Ice cream festival sets attendance record as pâté flavour fails

Kjörís’ annual ice cream festival drew its biggest crowd yet in Hveragerði on Saturday, according to mbl.is. The festival grounds quickly became packed despite being significantly expanded from last year, Kjörís said in a statement.

The exact number of visitors has not yet been counted, but the company said it was clear that an attendance record had been broken.

Visitors were able to sample a wide range of ice creams, from classic flavours to new and unusual combinations. This year’s additions included matcha latte ice cream, hot honey ice cream with pecans, beer ice cream with Smash pieces and pâté ice cream.

The hot honey flavour appeared to be particularly popular. It is a chilli ice cream with honey and strong seasoning.

The pâté ice cream, however, received a less enthusiastic response, making it unlikely to go on sale.

The festival is part of Blómstrandi dagar, an event in Hveragerði, and also gives Kjörís an opportunity to test new products and collect feedback from consumers. The Íþróttaálfurinn character also attended and helped entertain the crowd.

Traffic entering Hveragerði generally moved well considering the size of the festival. A temporary queue formed down Kambar and up Hellisheiði, but traffic was otherwise reported to be moving smoothly, according to the statement.