The Dragon Festival at Skjálfandafljót

On Thursday, July 18th at 2:00 p.m., the Dragon Festival at Skjálfandafljót will be held outdoors at Goðafoss. Huldustígur and the Northern Lights Confucius Institute at the University of Iceland organize the event in collaboration with others. The goal is to connect the Icelandic and Chinese folklore heritage about dragons and rivers and to honor nature and cultural heritage.

Now it’s the year of the dragon, according to the Chinese calender, and therefore a great opportunity to honor the dragon. In both Icelandic and Chinese cultures, dragons are strongly associated with water. The dragon is a symbol on the coat of arms of the Republic of Iceland. His protection can be found in many places along rivers and waterfalls of Iceland. 

Helga A. Erlingsdóttir, a research scholar, will educate visitors about the history of the place and the locals’ connection to the river and Goðafoss. We invite visitors, especially children are welcome, to take part in painting a dragon under the guidance of the artist Rakel Hinriksdóttir. A Chinese folktale about dragons will be told and Chinese tea will be served.

AkureyrarAkademían and Þingeyjarsveit support the project with grants that will be used in the creation of the dragon artwork. 

The event is free of charge – we warmly welcome all.
It’s best to park your car and walk from the parking lot at Goðafoss, on the westside of the river.