Stop for the red hearts

The hearts in the traffic lights have undoubtedly caught the attention of visitors to Akureyri and have secured a permanent place in the hearts of the town’s residents.

The story of the hearts dates back to 2008. That summer, the annual festival "Ein með öllu" underwent significant changes to become a more family-oriented event. One initiative to emphasize the festival’s values was the installation of red hearts in the traffic lights, which was met with great enthusiasm.

Later that fall, the financial crisis caused significant hardships in the community, and there was a recognized need to spread positivity and optimism. With this in mind, Akureyrarstofa and the company Ásprent-Stíll collaborated to spread positive messages as widely as possible and encourage participation. The campaign was called “Smile with Your Heart” and saw tremendous engagement.

The hearts were an instant success, as were the quotes and sayings encouraging optimism and positivity. Many businesses and institutions even decorated their walls with these motivational messages.

In late November of the same year, a large red, beating heart appeared on Mt. Vaðlaheiði. The heart roughly the size of a football field was the brilliant idea of the company Rafeyri, with assistance from other companies such as Bechromal, RARIK, and Norðurorka. The heart would beat annually from late November, at the start of Advent, until April. It also lit up during Akureyrarvaka, the town’s birthday celebration on the last weekend of August. Although the heart on Vaðlaheiði has been inactive for some years, there is hope it will shine again.

Taking photos of the hearts in the traffic lights has become so popular that a special selfie traffic light has been installed in a safe location (away from traffic) near Hof Cultural house, with a picturesque background featuring the church. See its location here. This allows photographers to safely capture their memories.

In 2020, a new red heart was added to the southern end of the pedestrian street, near Hafnarstræti 91. This installation was organized by the Town Center Association in collaboration with Akureyri Municipality. The idea is for people to stop, take photos with the heart, and share them on social media.

Those who take pictures of the hearts in Akureyri are encouraged to tag their photos with the hashtags #heartsofakureyri and #loveakureyri.