This Year, Iceland Airwaves is a Direct Flight

Iceland might be bankrupt, but Iceland Airwaves survives. The new music festival is just two weeks away, running October 14-18, and tickets are...sold out. (Peanuts AUGH!) Here is the lineup you'll be missing unless you have tickets already.

It's not too early to start planning for next year, so you don't end up in a similar situation. The big change is that Icelandair flies direct to Reykjavik (Keflavik airport) from SeaTac, so if you were to book today on your way to the festival, you could fly nonstop, roundtrip for $887. (Right now the most common low fare, one-way, is $388.)

Airwaves is known far and wide for its "intimacy," which is a way of indicating that most venues are no bigger than the Sunset Tavern or even Hopvine. The venues are all within walking distance (depending on the weather) in and around downtown Reykjavik. If my memory serves, all feature a beer called Egil's Gull and as the night progresses, some terrifically hammered Icelanders. Ambulances collect those struck down by alcohol poisoning.

For convenience's sake, I can recommend the Hotel Borg, which is centrally located. There are plenty of other hotel options. Just know that nothing in Reykjavik is even slightly inexpensive, and that goes for the hotels, too. Also, the tomatoes are grown hydroponically, and taste like it.