The Northern Light Run 2027

Get ready for the brightest and most energetic winter night of your life! The Northern Lights Run (in Icelandic: Norðurljósahlaup) is an extraordinary fun run of about 5 km, one of the biggest and most spectacular highlights of the winter Festival of Lights (Winter Lights Festival) in Reykjavík 🌟. This isn’t about personal bests or a killer pace—every participant gets fluorescent goodies at the start, glowing wristbands, and neon body paints, together creating a shimmering human river of light. The route leads through the winter-dark streets of Iceland’s capital, past spectacularly illuminated buildings and art installations, and the play of lights, the music, and the residents’ warm cheering will heat you up even on a freezing February evening 🎶.

Once you reach the finish line dancing and full of endorphins, winter Reykjavík and its surroundings will offer you plenty of magical ways to spend the rest of the weekend:

For a walk: Stroll through the city center to see with your own eyes the light sculptures prepared especially for the festival. A must is a visit to the glass Harpa concert hall, whose geometric façade shimmers in winter with thousands of colors, and a walk to the monumental, stunningly illuminated Hallgrímskirkja church 🏛️.

For the family: Go together to one of the traditional municipal geothermal pools (e.g., Sundhöllin or Laugardalslaug). Sitting in a hot-water pool (hot pot) while snowflakes fall on your face and the Arctic sky stretches overhead is the essence of the Icelandic lifestyle and the perfect recovery after the run 🌌.

For a trip: Since you’re here in winter, you simply have to head out on a nighttime tour outside the city in search of the real Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis). Far from the capital’s lights, your chances of seeing green and purple lights dancing across the sky are huge. During the day, it’s also worth seeing the Golden Circle classics—among them the powerful, partly frozen Gullfoss waterfall ❄️.

Finally, nothing will warm you up after a winter run better than the iconic, hearty Icelandic fish soup (Fiskisúpa) with pieces of halibut or salmon, enriched with cream. Add to that traditional dark rye bread baked with geothermal heat (Rúgbrauð), and for a sweet dessert—traditional twisted doughnuts kleinur and a mug of hot chocolate ☕.