A Diva party for queer women will be held at restaurant Iðnó at Vonarstræti 3 in Reykjavík on Saturday, March 12th. A group of women decided to throw a fancy dinner party and dance to shake things up. If it becomes a success the party might even become a regular event.
“We got the idea to organize the dinner last autumn when we were chatting about how queer women never go out but will instead often invite each other for dinner, at home on weekends,” says Katrín Jónsdóttir, one of the organizers of a fancy party for queer women.
“So we decided that something needed to be done to shake things up and we decided to organize a big dinner in nice surroundings in central Reykjavik where women could gather to eat something tasty and enjoy each other‘s company. Like a family gathering.”
The dinner party and dance, which is labelled Diva party or “Dívu gleði”, will be held on Saturday in a beautiful restaurant called Iðnó which is situated by Tjörnin, the pond in central Reykjavik. Until the end of the 20th century Iðnó was the building of Reykjavík‘s city theater where president Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was director when she was elected president in 1980.
“Which is one of the reasons why we thought that symbolically it is an important venue,” says Katrín.
The program for the evening will be packed with all kinds of entertainment; cellist Sigurlaug Arngrímsdóttir will play a few songs, historian Íris Ellenberger will give a speech on the lesbian history of Iceland, and afterwards DJ Vigdís will spin some records for the guests. Host of the evening is Ásdís Óladóttir.
The dinner itself consists of a three course meal. Either: Tiger shrimps and scallops with ginger, chili and koriander as a starter. A fillet of lamb with root vegetables, parmesan potatoes and thyme sauce as a main course. A white and dark chocolate mousse, with almond crust and strawberries for dessert. Or, for those that go for a vegetarian option: A mushroom risotto with apples and walnuts as a starter. A vegetarian canneloni with tomatoes and camember as a main course. And a white and dark chocolate mousse, with almond crust and strawberries for dessert.
“You are allowed to show up in your torn jeans, there is space for everyone. The main thing is that you find your inner diva, join the celebrations and enjoy your time.”
Katrín says that this is of course not the first time that queer women come together for a special women only event in Iceland. “A group called Women with women or “Konur með konum” has, for example, organized an annual lesbian party called “Góugleði”, for many years, but that event hasn‘t been held for years now. The same group also organizes camping trips for women in the summer and family celebrations before Christmas, so the lesbian community is like one big family.”
However, Katrín goes on to say that the organizers of the Diva party decided to put more emphasize on glamour – which in a way is in accordance with how they themselves like to plan a night out. “The of four of us who are planning the Diva party, that is Arndís Björg Sigurgeirsdóttir, Ásdís Óladóttir, Guðbjörg Ottósdóttir and myself, are all old enough to have lost interest in going to the bar every weekend. We prefer quality over quantity. To go out not so often but do it in a fancy way when we party. Less is more, that‘s the thought.”
But even though the dinner party is supposed to be fancy Katrín underlines that there are no requirements regarding clothing. “You are allowed to show up in your torn jeans, there is space for everyone. The main thing is that you find your inner diva, join the celebrations and enjoy your time,” she says and adds that the organizers are really hoping for good participation.
“We desperately want to re-organize it again in the autumn but that depends on the participation and financial outcome. We don‘t want any profits but we don‘t want any losses either.”
“We prefer quality over quantity, to go out not so often but do it in a fancy way when we party. Less is more, that‘s the thought.”
Tickets for the dinner are sold out. The house opens at 19PM. Dinner starts at 20PM. Happy hour is between 22 – 23PM. The dance starts at 23PM.Those who only want to attend the dance can buy tickets for 2.000 ISK at the door.
More info here.
