Kumbiavík Festival 2026

Kumbiavík Festival returns to Reykjavík from 8–10 October 2026 for three days of cumbia, Latin American music, film, visual culture, dance and community.

Thursday, 8 October – Emergencia Tropical Exhibition

17:00
RVK Brewing Co. / Tónabíó, Skipholt 33
Free admission

The festival opens with Emergencia Tropical, a cultural exhibition exploring the history and development of cumbia.

The exhibition brings together the five Emergencia Tropical fanzines and their compiled reader, historical record artwork and photography documenting Bogotá’s cumbia movement by La Pinche Tefi, aka Stephanie Ascanio.

The opening also features musical curation tracing the journey of African and Afro-diasporic music through the Caribbean and Latin America, connecting cumbia with salsa, boogaloo, merengue, Latin soul and psychedelic tropical sounds.

Friday, 9 October – Cumbia on Film and Vinyl

Doors: 18:30
Programme starts: 19:00
Bíó Paradís, Hverfisgata 54
Admission: 3,500 ISK

Friday features the Iceland premieres of three documentaries exploring cumbia, sonidero culture and the communities surrounding the music:

• Musas USA

• Kumbia Net: Un Estilo Bien Diferente

• Sonidero Metrópolis

The documentaries will be presented by filmmaker Space Primo, aka Álvaro de la Parra, joining us from Los Angeles. Space Primo will personally introduce the films and join a conversation with the audience after the screenings.

The evening closes with vinyl DJ sets by MRREED from Germany and Space Primo from Los Angeles.

Saturday, 10 October – Community Activities, Live Music and Festival Closing Party

Programme begins: 14:00
Evening programme begins: 17:00
RVK Brewing Co. / Tónabíó, Skipholt 33
Admission: 3,500 ISK

Saturday begins with family and community activities, including Mexican bingo, cultural activities, food and a traditional Colombian cumbia dance performance by Colombia Boreal.

At 17:00, the evening programme begins with a salsa class led by Salsa Social, followed by a salsa social dance featuring a special selection of music curated by Kumbiavík Collective for the occasion.

Los Bomboneros celebrate their tenth anniversary and keep the dance floor moving after the salsa social. They are followed by La Dimensión with special guest Superzona.

DJ selections throughout Saturday feature chucuXchucu — the collective formed by Superzona and MRREED — together with Kumbiavík Collective.

Sonido Fin closes the festival with the best of cumbia.

Tickets

• Friday single-day ticket: 3,500 ISK

• Saturday single-day ticket: 3,500 ISK

• Friday + Saturday Festival Pass: 6,000 ISK

• Thursday: Free admission

The festival is open to all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult, and access remains subject to the venues’ alcohol-service regulations.

Festival artwork by JJ Mancho.