Pride Month brings our Pride Flight

It's August, and that means Iceland is again celebrating diversity and equality. The rainbow flags are out and proud, decorating various businesses and institutions across the country. It's a clear sign: LGBTQ+ Pride Month is here!

Reykjavík Pride program

The 2022 Reykjavík Pride program is as fabulous as ever – from educational lectures and discussions to pool parties, pub crawls, karaoke and a bake-off. There's drag bingo, movie nights, a queer-themed literary walk, a harbor cruise, comedy shows, intimate concerts, and much more.

The official Pride event days are August 2-7, 2022, with the main Pride Parade on August 6 at 2pm from Hallgrímskirkja in downtown Reykjavík. Once the Parade is done, festivities move to an outdoor concert in nearby Hljómskálagarður park.

With nearly one-third of the Icelandic population attending or participating in Pride events, it has become one of the most popular events in Iceland. And Pride itself may only last a week, but being one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly countries, Iceland celebrates diversity and inclusion the whole year round.

Images (and banner photo) from Icelandair's Pride Flight 2022.

Icelandair's Pride Flight

This year on August 4, we marked our continuous support of equality by dedicating flight FI318 between Keflavík and Oslo, and FI319 between Oslo and Keflavík, to the visibility of the LGBTQ+ community. The cabin crew and pilots on our "Pride Flight" are all proud members or allies of the LGBTQ+ community. The service on board is themed accordingly – we serve treats, rainbows, and a festive mood.

On August 5, passengers on selected international flights will receive pride-themed treats, and on August 6 the love is shared with passengers on domestic flights.

In 2021, we flew our Pride Flight on August 4: FI528 between Keflavík and Berlin, and FI529 between Berlin and Keflavík.

In 2020 there was no Pride Flight due to COVID-19. In 2019, we celebrated Reykjavík Pride turning 20 with a Pride Flight between Keflavík and Philadelphia.

Inclusive Iceland

Every year many families, businesses, organizations, artists, and politicians take part in the Pride festivities and express their support and recognition of the LGBTQ+ community. From an international perspective, Iceland has a prominent role in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights, and that is widely felt across the country.

At Icelandair, we are proud to be part of a community that values and supports equality. We are happy to partner with Reykjavík Pride to transport special guests to the event.

The colorful spirit of Iceland

To honor the rainbow celebrations, we want to do our part to help amplify queer voices. We met with a diverse group of people and spoke with them about the history of Pride in Iceland, the state of queer rights today, and the interplay between the spirit of Iceland and the spirit of Pride. The result is "The Colorful Spirit of Iceland" that we proudly present.

A land of rainbows

Rainbows are everywhere here in Iceland: whether it’s a sculpture right outside Keflavík airport, a street permanently painted in rainbow colors in a remote fjord town or in the capital, or even misty rainbows seen in the Icelandic landscapes, it all sends a message of equality.

A rainbow graces Stuðlagil canyon.

A few facts

These are some of the milestones reached in Iceland on the path to equality:

1996: Same-sex couples are legally allowed to register as living together.

2006: Icelandic law gives equal access to adoption and IVF; adopting a partner’s child has been legal since 2000. 

2010: Same-sex marriages are legalized. It's worth noting that the prime minister at the time, Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, and her wife Jónína Leósdóttir were among the first same-sex couples to be married in Iceland.

2019: A law simplifies the process for trans people to obtain the needed medical resources plus adds a third gender option – X – to the National Registry.

Reykjavík rooftops seen from Hallgrímskirkja church.

Travel resources

If you're looking for more information, check out:

Samtökin ‘78 – the National Queer Association of Iceland

Gay Iceland – LGBTQ+ guide to Iceland

GayIce – LGBTQ+ news from Iceland

A rainbow brightens Skólavörðustígur street in downtown Reykjavík.

Text by Edvardas Paskevicius

2022 Pride Flight images by Egill Árni Jóhannesson