--- title: Secret Solstice 2018: Iceland's Annual Sunlight Festival description: The Secret Solstice festival in Reykjavik celebrates the 96 straight hours of sunlight Iceland's capital city experiences each year. canonical: https://time.com/5248508/secret-solstice-2018-iceland-sunlight-festival/ author: Megan McCluskey article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-04-24T12:00:38.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:17.193Z og:title: Celebrate 96 Hours of Sunlight at Secret Solstice Festival og:description: Experience the summer solstice in Reykjavik og:url: https://time.com/5248508/secret-solstice-2018-iceland-sunlight-festival/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b6b11da687f75ae/69892e45bc6cfc542f3e5bd0/secret-solstice-festival.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: Secret Solstice Music Festival 2014 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Celebrate 96 Hours of Sunlight at Secret Solstice Festival twitter:description: Experience the summer solstice in Reykjavik twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b6b11da687f75ae/69892e45bc6cfc542f3e5bd0/secret-solstice-festival.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Celebrate 96 Hours of Straight Sunlight at Iceland's Secret Solstice Festival > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2fcdeef1-d6ca-4fb9-8344-f538205d2fe5&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=2fcdeef1-d6ca-4fb9-8344-f538205d2fe5&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=2fcdeef1-d6ca-4fb9-8344-f538205d2fe5&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: What to Know About the Longest Day of the Year [Watch (HLS stream): What to Know About the Longest Day of the Year](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hcrZvI2T.m3u8) (2:31)  _Published 2018-06-20. Your guide to the summer solstice._  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Apr 24, 2018 12:00 PM UTC  A general view of crowd atmosphere during Secret Solstice Music Festival 2014 on June 22, 2014 in Reykjavik, Iceland. A general view of crowd atmosphere during Secret Solstice Music Festival 2014 on June 22, 2014 in Reykjavik, Iceland. Matthew Eisman/Redferns via Getty Images  by [Megan McCluskey](https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/)  ## Megan McCluskey Staff Writer Apr 24, 2018 12:00 PM UTC The Secret Solstice festival in [Reykjavik](http://time.com/5070112/best-holiday-travel-places/) celebrates the 96 straight hours of sunlight [Iceland’s capital city](http://time.com/money/5033571/10-trips-everyone-should-take-lifetime-tripadvisor/) experiences each year at the [start of summer](http://time.com/4370905/first-summer-solstice-2016/). And with a top-notch musical lineup and attractions like a lava tunnel and a party-within-an-actual-glacier, the 2018 celebration is shaping up to be quite the experience. Thanks to an Arctic phenomenon called the [midnight sun](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnight%5Fsun), Reykjavik will have four days of continuous sunlight from June 21-24, a period of time when tourists and locals alike can take advantage of the extra hours of daylight by attending the fifth annual Secret Solstice festival. [Secret Solstice 2018](http://secretsolstice.is) will feature performances from a variety of of international and Icelandic artists—including Slayer, Stormzy, Gucci Mane and Bonnie Tyler—and attractions that let attendees experience Iceland’s natural beauty, such as a [tour](http://secretsolstice.is/the-lava-tunnel-2018/) of a 5,000-year-old lava tunnel and a [party](http://secretsolstice.is/into-the-glacier-2018/) inside Europe’s second largest glacier. [Standard passes](http://secretsolstice.is/book-now/) for the weekend are available for the multi-stage festival for around $215\. However, for all those high rollers out there, there is also a six-person, all-expenses-included ticket option that can be purchased for the tidy sum of $1 million. This luxury package includes everything from transportation in a private jet to daily access to a glam squad to a VIP yacht party to a helicopter tour over the glaciers and volcanoes of South Iceland. The choice is yours. Secret Solstice 2018 runs from June 21-24. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5248508/secret-solstice-2018-iceland-sunlight-festival/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5248508/secret-solstice-2018-iceland-sunlight-festival/"},"headline":"Celebrate 96 Hours of Straight Sunlight at Iceland's Secret Solstice Festival","datePublished":"2018-04-24T12:00:38.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:47:17.193Z","description":"Experience the summer solstice in Reykjavik","url":"https://time.com/5248508/secret-solstice-2018-iceland-sunlight-festival/","keywords":["Newsfeed","festivals","Music","Iceland"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b6b11da687f75ae/69892e45bc6cfc542f3e5bd0/secret-solstice-festival.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Megan McCluskey","jobTitle":"Staff Writer","url":"https://time.com/author/megan-mccluskey/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4b6b11da687f75ae/69892e45bc6cfc542f3e5bd0/secret-solstice-festival.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Secret Solstice Music Festival 2014","caption":"Secret Solstice Music Festival 2014","creditText":"Matthew Eisman/Redferns via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5248508/secret-solstice-2018-iceland-sunlight-festival/","name":"Celebrate 96 Hours of Straight Sunlight at Iceland's Secret Solstice Festival"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"What to Know About the Longest Day of the Year","description":"Your guide to the summer solstice.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/hcrZvI2T/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-06-20T20:12:39.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/hcrZvI2T.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5248508/secret-solstice-2018-iceland-sunlight-festival/","duration":"PT2M31S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5248508/secret-solstice-2018-iceland-sunlight-festival/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```