Evening walks | From Freedom March to Pride Parade

Welcome to a free evening walking tour in downtown Reykjavík exploring the history of LGBTQ+ freedom marches and Pride parades on Thursday, 6 August at 20:00.
Ugla Stefanía Kristjönudóttir Jónsdóttir, gender studies scholar and specialist in LGBTQ+ issues, will guide participants along the route of today’s Pride Parade and its predecessors through the years in downtown Reykjavík.
Today, the Reykjavík Pride Parade is widely recognized as the highlight of the Pride festival and one of Iceland’s largest cultural events. But how did the Pride Parade begin? What was the social climate like when LGBTQ+ people first organized such a march? How have the goals and priorities of the parade evolved since the first one took place, and why? The tour will provide a brief overview of this history while visiting various locations in the city centre connected to LGBTQ+ culture and the parade itself.
The walk begins at the corner of Lindargata and Frakkastígur, where the first community centre of The National Queer Association of Iceland (Samtökin ’78) once stood. The tour will be conducted in Icelandic. Duration: approximately 1½ hours. Everyone is warmly welcome.
This walk is part of the Evening Walks series, organized by the Reykjavík City Library, the Reykjavík City Museum, and the Reykjavík Art Museum.
The Evening Walks take place on Thursday evenings from 20:00–21:30 throughout the summer months and are free of charge for all participants.
Please note that the walks start from different locations.
The programme is available on the museums’ websites and on the Evening Walks Facebook page. The full 2026 Evening Walks programme can be found here:
https://borgarbokasafn.is/kvoldgongur
Participation is free of charge; however, participants must pay the ferry fare for walks that take place on Viðey Island.