Thorrablot in Reykjavik, 2027

When is Thorrablot 2027?

Thorri 2027 runs from Friday 22 January (Bondadagur) to Saturday 20 February. Thorrablot feasts take place on dates inside that month.

The first day of Thorri always falls on a Friday in the 13th week of winter, between 19 and 25 January. The Icelandic Wikipedia entry for Bondadagur gives 22 January for 2027. The month ends the day before Konudagur, the first day of Goa, which is 21 February in 2027. The last day of Thorri is therefore Saturday 20 February.

There is no single public feast. Thorrablot events range from family dinners to big gatherings with shows and dances, and the big ones are usually arranged by associations or held as regional festivals in the countryside, as Visit Hvolsvollur explains. For a visitor in Reykjavik, the realistic version is tasting the food on a platter or on a food tour.

What is on a thorramatur platter?

Smoked lamb, dried fish, sheep's head, liver sausage, blood pudding, soured ram's testicles and fermented shark, served with rye bread, butter and Brennivin.

The Wikipedia entry on thorramatur lists fermented shark, ram's testicles, sheep's head, liver sausage, blood pudding, wind-dried fish, smoked lamb and seal flippers. Much of it was traditionally preserved in fermented whey, which gives it a sour taste, and modern buffets usually offer sour and non-sour versions side by side. It comes with dense rye bread (rugbraud), butter and Brennivin, the caraway schnapps.

The word itself is younger than you'd think. The same source says the restaurant Naustid in Reykjavik first advertised a thorramatur menu in 1958. The smoked lamb (hangikjot) and the dried fish (hardfiskur) are the easy entry points. The soured items are for the curious.

Is hakarl only eaten at Thorrablot?

No. Fermented shark is sold all year, but it is most often served at the midwinter Thorri feast.

Hakarl is Greenland shark, fermented and then hung to dry for months. It smells strongly of ammonia and tastes milder than it smells, and the custom is a shot of Brennivin with it. Our guide to fermented shark covers how it's made and how to eat one cube.

Thorri is when Icelanders themselves eat the most of it. In January and February you're tasting it in season, not as a tourist novelty.

Which Reykjavik food tours serve fermented shark?

Four name it: the traditional tasting tour, the private food tour and the food and beer history walk on their Viator listings, and the Reykjavik Food Walk on the operator's page. Guests on two more walks report trying it.

The traditional Icelandic food tasting tour promises "everything from lamb soup to fermented shark". The food and beer history walk lists fermented shark and lamb soup with Icelandic craft beer, and the private food tour names it too. On the Reykjavik Food Walk the operator's page names fermented shark, and guests in September and October 2026 wrote about trying it. Guests on Bites, Brews & Views and the street food walk report trying it too.

If you want to skip it, the hot chocolate food walk names its tastings (kleina, smoked lamb, lamb soup, seafood soup, the hot dog, hot chocolate and marriage cake) and shark is not among them. One dish stays secret until the day.

The traditional tasting tour: six stops in the old town, from lamb soup to fermented shark, drinks included.

★ 4.8 · 3 hours · from $144

Explore the traditional food tasting tour → Tour details

What else do Icelanders eat in February 2027?

Cream buns on Bolludagur (8 February) and salted lamb with split pea soup on Sprengidagur (9 February), both inside Thorri this year.

Lent starts on 10 February in 2027, so two food days fall inside Thorri. On Bolludagur, the Monday before Ash Wednesday, it's cream buns filled with jam and cream and topped with chocolate. The next day, Sprengidagur (Bursting Day, 9 February 2027), is for saltkjot og baunir: salted meat with split pea soup.

A February trip lets you eat the whole run: thorramatur on the weekend, a cream bun on Monday, pea soup on Tuesday.

Is a food tour worth it in January and February?

Yes, if you dress for it. The Reykjavik Food Walk runs every day and the traditional tasting tour runs in all weather. Wear a warm layer and shoes with grip for the walks between stops.

The Reykjavik Food Walk runs every day, according to the operator, and the traditional tasting tour says it operates in all weather. Between stops you walk outside, so wear a warm layer, gloves and shoes with grip.

Every tour on this site cancels for a full refund up to 24 hours ahead, which helps when a winter storm rolls in. For more on the dishes, read our guide to Icelandic food.

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