Gimli Icelandic Festival celebrates 150th anniversary of New Iceland

Thousands celebrated Viking and Icelandic culture in Gimli over the long weekend.

The term heavenly abode might best describe the scenic lakeside community of Gimli.

Over the long weekend, thousands gathered to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first New Iceland settlement during the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba.

The four-day event featured a parade, tournaments, live music and food.

One of the festival’s most iconic events was the Islendingadunk, where two participants sat on a wooden pole suspended over water and attempted to knock each other off. Spectators packed the area to witness the lively showdown.

“The Icelandic community in Gimli is very well known in Iceland,” said Sigrun Asmundsson, president of the Icelandic Festival. “There are many families still in touch with relatives in Iceland from the early settlers.

“We visit them, they visit us — it’s always been very strong and held together by the community.”

To mark the anniversary, Icelandic President Halla Tómasdóttir attended the festival, along with Iceland’s ambassador to Canada, Hlynur Guðjónsson, and the country’s consul general in Winnipeg.

Asmundsson told CTV News the focus of the festival was on being family-friendly.

“We worked really hard to make sure that everything is affordable or free,” she said. “We hope that people from all cultures and parts of Canada and the world come and enjoy themselves — and make wonderful memories of their time in Gimli and of this festival.”

She estimated attendance at between 30,000 and 40,000 people.