The traditional New Year's Eve bonfire festival celebrated in Reykjavik is called Áramótabrenna.
Áramótabrenna is an Icelandic New Year's Eve bonfire tradition. In Reykjavik and other Icelandic communities, people gather around public bonfires before or around midnight. The fires provide a communal focus for songs, conversation, and celebration, while fireworks add a spectacular element to the country's New Year festivities.
The Icelandic word combines ár, meaning year, with mót, meaning meeting or encounter, and brenna, meaning burning or bonfire. Public bonfires are organized under local rules, and modern celebrations may include safety controls and restrictions on fireworks. Their historical role includes symbolically marking the end of the old year and the beginning of the new one.
Iceland's New Year is also known for unusually extensive private fireworks use, traditionally connected with fundraising by search-and-rescue organizations. Áramótabrenna should not be confused with Þorrablót, a midwinter Icelandic festival held later in the winter.