← Iceland by month

Iceland in August.

Still summer, a little quieter, wild blueberries in the hills, and the aurora returns in the last week.

Straight from the app. Get Icebreaker for the live version: tonight's aurora, the weather where you are, and what's open.

August is summer with the edges softening. The sea has warmed all season so the air is nearly as mild as July, the F-roads are all open, and after the first weekend the crowds start to thin. The blueberries ripen in the highlands mid-month, Culture Night fills Reykjavík with a marathon in the morning and fireworks at night, and in the last days the sky is finally dark enough for the first aurora of the season.

Light and weather

Daylight: 19 hours at the start, 15 by the end; sunrise around 05:30, sunset around 21:30 mid-month. Northern lights: From the last week.

What's on in August

• Verslunarmannahelgi, the bank-holiday weekend on the first Monday of August: the whole country goes camping, and Vestmannaeyjar hosts Þjóðhátíð, the biggest festival in Iceland, in a valley with a tent city and a bonfire.
• Reykjavík Pride in the second week of August (4–9 August in 2026), with the parade from Hallgrímskirkja on the Saturday. The city paints Skólavörðustígur.
• Menningarnótt, Culture Night, a Saturday in the second half of August (22 August in 2026): the Reykjavík Marathon in the morning, free concerts and open houses all day, fireworks at Arnarhóll at night. The city's biggest day.

What's open, what's closed

Everything, until the end of the month. Highland roads start closing with the first snow, usually in September. Puffins leave in the second half of August.

What to do

• Culture Night, hour by hour
• First aurora of the season, last week of August
• The Grapevine's Best of, the summer list
• Where the marathon runners eat
• Highland tours, with the F-roads all open

What to pack

Layers, shell, sunglasses; a warm layer for late nights that are now dark. Container for blueberries.

Prices and crowds

High until Culture Night, then easing. The last week of August is the best-value week of the summer.

Verdict

Late August is the local's answer to when to come. Warm, open, quieter, and the lights come back.