Fam­ily pro­gram

Harpa places great emphasis on children's and family culture and offers a family programme that is accessible to all children. Admission free.

Harpa's family program should be accessible to all children and families; regardless of their finances, origin, language or home. Emphasis is placed on participation, experience, education, diversity and multiculturalism when creating the programme.

Events are free of charge for visitors and an effort is made to connect with different groups of society, for example through interpretation in different languages ​​or direct participation of children from different kindergardens, elementary or music schools.

Harpa places more and more emphasis on reaching all children to show them that they have a place in Harpa and can enjoy culture and art, as well as create themselves. In Harpa's programme policy for children and families, emphasis is placed on adapting events to children and families from different origins and with different needs.

Programme for the working year 2023-2024

The programme is specially made with validation and accessibility for all children and families guided by workshops and musical events in collaboration with associations and rights organizations of different groups and artists. The Children's Cultural Fund supports the programming of Harpa's children's and family programme.

Please note that below are all events for children and families held in Harpa. Harpa also rents out halls to event organizers and those events are not a part of Harpa's family program. Events organized by Harpa that are free are marked as Harpa's Family Program.

Hljóðhimnar

One of the birthday presents on Harpa's 10th anniversary in 2021 was the design of a new space specially designed for children and families. The Iceland Symphony Orchestra, The Icelandic Opera and Reykjavík Big Band, which are based in Harpa, are among those who contributed to creating a unique experiential journey through the magical world of sound and tones. The space was opened in March 2022 and was given the beautiful name Hljóðhimnar. Hljóðhimnar is a play on the Icelandic word for Eardrum - Hljóðhimna - which then translates directly as Sound Worlds. The installation is an invitation to experience the vast world of music and sound, without any previous knowledge or education needed. The design team ÞYKJÓ led the design process in collaboration with Harpa, Gagarín, Vísindasmiðjan, Reykjavík Audio, IRMA, the aforementioned residents of the building and last but not least the ÞYKJÓ´s Kids Council.

ÞYKJÓ

ÞYKJÓ (pronounced thickyo) is the Icelandic noun for make-believe. ÞYKJÓ's design projects aim to stimulate the imagination and creativity of children during free play.

Hljóðhimnar design, construction and recordings