Iceland Airwaves

Iceland Airwaves
Genre	Electronic music, rock, etc.
Dates	early November
Location(s)	Reykjavík, Iceland
Years active	1999-present
Website
Iceland Airwaves

Iceland Airwaves is an annual music festival held in Reykjavík, Iceland in early November.

The festival spans five days (Wednesday - Sunday) and its main focus is showcasing new music, both Icelandic and international. The festival's main sponsors are Icelandair and the City of Reykjavík.

The first show was held in 1999 as a one-off event in an airplane hangar at Reykjavík Airport. Subsequently, it has become one of the premier showcases for new music in the world, with hundreds of journalists and industry people in attendance.

Iceland Airwaves has become known for its intimacy and party spirit. The festival has been called "the hippest long weekend on the annual music-festival calendar" (David Fricke, Rolling Stone) and an "unbelievable zest for music and celebration" (Jonah Flicker, Pitchforkmedia).

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (played Airwaves in 2004), The Bravery (2004) and The Rapture (2002) are among artists who played Iceland Airwaves before their careers kicked off - in each case the groups were playing their first shows outside their hometown, New York. Among other artists who have played Iceland Airwaves are Crystal Castles, Thievery Corporation, Sparta, Flaming Lips, Fatboy Slim, The Kills, The Stills, TV on the Radio, Keane, Hot Chip, Ratatat, Architecture in Helsinki, Klaxons, Wolf Parade, Kaiser Chiefs and local bands Sigur Rós, GusGus, múm, Singapore Sling, FM Belfast, Of Monsters and Men, Seabear, sóley, Sin Fang, Trevor Geir, and Retro Stefson.

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