Act Alone: Suðureyri’s Free Solo-Theatre Festival Each August
Iceland’s Oldest Theatre Festival, in a Village of a Few Hundred
Every August, the fishing village of Suðureyri in the Westfjords turns its community hall and harbour buildings over to Act Alone, a festival built entirely around monodrama — one performer, one stage, no supporting cast. First held in 2004, it is the oldest theatre festival in Iceland, and it has kept its founding idea intact: solo performance, staged free of charge, in a village most visitors would otherwise drive straight past. Festival founder and artistic director Elfar Logi Hannesson still runs the programme, which has grown over two decades to include not just Icelandic and international solo plays but also poetry readings, music and visual art alongside the theatre.
What to Expect on the Programme
Performances run for about three to four days over the second weekend of August, with shows spread across Suðureyri’s small venues — often just a room, a handful of rows of chairs, and one actor working without a set to hide behind. The mix of languages and styles (some pieces in Icelandic, some in English or other languages, some entirely visual) means the programme rewards a curious audience more than a specialist one. There is no ticket booth: admission to every show is free, a rule the festival has kept since its first year.
Getting There from Ísafjörður
Suðureyri sits about 25 minutes’ drive from Ísafjörður via the Súðavíkurhlíð and Botnsheiði tunnel system, and festival organisers run a free “Fisherman’s bus” shuttling audiences between the two towns for the duration of the event, so a car isn’t required if you’re staying in Ísafjörður. Because the village itself has limited beds, most festival-goers base themselves in Ísafjörður and come out for an evening or a full day, catching two or three performances and a walk around the harbour in between.
- When: the second weekend of August each year (verify exact 2026 dates closer to the time via actalone.net)
- Duration: about 3–4 days of performances
- Getting there: free “Fisherman’s bus” shuttle from Ísafjörður, or about a 25-minute drive via the tunnel
- Cost: admission is free for all shows
- What to bring: layered clothing — venues are informal and the Westfjords evening air cools quickly even in August
Where to Stay
The Ísafjörður Inn puts you in the middle of the region’s transport hub, an easy walk to the harbour and restaurants and close to the pickup point for the Act Alone shuttle bus, so festival evenings in Suðureyri don’t require driving unfamiliar tunnel roads after dark. Book direct on Ourhotels.is for the best rate.
Photo: Christian Bickel (fingalo) via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0 DE.