Festivals! 
Gimli, Mountain, and cinema

The Icelandic Festival
“Woven Together” is the theme of this year’s Íslendingadagurinn, the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba, which will mark 150 years since the first Icelandic settlers arrived in Manitoba. This year’s festival runs from Friday, August 1, to Monday, August 4.

People from across Canada, North America, and around the world travel to Gimli to celebrate Icelandic culture and heritage as part of the largest, longest running Icelandic festival in North America.

President of Iceland Halla Tómasdóttir will be this year’s guest of honour at the Icelandic Festival. She was elected from among a field of 12 candidates as the seventh president of Iceland (and the second woman to hold the office) in 2024. “I intend to become a president who brings people together, groups and generations, to talk to each other, to work together, to solve challenges and take advantage of opportunities,” she said at the time of her election. This weekend, she will add “weaving together” the Icelandic community in Canada and at home in Iceland to the ways in which she brings people together.

Fjallkona Gunnvör Daníelsdóttir Asmundsson will preside over the Traditional Program in Gimli Park on Monday, August 4, at 2:00 p.m. Earlier that morning, the parade will make its way through town along Centre Street and First Avenue beginning at 10:00.

The Icelandic Culture and Heritage Pavilion, located in the Gimli Park Pavilion, will host cultural exhibits and a variety of activities on Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Monday from 12:00 noon until 4:00 p.m. While there, make sure to visit Amma’s Kitchen for traditional Icelandic and New Iceland treats, such as vínarterta and rúllupylsa. Across town in the Lady of the Lake Theatre in the New Iceland Heritage Museum, Icelandic Roots will offer a genealogy workshop on Sunday from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m.

The new Fjallkona regalia, crafted in Iceland, will debut during the popular Icelandic Fashion Show, a ticketed event, at the Gimli Theatre on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Art Show runs throughout the weekend at Darren Hall in the Lakeview resort – its hours are Saturday and Sunday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Monday from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Enjoy live music all weekend long at Friday Night at the Harbour (7:30 to 10:00 p.m.), Saturday Night at the Harbour (8:00 p.m. to midnight), and Sunday’s Alternative Folk Festival in Gimli Park (7:00 p.m. to midnight). Music and Poetry in the Park will take the stage on Sunday at 3:00 p.m., followed by an Icelandic men’s choir at 4:00 p.m.

The Viking Village, a crowd favourite demonstrating authentic Viking life, will open at midday on Friday and continue daily until Monday afternoon. Re-enactors live like authentic ninth-century Vikings at Harbour Park Hill during the festival and host combat demonstrations each day.

For children (and the young at heart), Luckystone Acres petting zoo in Loni Beach will be open on Saturday and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Wonder Shows midway and rides will operate daily – Friday, 5:00 to 11:00 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon to 11:00 p.m., and Monday, noon to 5:00 p.m.

The fireworks show will light up the skies at the harbour on Saturday evening at 10:30.

Countless other activities abound, from the sandcastle contest to children’s games, Íslendingadunk to various races, and the Vingólf beverage garden to a variety of food vendors. The Magnús Ver Magnússon Strongman event will take place near the Viking statue on Saturday from noon to 5:00 p.m. 

Although the Icelandic theme for this year’s festival is “Ísland og Kanada samtengd í 150 ár,” honouring a century and a half of connection, the Icelandic presence in Canada is actually a touch older than that. The first Icelanders arrived in Canada in 1872, venturing to Ontario and Nova Scotia before the migration shifted westward to Manitoba. (And the Icelandic presence in the United States is older still, extending as far back as 1855 in Utah and 1870 in Wisconsin.) However, the number of Icelandic immigrants increased exponentially with the settlement along the western shore of Lake Winnipeg in 1875, so Gimli and New Iceland have become synonymous in the popular imagination with the Icelandic presence in Canada. – SMJ

the Deuce of august
Ambassador Svanhildur Hólm Valsdóttir, Iceland’s representative to Washington, DC, will be the keynote speaker at the Heritage Program on the lawn of the Borg Home on Saturday, August 2, at 2:00 p.m. during the Deuce of August Icelandic Celebration in Mountain, North Dakota. Two Icelandic male choirs, Karlakór Hreppamanna and Sprettskórinn, will also sing as part of the program. 

“If you’ve never heard an Icelandic male choir, prepare for an unforgettable experience,” say celebration organizers. Each choir has over 40 members, and when they unite in Mountain, there will be more than 70 voices on stage! Karlakór Hreppamanna comes Árnessýsla in countryside of South Iceland, while Sprettskórinn, founded over 30 years ago, hails from Kópavogur, a suburb of Reykjavík. The youngest member is 17 and the oldest is about 80, creating a vibrant mix of talent. They promise an “incredible musical journey!”

Now in its 126th year, the Deuce of August Icelandic Celebration is the longest-running ethnic festival in the state of North Dakota and also the largest Icelandic ethnic event in the United States. Every August, the population of Mountain swells a hundredfold as Icelanders descend upon the town from across the country to celebrate their Icelandic heritage, enjoy family reunions, and welcome curious visitors to this little bit of Iceland on the plains. This year’s celebration runs from Friday, August 1, to Sunday, August 3.

The Deuce parade, a crowd favorite led this year by parade marshal Duane Geir, will wend its way from the parade grounds down Main Street and past the Borg Home on Saturday morning, beginning at 10:30. The honorary parade marshal is J. Vilmar Kristjanson.

The Genealogy Center sponsored by Icelandic Roots will be open on Friday from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Icelandic Roots is also sponsoring “Friday Forum at the Deuce” at noon, which will include “The Icelandic Emigration Journey” with Sunna Olafson Furstenau, “Weaving History with Njal’s Saga Tapestry” with Claudia Petursson, “Bloodline and Ballads” with Jason Doctor, and “The Wild Weather of North Dakota and Iceland” with Aaron Kennedy.

Other attractions include souvenir sales at the fire hall, Icelandic story time and games for children, two street dances with Whiskey Wheeler on Friday and Kickin Back on Saturday, and a horse show in the parade grounds.

For the hungry, there’s the American Legion Fish Fry on Fridayevening, a pancake breakfast at the Mountain Chalet Café, and salad luncheon at Vikur Lutheran Church, both on Saturday.

As usual, the celebration will conclude with Sunday morning worship at the historic Vikur Lutheran Church, at 11:00 a.m., followed by the North Dakota State Tractor and Pickup Pull beginning on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. – SMJ

Gimli Film Festival (GIFF)
Six Icelandic films will be among more than 70 films screened at this year’s Gimli International Film Festival (GIFF), which is planning a grand 25th anniversary celebration from July 23 to 27, 2025, boasting a diverse film lineup and engaging programming with filmmakers, industry professionals, beach activations, bigger prizes than ever, and more.

“For a quarter century, the Gimli International Film Festival has been bringing a truly incredible cinematic experience to the shores of Lake Winnipeg,” said Teya Zuzek, executive director of GIFF. “Our team is proud to continually champion regional, national, and international cinema from emerging and established filmmakers.”

GIFF is proud to collaborate with multiple national-level organizations, bringing even more depth and excitement to the festival. These partnerships demonstrate the festival’s commitment to fostering collaboration within the Canadian film industry, while also providing a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work to a broader audience.

The free fan favourite RBC Sunset Screenings on the beach will return every night of the festival to show cinema classics. Bring your snacks and a chair or a shovel and beach blanket, kick back and enjoy Best in Show, Stop Making Sense, Space Jam, Almost Famous, and The Thing.

The daily GIFF shuttle service will pick up passengers at two locations in Winnipeg, drop them off to enjoy the festival and return them safely after the night is through. Consider this option to keep the cost down, reduce your carbon footprint, or if you’d like to have a few drinks.

Information & festival passes: gimlifilm.com