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11/22/2019 | 10:00 AM

Iceland Airwaves 2019: A wrap-up

How the world's coolest winter music festival went down

The 2019 installment of Iceland Airwaves saw new and seasoned artists arriving in early November to celebrate the festival’s 20th year. Headlining the bill was none other than Iceland’s own multi-platinum artist, Of Monsters and Men. 

Take a look at what went down!

Of Monsters and Men

Hometown headliners Of Monsters and Men wrapped up a star-studded lineup at Valshöllin on Saturday. 

After winning the 2010 Músíktilraunir (Icelandic Music Experiments) competition, and playing their first Airwaves that same year, the band has since sky-rocketed to fame and this year marked their fourth appearance at the festival.

Check out our livestream of their 2019 Airwaves concert, streamed on Icelandair's Facebook page and broadcast to thousands on the monster-size screen in New York City’s Times Square! (You can still watch the entire show on our Facebook account.)

Banner photo: Of Monsters and Men, Valshöllin. Photographer: Ásgeir Helgi

Mac Demarco

Canada's cool boy Mac Demarco brought the crowds to Reykjavík's packed-out Art Museum on Thursday night. 

Mac Demarco performing at Iceland Airwaves 2019 with a guitar in hand and concert lights behindPhotographer: Julie Van Den Bergh

Hatari

Fresh from representing Iceland in the Eurovision Song Contest, homegrown Hatari's electric mix of techno and punk rock closed the festival at the Gaukarinn venue. 

Icelandic artists, Hatari, performing to a lively crowd at Iceland Airwaves 2019Photographer: Ásgeir Helgi

Whitney

First-time festival performers and indie-rock duo Whitney played out the night at Reykjavík Art Museum.

The drummer from Whitney performing at the Reykjavik Art Museum as part of Iceland Airwaves 2019Photographer: Linda Fahrmann Dehn

Girl in Red

Norwegian singer-songwriter Marie Ulven, better known as Girl in Red, flew from Oslo to excite the crowd at Gamla Bíó. 

Musician Girl in Red performing with a band at Iceland Airwaves 2019, holding a guitar and looking excitedPhotographer: Alexander Matukhno

The history of Iceland Airwaves

In the winter of 1999, a venture in sight and sound began inside an airport hangar in Iceland’s capital city of Reykjavik. Originally founded to bolster and bring awareness not just to the burgeoning music scene in Iceland, but also to Iceland itself, Iceland Airwaves has contributed to the growing popularity and interest in Iceland as one of the most sought-after travel destinations in the world. 

Over the past 20 years, Icelandair, a founding sponsor, has been proud to help present some of the top musical acts to festivalgoers, both from Iceland and around the world. From Suede, The Flaming Lips, Thievery Corporation, Sigur Rós and GusGus in the festival’s first year, to artists including Björk, Kraftwerk, Mumford & Sons, Fatboy Slim and hundreds more over the years, Iceland Airwaves continues to bring the best live experiences to the world’s most northerly music showcase. 

Find more music on our in-flight entertainment system

Get yourself acquainted with the abundance of classic and cutting-edge music from around Iceland with a deep dive into over 300 hours of Icelandic music available on Icelandair’s in-flight entertainment system. During your next flight to our more than 40 destinations in North America and Europe, you just may find your new favorite band!