Menningarhátíðir og innviðir sveitarfélaga - Samtal um skapandi greinar

Cultural Festivals and Municipal Infrastructure

What kind of infrastructure is available within municipalities of different sizes to organise and support cultural festivals? Three experienced speakers will approach the topic from different perspectives.

Áskell Heiðar Ásgeirsson will discuss access to funding and other forms of support for cultural entrepreneurs and festivals in smaller municipalities, drawing on his experience as director of the Bræðslan music festival in Borgarfjörður eystri. Where can festival organisers turn for support, and what infrastructure needs to be in place?

Erna Kaaber will examine the funding of regional action plans and municipal cultural infrastructure. How is this development reflected in Iceland's 2027 budget proposal? Is culture defined too narrowly when it comes to public funding? Are sports and cultural festivals competing for funding from the same sources?

Þórgnýr Dýrfjörð will place cultural festivals in the context of municipal services and explore how this area has developed in Akureyri. To what extent do festivals benefit the wider community? Who benefits from festivals, and what role do municipalities play in creating the conditions in which they can thrive?

The Icelandic Research Centre for Creative Industries (RSSG) hosts the Conversations on the Creative Industries series in collaboration with Fenris Creations. The event will take place on 1 October 2026 from 8:30 to 10:00 at the Fenris Creations offices on the 3rd floor of Gróska, Kristínargata 1, 102 Reykjavík.

The presentations are in Icelandic, and the event will be livestreamed. The livestream will end after the presentations, followed by an open discussion for those attending in person. Coffee and light refreshments will be served.

Please register your attendance here: rssg.is/hvadtharfadraeda

About the speakers

Áskell Heiðar Ásgeirsson is the director of the Bræðslan music festival and a lecturer at the Department of Rural Tourism at Hólar University, where he teaches event management. He has extensive experience in organising and managing events. He was one of the founders of the Bræðslan music festival in Borgarfjörður eystri and has managed the festival ever since.

Erna Kaaber is a researcher whose work has explored the relationship between culture and innovation and how culture and the creative industries can create opportunities for sustainable development and economic growth in rural areas. Her work has particularly examined how the creative industries can help reduce geographical disparities and contribute to a better balance between urban and rural areas.

Þórgnýr Dýrfjörð is Director of Business Development, Culture and Marketing at the Municipality of Akureyri. Akureyri hosts a wide range of major annual cultural and sporting events, from the Andrés Duck Ski Games and Bíladagar motor festival to the Einn með öllu festival, Akureyrarvaka and the A! Performance Festival. Þórgnýr therefore brings extensive experience from both sides of the table: as an event organiser and as a representative of a municipality that supports events and benefits from the cultural, social and economic activity they generate.