Ari Eldjárn expects 100,000th guest at New Year show

Ticket sales have opened for many of Iceland’s major Christmas shows even though summer is barely over, with comedian Ari Eldjárn potentially welcoming his 100,000th audience member to his New Year comedy show this year, mbl.is reports.

The Christmas season has long been lucrative for entertainers and musicians, as many people consider attending such shows part of the holiday celebrations.

Eldjárn will stage Áramótaskop at Háskólabíói for the 10th year this December. The performances there have now reached 106, in addition to around 50 shows elsewhere in Iceland. Eldjárn estimates that about 90,000 people have attended his shows at Háskólabíói since they began, meaning the 100,000th guest could arrive this year.

He told Morgunblaðið that when he began the project, he hoped it would become an annual tradition. As a child, he made New Year comedy sketches with his friend Grímur, recording 15-minute videos presenting their view of the year that had passed.

After Eldjárn staged a show with British comedian Bill Bailey in Iceland in 2016, the idea emerged of creating a show featuring Eldjárn at Háskólabíói. By coincidence, Dylan Moran, the other half of the Black Books comedy duo, will be brought to Iceland in October to mark the show’s 10th anniversary.

Eldjárn’s first season consisted of four performances, rising to nine the following year. Since then, there have usually been between 12 and 14 performances each year. This year, six shows at Háskólabíói and seven elsewhere in Iceland have already been announced.

Eldjárn said he has no plans to stop soon and believes he has at least five more years of Áramótaskop ahead of him. He said comedians generally have longer careers than footballers and tend to hit their stride around the age of 30. He may reconsider when he turns 50 in 2031.

Others have also built long-running careers in the Christmas entertainment business. The group Baggalútur will hold its Christmas concerts for the 20th time this year, although arrangements for the capital region have not yet been announced. At its peak, the group sold out 16 concerts, but sales have slowed as competition has increased in recent years.

Sóli Hólm is selling tickets rapidly for shows at Bæjarbíó in Hafnarfjörður. He set a personal record last year by selling out 41 performances of Jóli Hólm, attended by nearly 11,000 people. This year, 31 performances have gone on sale, with more likely to be added as in previous years. It is the fifth year of Jóla Hólm, and organisers expect the total audience to pass 50,000 this year.

Emmsjé Gauti will stage Julevenner at ÍR-heimilið, with three performances and one family show. Tickets for the main performances cost between 10,990 and 15,990 Icelandic krónur.

The so-called Three Wise Men, Jógvan Hansen, Friðrik Ómar Hjörleifsson and Eyþór Ingi Gunnlaugsson, will perform 13 shows at Silfurberg in Harpa. Tickets there cost 14,999 Icelandic krónur. They will also give five performances at Hof in Akureyri, where the most expensive tickets cost 15,999 Icelandic krónur.