Icelandic Lava Show: A Hidden Gem in Reykjavik, Iceland

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Considering visiting the Icelandic Lava Show? Here are my honest thoughts on the experience and everything you need to know before you go.

There are many choices when it comes to unique things to do in Iceland. You can see hot water erupting from the earth, walk on Europe’s largest glacier, admire playful seals and clumsy puffins, and see real icebergs floating in a lagoon. But Iceland isn’t called the land of fire and ice for nothing. You can also get up close and personal with volcanoes. 

Iceland is one of the most volcanic places in Europe. The county has 11 volcanoes and over 50 significant eruptions in the last 1200 years. On average, the island has an eruption every 5 years, which has led people to become somewhat fascinated by the prospect of witnessing this natural event. 

Of course, seeing a volcanic eruption isn’t easy. It’s incredibly hot, very dangerous, and also just difficult to get to, especially if the volcanoes are up in the highlands. But it was from this curiosity that the lava show was born. 

Today, it’s the only live lava show in the world and a place where you can witness molten lava flowing at over 1000°C without fear of losing a limb!

How Iceland’s Lava Show Began

The Icelandic Lava Show began in a small town called Vik along the south coast. Despite being so small, it’s commonly known as the capital of the south because it’s the largest town in that area. It’s also a great place to base yourself when exploring the south of Iceland. 

It all started in 2010 when husband and wife Júlíus and Ragnhildur noticed how fascinated everyone was with the Fimmvörðuháls and Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption. 

This is the most famous eruption in Iceland in recent years, partly because it completely closed the airspace over Europe for 8 days, and partly because of its record-breaking 200-meter high lava fall. 

A lava fall is basically a waterfall made of lava. And this one was particularly spectacular because it was so high.

Have you ever visited Skogafoss along the south coast? Well, that is 60 meters tall. So, just imagine 3.5 Skogafoss stacked on top of each other and this was the height of the Eyjafjallajökull lava fall.

It was this that sparked the idea and, despite many people doubting a show like this was even possible, the Lava Show was born in Vik in 2018.

Where is the Icelandic Lava Show

Today, the original venue in Vik still exists, but it’s been so successful, that they’ve been able to open a second venue in Reykjavik in 2022. 

This is located near the Whales of Iceland Museum, a 30-minute walk from the beautiful Hallgrimskirkja Church in the city centre. You can also get there by public transport in about 15 minutes or by car in 9. Parking outside the venue is free but first-come-first-serve. 

We were staying slightly outside of Reykjavik city centre, so drove to our experience and the drive was easy.

✅ Book tickets to the Lava Show in Vik or Reykjavik

What to Expect at the Lava Show in Reykjavik

We had the premium experience, so were led upstairs to a comfortable premium lounge area with colourful armchairs and a bar where we could grab our complimentary drink. I opted for the volcano cocktail, a tasty blend of vodka and grapefruit juice. 

We were then able to relax on the chairs for a while before the show began. Since we visited at the time of the 2024 volcanic eruptions near Grindavik, we were also able to watch the live monitors of the volcanoes. It was super bizarre (but also pretty cool) to see the lava bubbling away live on the screen.

When the show was about to start, we were shown to our seating area. There are two different levels of seating within the Icelandic Lava Show in Reykjavik.

The ground floor is for standard tickets and the top balcony floor is for the premium experience. This gives you a much better view of the lava show and ensures your vision isn’t blocked.

During the show

The show itself was fantastic. Our host introduced himself as Iain and first explained a little about the Lava Show’s start-up. He then gave us some really interesting history about lava and volcanoes in Iceland and taught us all how to pronounce the volcano that was the catalyst for the show: Eyjafjallajökull (ay-uh-fyat-la-yoe-kuut).

Next, he played us a quick 10-minute video about the volcanic history of Iceland. There have been several huge volcanic eruptions that have almost wiped out most of the life in Iceland and it was both interesting and terrifying to learn about these. 

We also learnt that the lava in the lava show came from a volcanic eruption of Katla volcano in 1918. During the show, it’s heated in a furnace to 1100°C and poured into the room. The next part of the show was to see this in action. 

Seeing molten lava

At this point, the lights were dimmed right down and the people in the front were asked to put on their safety goggles. Then, we could just see this bright wight light emerging from the tunnel in the middle of the showroom followed by an instant rush of heat and the lava flowed down the tunnel. 

It was mesmerising. The whole room was transfixed by the lava. Once it reached the end of the tunnel, it began to pool in at the end. Iain was able to show us what would happen if you lifted this up and created several strings of lava in the air which was really cool.

He also got a block of ice because, since a lot of Iceland’s landscapes are icy, he wanted to show us what happens when lava reacts with ice. The result was the ice cracked and the lava bubbled and spat (one of the reasons why the front row had safety glasses).

Once the lava started to cool

As the lava began to cool, Iain was also able to show us how it behaved. It soon developed this hard exterior and became much more of a silvery colour than bright red, however, just because it looked like it had cooled down doesn’t mean that it had. 

He cracked into the lava several times with a steel rod and, although the outside had developed a silvery crust, the inside was still red hot. 

He also made a mini lava tunnel to show us how lava tunnels are formed and debunked a few myths about the density of lava. It’s impossible to sink into it – so all of those movies of people drowning in lava are completely false!

Lastly, he did a Q&A at the end to answer anybody’s questions. 

✅ Book tickets to the Lava Show in Vik or Reykjavik

Behind the Scenes: The Making of Iceland’s Lava Show

After the show was over and we’d asked all of our questions, we also got a sneak peek behind the scenes. Here, we were able to see the huge furnace used to heat the lava to its incredible 1100°C. 

They also explained a little about the process used to heat the lava and how it’s cooled back down. It’s a pretty intense job that involves someone starting the furnace at 5am every morning. 

We were also able to try on the outfit used to protect people when operating the furnace. 

Finally, as part of the premium experience, we were each given a piece of Icelandic lava to take home with us as a gift. Mine is now sitting on my travel shelf as a memento of this experience. 

Final Thoughts on the Icelandic Lava Show

Overall, I think the Icelandic Lava Show is a wonderful thing to do in Iceland and highly recommend it. Not only is it the only place in the world where you can witness and learn about molten lava safely, but it’s also a very educational experience.

I learnt so much about lava and volcanoes in Iceland that I didn’t know about before. Iain was fantastic, so knowledgeable, and happy to answer any questions. Plus, seeing red hot lava running down the tunnel and feeling the instant heat hit your face is an experience that I won’t forget in a hurry. 

So, if you’re looking for a unique thing to do in the land of fire and ice, you might want to book tickets for this now, before you miss your chance.

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