Taste of Iceland is returning to New York City from October 1 through October 3, bringing three days of Icelandic music, film, food, design, travel, comedy and cultural programming to venues across the city.
Organized by Inspired by Iceland, the annual festival is designed to introduce North American audiences to different sides of Icelandic culture through a mix of performances, screenings, culinary events, talks and experiences. This year’s New York edition will take place at venues including Platform by JBF, Pianos NYC, Scandinavia House, Lavan 541 Chelsea, Other Half Brewing Domino Park and Ivory Peacock. Most events are free, though tickets are required.
Music is a major part of the program. On October 1, Iceland Airwaves will curate a free off-venue concert at Pianos NYC featuring Inspector Spacetime and SCAM, with Hermigervill DJing Icelandic music between sets. Inspector Spacetime brings a Eurodance-inspired approach, while SCAM comes from Reykjavík’s underground scene with a mix of techno and Euro-pop.
The same evening, Icelandic chefs Hugi Rafn Stefansson, Thorir Erlingsson and Haflidi Halldorsson will present an Icelandic dinner and demonstration at Platform by JBF, using ingredients including Icelandic cod and lamb.
October 2 brings one of the festival’s biggest music-and-film events when Emiliana Torrini presents ‘The Extraordinary Miss Flower’ at Scandinavia House. The film inspired her latest album, ‘Miss Flower,’ and traces the story of Geraldine Flower following the discovery of a suitcase filled with love letters from the 1960s and 1970s. The screening will be followed by a Q&A and live performance.
Torrini, known in part for performing “Gollum’s Song” in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,’ performs the album in the film alongside a group that includes Nick Cave, Richard Ayoade, Angus Sampson and Siggi Baldursson.
Elsewhere on October 2, visitors can join a 10-mile social bike ride through Brooklyn on Icelandic-designed Lauf bicycles, attend a panel exploring Iceland’s communal bathing culture and architecture, or take part in a guided cocktail experience inspired by different regions of Iceland.
The festival expands further on October 3 with film, photography, science and comedy. ‘Time and Water,’ directed by Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Sara Dosa, will screen at Scandinavia House, followed by a conversation with Dosa and Icelandic author Andri Snær Magnason. The documentary draws on seven decades of the Magnason family’s film archives to explore Iceland’s disappearing glaciers.
At Lavan 541 Chelsea, visitors can see ‘Iceland by the World’s Worst Photographer,’ an exhibition built around Blanche Montemard, who was selected from nearly 130,000 applicants and spent 10 days photographing Iceland’s landscapes. The project was conceived as a response to the growing prevalence of AI-generated travel imagery, arguing that even an inexperienced photographer can capture remarkable images when the landscape is real.
The same venue will host a Northern Lights program with astronomy educator Sævar “Astro-Sævar” Helgi Bragason, including virtual-reality experiences focused on Icelandic landscapes and outdoor adventures. Later that day, Ragnar Bragason and Bergur Ebbi will host ‘Iceland Unfiltered,’ a comedy event built around Icelandic culture, tourism misconceptions and the stranger realities of life in the country.
Throughout multiple festival events, guests will also have opportunities to spin Icelandair’s Wheel of Prizes, with rewards including a trip for two to Iceland.
Taste of Iceland has become an annual showcase for the country’s creative culture, moving beyond traditional tourism promotion by putting Icelandic musicians, filmmakers, chefs, designers, writers and artists directly in front of audiences.
Following the New York City edition, the final Taste of Iceland event of 2026 is scheduled for Vancouver in November.
