21 Reasons Secret Solstice Festival Is Like No Other Event On Earth

What do you get when you combine Iceland’s incredible summer midnight sun, the beauty of the country itself, a festival in the centre of the nation’s capital city, and some of the world’s most incredible acts including Radiohead and over 100 more? Secret Solstice festival 2016, that’s what!

Returning for the third time ever in 2016 between the 17th to 19th of June, we’ve been called the most unique festival on Earth, which is something we very much take to heart. Obviously, it’s where you should be planning your summer festival holiday, but we’re here to tell you exactly why escaping to Iceland for Secret Solstice this year is the most epic idea you’ve ever had.

So before you book your festival pass, travel package, or ticket and accommodation deal, check this out…

1. THE MIDNIGHT SUN

We built our event around one incredible concept – the fact the sun doesn’t set in the middle of summer in Iceland. Yep, because of some astronomical trickery due to Iceland being so close to the Arctic Circle (don’t worry – you won’t freeze in Summer), the sun never sets over the festival weekend, meaning 72hrs of never-ending daylight. The image above will give you some idea of the darkest it gets around midnight, as the sun touches the horizon before going back up again.

2. THE MIDNIGHT SUN AT A MUSIC FESTIVAL

 

Even better than the sun not setting? The sun not setting at a music festival. Who says the party has to stop?

3. A LINEUP TO DIE FOR

No matter what you’re into, we have something for everyone on our 2016 lineup. Whether you’re keen on seeing rock legends RADIOHEAD, home-grown Icelandic talent OF MONSTERS AND MEN, alt-metal heroes DEFTONES, bearded rapper and food aficionado ACTION BRONSON plus many others, and with one final lineup announcement still to come, there’s no shortage of epic music to experience at Secret Solstice 2016.

4. THE STUNNING SIGHTS WITHIN A SHORT DRIVE OF THE FESTIVAL

This is Iceland, and Iceland looks like something out of a fantasy movie. Screw watching Lord Of The Rings’ and all its tricky CGI, all you need to do is go for a short drive from Reykjavík while you’re here for Secret Solstice 2016, and you’ll be able to wander around amongst a landscape that doesn’t even look like it should be real.

5. THIS IS WHAT 2015 LOOKED LIKE, AND 2016 WILL BE EVEN BETTER

Not bad, right? We predict 2016 will be at least 970% more amazing…

6. HANG OUT IN A GEOTHERMAL POOL

Hot spas are all well and good, but they don’t compare to hot spas in Iceland. Literally powered by the fires of a volcano, imagine taking a trip for a couple of hours and soaking in Iceland’s famed Blue Lagoon while you’re here for the event. Enough said.

7. PARTY WITH DJS IN ICELAND’S OLDEST NATURE BATH

Speaking of geothermal pools, how does spending an evening in a 120 year-old geothermal bath (Iceland’s oldest), with some of the world’s best DJs spinning tunes for you? No problem at Secret Solstice 2016.

8. THE WORLD’S ONLY PARTY INSIDE A GLACIER

Yep, you read that right. Secret Solstice is the only place on Earth where you can attend a party inside a glacier. Without a doubt, something to make your friends completely jealous of when you upload shots to your Instagram feed.

9. A MIDNIGHT SUN BOAT PARTY IN THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

If you want more once the main Secret Solstice 2016 event ends, you can keep the party going by hopping on a boat (complete with DJ entertainment) and head out into the Atlantic ocean to watch the sun touch the horizon after midnight in great yachts like the ones you find right here flyachtcharters.com, and believe me it will be an experience you’ll never forget.

10. A VIKING MYTHOLOGY THEMED… BUT NOT THAT MARVEL STUFF

Let’s face it, with gods like Thor, Óðinn, Freyja, and Loki (ever wonder where Marvel got it from?), and lore spanning thousands of years, the Norse sure knew how to celebrate the unknown. Secret Solstice is themed around Viking mythology, meaning it’s the only place you can actually party in Valhalla, without having your life ended in this realm first.

11. YOU CAN GO TO HEL

Speaking of Norse mythology, hell (or Hel) is frozen, not hot. If you’re wanting to escape the daylight for a while, our Hel indoor arena is where you can dance the night away to the likes of Jamie Jones, Kerri Chandler, Skream, Visionquest, and many more of the world’s biggest and best DJ names, until the very early hours of the morning.

12. WE’RE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NATION’S CAPITAL

You know how a ton of major music festivals are waaaaay out of major cities in some barren field, far away from the action? Not Secret Solstice 2016. Smack bang in the middle of Iceland’s capital city Reykjavík, most hotels, hostels, restaurants, and other sights in the city are only a short 5-15 minute walk from the event site.

13. WE HAVE A 10 FOOT HIGH HOT TUB ON SITE

Wanna warm up in a hot tub watching main stage acts at Secret Solstice 2016? No problem!

14. YOU CAN CAMP RIGHT NEXT TO THE ACTION

If you’re thinking about taking the cheapest accommodation option while you’re here for Secret Solstice 2016, you’ll be stoked to find out we have on-site camping, only a couple of minutes walk right next to the event site. You’ll never have to leave the action if you don’t want to.

15. DISCOVER SOME INCREDIBLE ICELANDIC MUSIC

Chances are you already know Of Monsters And Men are headlining our 2016 event, and you’ve likely heard of Icelandic musicians Björk and Sigur Rós, but how much other Icelandic music do you know? Secret Solstice 2016 is an epic opportunity to increase your repertoire of Icelandic names, whether it’s the likes of rapper Emmsjé Gauti, reggae act Amabadama, or self-proclaimed “Loudest Band in Iceland” punk rockers Pink Street Boys, we guarantee you’ll find something  at our next event that will get you going.

16. SAMPLE ICELAND’S WONDERFUL (AND WEIRD) FOOD

Iceland is known for having some epic food, though not all of it is exactly conventional. With tourists flocking here to try things like horse, puffin, whale, and even ammonia-rich fermented shark, you’ll have some truly funky stories to tell your friends when you return home from our event. And it’s not just in the cities you’ll be able to sample Icelandic cuisine, as we’ll have a host of incredible food vendors right on site.

17. HAVE WE MENTIONED EXPERIENCING ICELAND’S FANTASTIC NATURE YET?

Oh yeah, sorry. Actually, not sorry…

18. EAT THE WORLD’S BEST HOTDOG

The world’s best hotdog is in Iceland? We know, you’d probably never think of a place like Iceland to have the best hotdog on Earth, but the famous Bæjarin’s Beztu Pylsur stand has received that claim to fame from more than one person – with the likes of former US president Bill Clinton, Metallica frontman James Hetfield, and celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain being some of the famous folk who’ve chowed down on them while here.

19. IT WON’T COST AS MUCH AS YOU’D EXPECT

Because we’re awesome, we’ve partnered up with travel agencies like Gaman Travel and Festicket to provide you with discounted packages on a festival ticket, plus accommodation, flights, or whatever else you’d like to add on. The best thing about booking all together? You’ll save yourself some coin, which means you’ll have more left for the fun stuff when you land in Iceland.

20. YOU CAN HIKE IN NATURAL PLACES UNLIKE ANY OTHER ON EARTH

Places like Fjaðrárgljúfur (try and pronounce that one if you’re not Icelandic), Landmannalaugar, and Thórsmörk look completely out of this world, and are incredible places to escape to for a day trip away from the festival. With scenery like this, you can point your camera or iPhone in almost any direction and get stunning shots, a good way to remember your trip to Iceland by.

21. IT’LL BE THE SUMMER OF A LIFETIME

 

Seriously, when was the last time you skipped your home country to party with some Vikings in a place where the sun doesn’t set with some of the world’s best music, and parties in glaciers, geothermal pools, in a land that looks like it’s been pulled from Star Wars? Never? We thought so. And we think 2016 is the year you should do it, and so does your Mum. Seriously, she told us so.

Enough for you…?

After all that, the only thing left to do is book your festival ticket, check out our package deals with flights, or just a ticket and accommodation, feast your eyes on our latest lineup video, and prepare yourself for the most epic festival experience you’ve ever had.

We can’t wait to have you partying in the midnight sun with us this summer at Secret Solstice 2016.