Íslendingadagurinn: July 31st to August 3rd, 2026
- Icelandic Roots
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
By Greg McNeill
Icelandic Roots will once again be at Íslendingadagurinn in Gimli, Manitoba, during the weekend of July 31st to August 3rd, 2026. Come join the festivities and learn more about your Icelandic genealogy!!!
Íslendingadagurinn translates to “Day of the Icelanders” and has a similar mission to Icelandic Roots in promoting and sustaining interest in Icelandic culture and descent.
It is the second-oldest continuous ethnic festival in North America. It was first held in Winnipeg in 1890, before it moved to Gimli, Manitoba, where it has been held annually for close to 100 years.
Icelandic Roots will be hosting a FREE presentation and genealogy workshop on Sunday, August 2nd. We will also host a table providing genealogy at the Cultural Pavillion in Gimli Park on Sunday, Aug 2nd and Monday, Aug 3rd.
Book Launch: Leirarskotta: Memoirs of an Icelandic Immigrant Ghost
We will host a book launch featuring Doreen Borgford McFarlane’s book, Leirarskotta: Memoirs of an Icelandic Immigrant Ghost.
Doreen is a member of the Icelandic Roots writing team, and her husband Eigil is a genealogist with Icelandic Roots. Doreen's family is originally from the Riverton area, where her book is set.
Doreen will talk about Leirárskotta: Memoirs of an Icelandic Immigrant Ghost, a captivating book that traces the journey of a girl ghost who followed the Borgfjord family for eight generations. Discovered through a 2003 university lecture, the ghost accompanied the author’s great-grandparents during their 1886 immigration to Canada.
Genealogy Workshop
Are you ready to embark on an extraordinary journey with your Icelandic Roots? Unlock
more to your story and that of your ancestors like never before.
Immediately following the presentation, the genealogy workshop will begin with an overview of the Icelandic Roots database and how attendees can log on and navigate through the database. The Icelandic Roots team will guide you as you dive into our extensive database.
Discover ancestral farms, uncover the sagas and how they connect to your story, track the ships and other family members, plus much more from the Emigration Team. With our unique mapping feature, you can trace their exact routes and the original farms they lived at in Iceland.
Find your famous ancestors and discover unknown cousins through our relationship calculator. Genealogists and Icelandic Roots volunteers will be on hand at this informal session on Sunday to help answer any of your questions.
The Icelandic Roots Genealogy Workshop is FREE and open to the public and our supporting members. It is a popular event during the festival. We strongly encourage interested people to pre-register, as we expect to fill the meeting space once again this year.
Please register at: IR Genealogy Workshop. With registration, you will gain access to the Icelandic Roots database for the rest of the day after the workshop has finished. Bring your personal device (e.g., tablet or laptop) to this session. A smartphone will work but does not showcase the full breadth of the Icelandic Roots database as well as a tablet or laptop.
If you cannot make the presentation or genealogy workshop, stop by and say hello at the Icelandic Roots table in the Cultural Pavilion in Gimli Park Sunday, Aug 2nd and Monday, Aug 3rd. Volunteers will share some highlights of the Icelandic Roots genealogy database, find your family, and answer any questions about the work we do and the information that is available to you after you join the Icelandic Roots community.
We can't wait for you to uncover the stories that make up your family history and see you in Gimli!
Visit the Íslendingadagurinn site at the Icelandic Festival of Manitoba.
