Iceland Airwaves’ 2026 Edition Ditched Headliners in Major Shake-Up: ‘If You’re Not Evolving, You’ll Just Die and Wither’
Categoria: Musica
The tastemaking festival and conference returned to Reykjavík last week (Nov. 4-8) for its 27th edition.
Por Billboard | 11/11/2026
It’s difficult not to be charmed, and in rather a hurry, by a city as thoroughly enamored with its musical heritage as Reykjavík. The first clue comes at 30,000 feet, with Icelandair’s in-flight playlists devoted entirely to homegrown artists. Down on terra firma, The World Of Icelandic Music, a new audio-guided exhibition downtown, charts a century-spanning journey of the country’s sounds, traversing folky beginnings and the anarcho-punk scene of the 1980s, through to the international success of Björk , Sigur Rós and contemporary jazz-pop star Laufey . “Icelandic music can stand tall and proud on its own; it’s like a brand name in itself,” Ísleifur Þórhallsson , festival manager of Iceland Airwaves and founder and CEO of Sena Live, the nation’s leading concert promoter, tells Billboard U.K. “There’s always so much good stuff to be found, the energy and variety of what you can find here is crazy. There’s always something new to discover every single year.” Perhaps it’s the near-subzero temperatures outside, or the occasional gust of wind sweeping through Reykjavík, but there’s a giddy energy about Þórhallsson when we chat in the lobby of the Parliament Hotel, which serves as a de facto meeting place for industry delegates. Dressed in an Iceland Airwaves-branded t-shirt and cap, he talks fast and fires off observations and anecdotes with gusto, as if there’s always another story waiting to be told. Related Icelandic Artists Dish on Where to Stay and Eat for Super-Chill (Literally) Iceland Airwaves Music Festival Severe Weather, Radius Clauses and Finding the Next Generation of Festival Headliners: 'It's a Year-by-Year Fight to Stay Alive' Agents Look Ahead as AI Keeps Advancing: 'We Have the Privilege of Being in a Human Industry' The tastemaking festival and conference (Nov. 4-8) is back in town for its 27th edition, bringing together oodles of local talent and international names to offer a snapshot of a musical community whose ambition and reach continues to exceed the limitations of its size. (Iceland has a population of approximately 395,050.) Situated halfway between North America and Europe, it is also in a position to capitalize on the fast-growing market for music tourism, which Fortune Business Insights valued at $106.9 billion globally in 2025. Its national airline, Icelandair, founded Iceland Airwaves in 1999 and it remains the festival’s founding sponsor, investing heavily in the event’s marketing to attract tourists outside of the summer season. This year, almost half of the acts booked are Icelandic, with the lineup spanning established names such as Agent Fresco , Ólöf Arnalds and underground producer Knackered , alongside an emergent generation of artists making their mark at home. They range from the dumb, sublime electroclash fun of duo Amor Vincit Omnia to Una Torfa , a folk singer-songwriter whose wistful sound recalls fellow Icelanders Of Monsters and Men , alongside frea