GRAND OPENING OF NEW HARPA CONCERT & CONFERENCE CENTER IN REYKJAVIK

The highly anticipated Harpa Concert & Conference Center opens in Reykjavik May 4-6 with concerts by the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Ashkenazy. The grand opening festivities follow May 13-15 with an open house and gala concerts on the 14th.

Built in collaboration with renowned visual artist Olafur Eliasson, the 300,000 square foot Harpa has a glass façade made up of cubes that change color with the light of the day. Harpa also boasts four halls, 1,800-seat auditorium, ample meeting space, catering services, boutiques, and ground floor bistro.  www.harpa.is

ICELANDAIR "BUILD YOUR OWN" -  SPECIAL OFFER FROM $599

For a limited time, Icelandair is giving passengers the opportunity to create a custom vacation to Iceland at a very special price. The Icelandair Build your Own Special offers travelers airfare, hotel and the ability to choose from three great value tours while in Iceland. It's as easy as 1, The Reykjavik Greater Area Tour; 2, The Blue Lagoon Tour; 3, The Reykjanes Peninsula Tour.

The Build Your Own Special must be booked by April 11, 2011. Prices start at just $599 with flights to Iceland from New York - JFK and Boston Logan departing in May and June. Availability is limited and the summer months sell out quickly, so act fast to get this special offer.

REYKJAVIK ARTS FESTIVAL  - A LIVING STAGE

From May 20th - June 5th the City of Reykjavik is transformed into a living stage of unforgettable moments in performance and visual arts. The Reykjavik Arts Festival is best desribed as a feast of art, music and dance, brimming with exiting concerts of all kinds, striking dance performances and colorful theater experiences for all ages.

Guests of this year's festival will be among the first to attend events in the brand new Harpa Concert and Conference Center, which opens its doors just in time for the 2011 Festival.  www.artfest.is  

ICELAND IN THE NEWS

Jonathan B. Tourtellot in the April 2011 issue of National Geographic Traveler takes in a black glacier, some red-hot controversies, and lessons on living with lava in his article... "Life Atop a Cauldron."

Shane Mitchell in the April 2011 issue of Travel + Leisure Magazine heads to a country of Viking descendants and modern foragers to uncover a culinary aesthetic that remains wild at heart in her article... "True North."

ESPN Goes Surfing in Iceland… "Each journey along Iceland's coast brings an experience rich in wide open spaces and waves, along with an appreciation for the isolation that exists out there."

The Huffington Post discovers what Icelanders have known for decades...We have the world's best hot dogs!!!… "Is This the Best Hot Dog in the World?" by Victoria Haschka

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