Reykjavik’s much-loved weekend flea market, Kolaportið, has made the switch to full festive mode — and it shows.
Alongside the usual mix of curiosities filling the stalls, Christmas merchandise has taken over a good chunk of the floor space, pulling in locals and visitors alike. This weekend, approximately 90 new vendors joined the 50 regulars, turning Kolaportið on Tryggvagata into something closer to a proper holiday fair, complete with live music and the general buzz that comes with it.
Shoppers moved through the stalls at a leisurely pace, and plenty of vendors dressed the part too, leaning into the seasonal mood with festive attire.
“This is not too early,” says Alda Björk Lilliendahl Ólafsdóttir, a shopkeeper at the Christmas Village, speaking about the market’s annual transformation.
She did add one candid note: “We played Christmas music for the first time today, but we won’t do it every day — otherwise, we might go a bit mad!”
Beyond the Christmas trimmings, Kolaportið remains what it has always been — a place to find Icelandic handicrafts, antiques, vintage clothing, wool products, and specialty foods. It is that combination of the handmade and the traditional that keeps people coming back year after year.
For a closer look at the delights on offer, be sure to check out this report (in Icelandic).
