Did you know
End Of Eruption
The first weekend in July Westman Islanders have a festival, where they honour the memory of the end of the eruption, the 3rd of July 1973, but the Volcanic eruption started the 23rd of January that same year. This is a yearly festival but on every fifth year Westman Islanders have a big version of the celebration of this remarkable milestone. Companies and other organizations also participate in this event, like:
Volcano Open
Westman Islands and Icelandair hold the Volcano Open every year. This is a 2 day international golf tournament, every year there are more and more foreigners participating. The tournament starts Friday afternoon where players are offered a soup before teeing up and in the evening when everyone have played their round they are offered a midnight snack which includes puffins and flatbread.
On Saturday the tournament starts around noon and at the end of the tournament awards are handed out along with a special program which includes a one of a kind seafood buffet.
Sparisjóðsdagurinn:
Sparisjóður Vestmanaeyja, holds it yearly "bank day" on Saturday, where hotdogs are barbequed and served with all of the belongings, meanwhile there is a big program running which includes, musical events, jumping castle, competition in running, basketball, hand -or football, street museum and lots and lots more.
End of Eruption festival
On Friday there have been offered boat trips to sail around Surtsey and in the evening there are more cultured activities such as plays and so on. Around noon on Saturday people are offered to walk on Heimaklett which is the biggest mountain in Heimaey a good group people guide you around Heimklett.
In the evening there is a great program in Skvísusundi, where writers come and read from the
ir books, musicians entertain people and there is also a very good children program, the program is set on pause for one hour around 23:00 so the adults can get their kids home and around midnight the party begins in Skvísusundi, Skvísusund is an alley where a lot of houses that where (and some still are) a fishing work shop and people and on this weekend people "party" in them, if you don't like the music in one of them just check out the one next door. This is the weekend where "former" islanders come and visit the island and Westman Islands are truly buzzing with life this weekend. The "party" in Skvísusundi keeps on until early morning and you can expect to see a native playing guitars or a harmonica for big groups and all the participants are singing and enjoying life.
On Sunday there is a walking ceremony, that starts from Landakirkja (the church) where people walk (or take the bus) and go to crater of Eldfell and there begins a regular service, people then go to Skansinn and into Stafkirkja where the service continues and the end everyone is invited for soup and bread.
