa auditorium. Along with author exchanges, organizers present the Icepick Award to celebrate the translation of international crime literature into Icelandic.

When and where

The festival takes place every year in the middle of November, running across several consecutive days. Originally held on alternate years, it shifted to an annual timetable following the 2020 pandemic interruption, welcoming visitors during the deepening darkness of late autumn.

Events take place entirely within central Reykjavík, Iceland. Programming is distributed across nearby sites such as the Harpa concert hall, Fríkirkjan church and the Kjarval artists' club, allowing attendees to walk easily from one session to another.

What Iceland Noir means

The organisers frame the gathering as an exploration of darkness across every artistic medium. Convening amid Iceland's dim November climate, the festival reflects the bleak, suspenseful atmosphere of Nordic noir. It approaches shadowy fiction, television and film as a collective lens through which readers and creators examine human vulnerability, intrigue and resilience.

Questions people ask about Iceland Noir

See also

KvæðiLong narrative ballads sung during traditional chain dances in the Faroe IslandsAdvent calendarA daily countdown to Christmas using doors, images, or small gifts.RisalamandeA chilled Danish Christmas rice dessert with cream, chopped almonds and cherry sauceFastelavnA pre-Lenten carnival in Northern Europe where children dress up, sing for treats, and break candy-filled barrels.

Good reading and sources

• Iceland Noir on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.