the third RVK Fringe took place on stage and online, amidst a global pandemic.

The biggest challenge so far

In retrospect, then it is quite unbelievable that RVK Fringe was able to take place in the way that it did in 2020. All international acts had to be cancelled, but were offered to perform via livestream on Crowdcast instead.

However, local acts were able to fill venues and artists could come together in parties, pop-up workshops and all sorts of social gatherings, as the festival took place exactly when there were no Covid cases in the country. Maximum 200 people could gather (the size of our largest venue) and this was before any rules of using masks and keeping a 2 metre distance.

opening party

Party guests took full advantage of getting a tattoo by White Hill Tattoo. Photo by Patrik Ontkovic.

The opening party was a riot, as always, taking place inside Hlemmur Square Hotel with light refreshments and Fringe entertainment.

Hosts of the evening were the comedians Helgi Steinar Gunnlaugsson and Þórhallur Þórhallsson. Guests could buy a tattoo through White Hill Tattoo Studio, admire the vocals of Bibi Bioux and Reykjavík Ensemble International Theatre Company, clap and cheer for entertainment acts provided by cabaret group Túttífrútturnar, drag group Drag-Súgur and circus group Sirkus Ungafolksins and dance to music provided by our resident Fringe DJ from Huldufugl.

The party started at 8pm, but beforehand the festival's opening show, CRAPSHOOT! Or Why Al Voted For Trump: A Love Story was livestreamed on a big screen between 19-20.

Additionally there were several photographs and illustrations on display, Yes Please by Tinna Þorvalds, Fantastical beings by Kristal, Space Mama Piggy by Sóla Eva and Heima er Bezt by Kristín Edda Gylfadóttir.

Festival week

Circus performance by Sirkús Unga Fólksins. Photo by Patrik Ontkovic.

The Preview Night was held at Hard Rock Café, giving all local acts 2 minutes to present themselves on stage, and showing 1-2 minute videos from all international acts. In total there were around 50 different shows, with 37 local acts and 13 international ones.

The shows included theatre, stand-up comedy, illustrations, tattoos, cabaret, photography, film, dance and more.

Shows were presented in 6 venues: Tjarnarbíó, The Secret Cellar, Hard Rock Café, Hlemmur Square Hotel, Gallerí Fold and Samtökin ‘78. Additionally it was possible to watch international acts, and a livestream of most local acts, through crowdcast.io/rvkfringe

Christian Hege performing Grýla. Photo by Joanna Jakubek.

Awards 2020

Four additional award categories were added this year.

Seeing as almost all performances were presented on a livestream, the jury felt that the performance that best suited that platform should be awarded with the Best Online Performance. In order to encourage artists to put great efforts in selling their show then Notice Me! is awarded to the show with the most eye-catching marketing materials. Due to a large amount of great illustrations this year, the category Pen to Paper was created specifically for the best visual art. And last but not least, then RVK Fringe embarked on a collaboration with The Reykjavík Grapevine that presented the Grapevine award, that includes a full page spread interview with the winner in their next printed edition.

The jury was split on the Funny Award, so there were two award winners in that category.

ACT ALONE : Grýla - Not For Children by Christian Hege
BEST DUET : Hold on To Your Thumbs (Kimi Taylor + Laufey Haralds)
BEST ENSEMBLE : Túttífrútturnar
PUNCH IN THE FACE : Opening Up by Sindri Sparkle Freyr
TAKE MY BREATH AWAY : Origine by Simona Di Nardo
FUNNY AWARD : Good Cure for Tragic Life (Helgi Steinar)
FUNNY AWARD : Squeak! (Dan Zerin)
FRINGE OF THE FRINGE : Linda's Freak Show (Andrew Sim + friends)
BEST ONLINE PERFORMANCE : Grýla - Not For Children by Christian Hege
NOTICE ME! : Big, Small Town Kid (Arnór Daði)
PEN TO PAPER : Strange Communities by Icelandic Comic Society
AUDIENCE CHOICE : I'm Tired by Jono Duffy
ARTIST FAVOURITE : I'm Tired by Jono Duffy
VOLUNTEER AWARD : Artur Szklarski
NORDIC FRINGE NETWORK AWARD : THEM by Spindrift Theatre
SPIRIT OF THE FRINGE : Tinna Þorvalds Önnudóttir
RISING STAR : Big, Small Town Kid (Arnór Daði + Mauricio Rodriguez)
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE : I'm Tired by Jono Duffy
GRAND PRIX : Clown on the Fifth Floor by Storm Dunder
GRAPEVINE AWARD : Big, Small Town Kid (Arnór Daði)

Jury members were Hannah Jane (Reykjavík’s Drag King of 2020) representing Reykjavík Grapevine, Unnar Geir Unnarsson (actor) representing Visit Reykjavík, Elfar Logi (actor) representing Act Alone, Maddý Hauth (Gallerí Fold manager) as well as Nanna Gunnars (festival director) and Jessica LoMonaco (festival production manager) with the help of venue managers, stage managers and volunteers.

Festival branding

In 2020 we decided to put some focus on festival branding, and got the absolutely brilliant team of Arnar&Arnar to create a visual look for the festival that we can use for years to come. They designed the iconic posters that rely on an eye grabbing image in black and white but brings a splash of colour on the fringes of the poster. Each one is unique as the posters are all folded over by hand.

The poster design was nominated for FÍT design award in 2021.

2020 schedule

FRINGE 2020: ON stage AND ONLINE

In 2020 our international performers were unable to bring their shows physically to Iceland, so instead we moved the party online. Livestream shows were free to watch, but if you liked what you saw, you could always donate!

Our local performances took place in multiple venues across Reykjavík: Tjarnarbíó, Hlemmur Square, The Secret Cellar, Hard Rock Café, Samtökin ‘78 and Gallerí Fold. Most local performances were also available on the Livestream.

For more information about individual performances, check out our Facebook Page.

More information about individual livestream shows can be found here.

Buy your festival wristband and tickets to local shows through tix.is.