Taste of Iceland Returns to Seattle

I have always been mesmerized by Iceland. It probably started in high school, when I was listening to Icelandic musician Björk. In the video for “Jóga,” she sings about her home country with such intensity while sweeping cliffs, mossy rocks, and jagged coastlines move across the screen. I remember thinking: what an incredible place. And then a friend visited a few years ago and told me the wind there is a character of its own, a living, breathing part of the country you have to contend with. I love that.

As it turns out, the Emerald City’s connection to Iceland runs deeper than you might expect.

Reykjavík and Seattle have been sister cities since 1986, and this year marks the 40th anniversary of that relationship. “Both are coastal northern cities shaped by the ocean, creative communities, and a strong independent spirit,” Taste of Iceland organizers say. The two cities are also UNESCO Cities of Literature, reflecting the deep ties both places have to storytelling and the arts.

“Nordic immigrants, including Icelanders, settled in the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th century,” organizers say. “That connection continues through institutions like the National Nordic Museum, which regularly highlights Icelandic culture, as well as through Seattle’s music scene. KEXP has long championed Icelandic artists and helped introduce many of them to American audiences.”

Layered, multicolored mountain ridges with patches of snow and sparse vegetation, creating a striking natural landscape.

The landscapes along Iceland’s Laugavegur route offer a glimpse of the otherworldly scenery the country is known for.

The relationship gets a fun reminder this week when Taste of Iceland returns March 19-21. Hosted by Inspired by Iceland, the festival has been traveling through North American cities since 2000, bringing a rotating mix of Icelandic chefs, musicians, artists, and storytellers to local venues. This year’s events spread across Palace Kitchen, Shibuya HiFi, Life on Mars, Conor Byrne Co-op, The Rabbit Box, and the National Nordic Museum.

Thursday, March 19: Dinner and a soundtrack

A chef with a tattooed arm drizzles sauce over slices of meat on a white plate, garnished with vegetables and berries, in a professional kitchen.

Icelandic lamb will be on the Taste of Iceland menu at Palace Kitchen.

Photo courtesy of Taste of Iceland

Palace Kitchen hosts the first night of a three-day Icelandic Menu created by visiting chef Ísak Aron Jóhannsson and Palace Kitchen chef Ron Anderson. The dinners draw on ingredients closely tied to Iceland’s landscape, especially seafood and lamb, and are served each evening from 5 p.m.-midnight. “Iceland takes great pride in having some of the freshest ingredients in the world—including seafood and lamb,” organizers say.

Later that evening, Shibuya HiFi hosts Reykjavík Has Its Own Soundtrack (7:30-9 p.m.). Icelandic musician and producer DJ Hermigervill opens up his personal archive for a listening session built around the songs that shaped Reykjavík’s music scene.

Friday, March 20: Cocktails, cosmos, and a concert

A person stands with a tripod, watching green aurora borealis lights in the night sky over a landscape with water and distant mountains.

A northern lights talk at the National Nordic Museum is part of this year’s lineup.

Photo by Snorri Thor Tryggvason

Life on Mars hosts Across Iceland: A Guided Cocktail Journey (4-6 p.m.), where guests mix drinks inspired by different regions of Iceland while hearing stories about the landscapes and places that influence them.

At the National Nordic Museum, astronomy educator Sævar Helgi Bragason presents Northern Lights in Seattle (6-7:30 p.m.), a talk about the aurora and why Iceland remains one of the best places in the world to see it—especially with a solar eclipse expected there this summer, the first visible in the Reykjavík area since 1433.

The night finishes at Conor Byrne Co-op with an Iceland Airwaves Off-Venue concert (doors at 7 p.m.) featuring Icelandic artists RAKEL and Spacestation, with DJ Hermigervill spinning between sets. “We aim to introduce audiences to fresh talent and contemporary ideas while also sharing the traditions and natural influences that shape Icelandic culture,” organizers say.

Saturday, March 21: Draw, then laugh

A seated woman signs a book for a standing attendee at a book signing event, with others waiting nearby and photographers in the background.

Illustrator Rán Flygenring invites creators to explore Iceland’s landscapes and stories through drawing.

Photo by Timothee Lambrecq

Saturday starts with Draw Iceland’s Stories! (11 a.m.-2 p.m.), a family-friendly art workshop at the National Nordic Museum. Icelandic illustrator and author Rán Flygenring will lead a drawing session where kids and adults can explore Iceland’s landscapes, folklore, and storytelling traditions through art.

The festival wraps at The Rabbit Box with Iceland Unfiltered (4-6 p.m.), a comedy storytelling event where visiting Icelandic performers share funny takes on Icelandic culture—and the things tourists often get wrong about it.