Reykjavík New Year's Eve Celebration at Sea

by Elding Adventure at Sea · Sightseeing day tours · event · Reykjavík

4.50(2,403) · operator on Google
Reykjavík New Year's Eve Celebration at Sea — Elding Adventure at Sea

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  • Duration

    2 hours

  • Difficulty

    Very easy

  • Season

    All year

  • Starts in

    Reykjavík

  • Meeting

    Meet on location

  • Languages

    EN, DE, SV, IS, FR, PL, ES

  • Departs

    22:30

  • Cancellation

    Free until 24h before

About this experience

If Reykjavík is not on your list of destinations to ring in the New Year, it sure should be.

The Icelandic way to celebrate is unlike any other as it is filled with food, bonfires, parties and spectacular firework displays. Join us for an unforgettable evening as this experience is sure to light up the dark night sky of Faxaflói bay and the view of the fantastic capital skyline is quite extraordinary. This is a truly unique event you should not give a miss.

Available: 31 December
Duration: 2 hrs. 
Time: 22:30-00:30

Available on New Year's Eve each year, our 'celebration at sea' is set by the shores of Reykjavík where we have ample views of the capital's magnificent fireworks from sea. The crew for the evening welcomes you onboard our Visitor Centre at the Old Harbour where you will board the cruise vessel. Receive a glass of welcome drink as we start off by sailing at a steady pace into the bay until we get to the best area to watch the show. 

Although there is no official fireworks 'show' per se, the residents of Reykjavík and the surrounding areas collectively make for a fantastic performance and there will be glistening and shimmering explosions everywhere you look - a true spectacle for all senses. It is said that each year roughly 200.000 people set off about 500 tonnes of fireworks from 23:00 until 00:00 in the greater Reykjavík area alone - imagine that.

Stay outside on the deck and keep warm in our comfortable overalls or have a seat in our heated indoor saloon and watch the fireworks display from within. Put on your party hats, grab a snack from your table or a complimentary drink at the bar and enjoy the cruise, fellow traveller's company, lively music and extravagant and fiery show ahead - and if conditions are just right we might even get a chance to see the Northern Lights.

When the clock ticks closer to midnight we will do a countdown together and raise our glasses to the New Year. 

.... 10 .... 9 .... 8 .... 7 .... 6 .... 5 .... 4 .... 3 .... 2 .... 1 .... HAPPY NEW YEAR

We'll slowly start to make our way back to the harbour once we've gotten a good look at the firework show. As we get back in the harbour you have the rest of the night to enjoy all that the downtown area has to offer. 

Please note that the tour is subject to weather and conditions at sea. Minimum drinking age is 20 years and therefore all underage passengers must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Elding is a proud supporter of the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue, a non-profit and volunteer-based organisation that works to prevent accidents and save human lives. They rely heavily on donations and as such they are the primary distributor and seller of fireworks in Iceland. Support the local ICE-SAR by buying fireworks from one of their many sales booths located in and around the city, or by donating through their website. 

Description from the operator, Elding Adventure at Sea. Prices and availability in the booking panel are live.

Included

  • 2 hr. cruise near Reykjavík shoreline
  • Welcome drink
  • Party hats and trumpets
  • Excellent host
  • Warm overalls and blankets
  • Panoramic views
  • Free WiFi onboard
  • WC facilities
  • Heated indoor lounge
  • Open bar of select beverages
  • Chips and snacks 
  • Northern Lights (if conditions are right)

Good to know

  • Warm clothing
  • Camera
  • Good mood
  • This tour is subject to weather and conditions
  • Limited number of passengers - make sure to book early
  • Minimum drinking age is 20 years
  • Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian

Cancellation for this tour

Free cancellation until 24 hours before departure; no refund after that. If the operator cancels for weather or safety, you get a full refund or a new date.

If the weather cancels this tour

Iceland's weather is real. What usually stops this one is a forecast the operator judges unsafe. Here is exactly what happens to your booking.

  1. 1Elding Adventure at Sea decides, and tells us. Operators cancel when it is unsafe or pointless, and we back that call every time — we do not ask them to run anyway.
  2. 2We contact you by email, and by phone if your tour is the same or next day. You choose: another date if there is one you can make, or a full refund. There is no fee and nothing to argue.
  3. 3The refund goes back to the card you paid with, through Stripe, usually visible within a few working days. If this tour was one of several in your booking, the others are untouched.

What you do not get is the day back. If this is the only free day in your plan, put a spare day next to it — the planner leaves days free with the rest-day option. And if you want out because the forecast looks bad, that is your own cancellation: free until 1 day before departure, the operator's policy after that.

Questions on the day: [email protected] · +354 497 1373. How cancellations work in Iceland →

Why this one and not the cheaper one?

The nearest cheaper Golden Ride – Day tour in Golden Circle area from Íslandshestar is €0 — €185 less. Here is every difference we can actually measure.

Elding Adventure at Sea · €185Íslandshestar · €0
How long it runs2 hours1 hour
Changing your mindFree until 24 h beforeNo free cancellation
How hard it isVery easyEasy

The €185 buys you 1 more hour out and free cancellation up to 24 h before. Whether that is worth it is your call — but that is what the difference is.

Sold out on your date?

Seats come back — a cancellation, or the operator adding a vehicle. Tell us the date and we will check once a day and email you if one opens. One email, then we delete the address; nothing else is ever sent to it.

Why we list it

Elding Adventure at Sea is one of 154 operators we work with — chosen for reliability, honest descriptions and how they treat guests when weather changes plans. We don't list everything; we list what we'd book ourselves. The six checks every operator passes →

What travellers say about Elding Adventure at Sea

Read all 2,403 reviews on Google →

Operator rating 4.5/5 from Google — these are reviews of the company, not this specific tour. Shown as Google returns them, unedited.

  • Iola Wilson

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    We had an incredible sunset whale watching trip. From the beginning, every member of staff was attentive and helpful. Our guide shared lots of info on the wildlife we spotted - birds and whales. We were blessed with beautiful weather and the boat wasn't busy so we had room to move around and spot wildlife. Lots of tips on how to spot whales were shared. We saw a minke whale and then in the distance the sprays from several humpbacks.We made our way towards these and then stayed with one for ages - it was magical! The captain was very generous with time - because our encounter was quite far out, our trip was over 3.5 hours, we were not rushed back because time was running out! We saw lots of different bird species too. The sunset was stunning and we were able to enjoy this on the way back and also get some beautiful pictures of Reykjavik as we approached. We were also impressed with the way Elding respect the wildlife. Our 9 year old learned so much about whale spotting and ga been putting it to use on our cruise - spotting minkes and humpbacks from the ship! Thank you so much, Elding, for a truly memorable and magical evening!

  • Emily A

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    Our whale watching tour was so special. I will start with the whales: we definitely saw them! We found a couple of humpbacks busy feeding and out guide did a great job of pointing them out and describing the behaviors we were seeing. It was truly amazing. The crew has the skills and experience to find what’s in the area. Additionally, they provided us with pictures of the whales and a journal entry about our voyage. We heard from someone else on the boat that if you go out and do not see any wildlife, they will provide you with a voucher to come out again another time (this family was on their re-do but your mileage may vary as I didn’t hear or read about this.) But of course, one cannot control the outcome, and still I would recommend this trip. It was such a fun way to see the city of Reykjavik and the surrounding mountains. We had a beautiful day with a bit of wind and they provided motion-sickness tablets for free, but remaining outside I did not experience much malaise. I also want to say that the company was very accommodating. We had booked a morning tour that we couldn’t get to due to travel disruptions and they were very willing to honor our reservation at a later time slot.

  • Casey Phifer

    ★★★★★ · 2 months ago

    Booking excursions through Elding was seamless, and I really appreciated their ecological focus. I first took their free ferry to Viðey with my Reykjavík City Pass, then enjoyed the experience so much that I booked both their classic whale watching and puffin tours. Everything felt easy and well organized, from the cold weather gear to the books, wildlife guides, and knowledgeable experts who narrated the tours and answered questions along the way. These excursions gave me some of my favorite memories of Iceland while getting to learn. about the wildlife and explore Faxaflói Bay. Highly recommend!

  • Olivia Yip

    ★★★★★ · a month ago

    Classic puffin tour was 1 of 2 pricier tourist attractions we did (other being Hvammsvík) and this one was SO WORTH THE MONEY. Cute puffins, fun boat tour, knowledgeable staff, binoculars provided, loved every second of it, you get even more pics from them after, and it was guaranteed you see puffins since they take you to an island with a whole colony!! Definitely recommend as a todo activity in Iceland! And it’s cheaper than driving down to the westman islands and taking the ferry and using up 9 hours of your day to see the puffin colony there!

Reviews from Google · updated 13 Sept 2026

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from

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