See the Lava Show – hot indoor experience in Vík and Reykjavik

Are you looking for a family-friendly, thrilling, educational indoor activity in Iceland? Then the Lava Show is just perfect. Initially set up in the beautiful village of Vík, the Lava show has also opened in Reykjavik. I am delighted to offer my readers a discount promo code for this unique experience in Vík and Reykjavik. Sign up for the Stuck in Iceland Newsletter and receive a discount promo code for the Lava Show and dozens of other top-rated experiences, car rental, and camper van rental.

Melting lava at extreme temperatures

The Lava show is the brainchild of the indomitable couple Ragnhildur Ágústsdóttir and Júlíus Jónsson. As the twist of faith would have it, Ragnhildur, or Ragga as she is often called, is my boss at the leading pharma supply chain platform provider Controlant. That is how Iceland usually works.

Everybody should be able to enjoy a bit of lava in Iceland.

The idea for the Lava Show came to Ragnhildur and Júlíus when they observed the small eruption at Fimmvörðuháls in the winter of 2010. It featured a lot of lava flow that hit ice and snow and created many beautiful visuals. And this interplay of volcanic eruptions with ice and snow inspired them. The eruption became a magnet for people, and the scene became quite chaotic. It became their vision that everybody should be able to experience the intensity of lava up close.

Melting lava in Reykjavik

Júlíus and Ragga opened their unique exhibition in the town of Vík in 2018. Right from the start, the exhibition was a success. I must admit I was surprised that this worked. You see, at the Lava Show, they melt lava at extreme temperatures. It is crazy, and it is fascinating. But I was proven wrong, and now Lava Show melts lava in Reykjavik for your enjoyment. Perhaps most importantly, The Lava Show is a great way to introduce kids to geology and physics.

The exhibitions in Vík and Reykjavík start with an educational video about volcanic eruptions worldwide and in Iceland. The videos are different; the video in Vík is, to a large degree, dedicated to Júlíus’ great-grandfather, who had a close call when he had to run away on his horse from the massive flooding when the monster volcano Katla erupted in 1918. He was a young farmer rounding up sheep when he noticed a 20-meter-high wall of water and icebergs coming at him and his group at high speed. They kicked their horses in high gear and made it to a hill, but their sheep did not. For many local farmers, the eruption was a disaster; it destroyed fertile land, killed much livestock, and destroyed some farms. But miraculously, no human died. This thrilling story is told engagingly in the video shown at Vík.

Educational videos

The video shown in the exhibition in Reykjavik focuses on the fact that Iceland is the world’s most volcanically active island. Iceland sits on top of a mantle plume that rises from the magma in the Earth’s core. This results in Iceland having 32 volcanic systems with 130 active volcanoes. Eighteen have erupted since the (historically recorded settlement of Iceland in the ninth century. There have been a thousand years since lava flowed in Reykjavik, but now it is doing so again.

An exhibition to teach how lava works in the real world.

On the face of it, the Icelandic Lava Show is simple. It demonstrates how you melt rocks, turn them into lava and run it over a block of ice. The lava bubbles run, bubble, and harden in black obsidian-like material. But the host will interactively educate you about why the lava behaves as it does and demonstrate how volcanic eruptions and lava flow work in the real world.

The Lava Show in Reykjavik is in a significant part of the town

The Lava Show in Reykjavik is situated in the so-called Grandi area on the western edge of Reykjavik. It used to be a rather dreary part of town, but it has been completely remade. So Grandi is now a vibrant area full of design shops, restaurants, and other tourist attractions. Close by are Elding and Whales of Iceland, also my partners.

Living under the shadow of Katla in Vík

The town of Vík lives under the shadow of the volcano Katla. Should Katla erupt, the entire area around the village of Vík is in great danger from flash flooding. Iceland is probably one of the most geologically active places in the world. The Lava show in Vík is an essential stop on the South Coast of Iceland. It is located in the village of Vík, which is famous for its neighboring Reynisfjara black beach and Dyrhólaey promontory. The nearby glaciers of Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull are famous for tours. Vík is also close to the Sólheimajökull glacier, where there are many exciting glacier tours. Please check out the Iceland south coast road trip plan for further information.

There is a lot of excellent accommodation in and near the village of Vík. Use the Hotel Deal Finder from Booking.com below to get great deals on hotel rooms or lodges.

How to get to the family-friendly Lava Show in Vík

Drive on highway 1 in Reykjavik to the village of Vík. The drive from Reykjavik should take you about two and a half hours.

Finding the Lava Show in Reykjavik

The Lava Show is in the western edge of Reykjavik.