Klapparstígur – Ghosts of Bar Sirkus

In the heart of Reykjavik, on Klapparstígur street, you stand in front of a building that once housed Sirkus, a legendary bar and a haven for art and madness.

In daylight, you might see only an empty lot or a modern cafe, but as night approaches, the noisy laughter of history echoes at this corner. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Bar Sirkus was a republic of dreams for Björk and her generation of musicians and artists. The walls were splashed with colorful graffiti, and circus lanterns hung from the ceiling; music never stopped here. Björk herself would sometimes take over the DJ booth, spinning her favorite records; other times, she’d merge into the crowd and dance freely. Under neon lights, amidst clouds of cigarette smoke and laughter, young Björk’s laughter and energy infused the bar’s spirit.

Sirkus was such a place that any ordinary night could transform a visitor into part of an art performance. On the small stage in the corner, impromptu poetry readings took place, experimental punk music played, and crazy friendships were formed at the bar counter—all under the roof of this small bar. It was in this free-spirited atmosphere that Björk and her friends sowed the seeds of new projects, drawing courage from each other to shatter traditional musical molds. The first sparks of the Sugarcubes band, formed on the same day as the birth of Björk’s son Sindri, might have struck at one of Sirkus’s back tables.

As time flowed, the wooden building of Sirkus Bar eventually closed and was dismantled, but its soul did not fade from Reykjavik nights. Today, a traveler pausing at 30 Klapparstígur might strain their imagination to hear the old music still playing behind the walls. A distant bass rhythm carried by the wind or a shadowy figure emerging in the yellow streetlamp light might seem like a wink from Björk’s youth. As you stand on this quiet pavement, your heart may beat faster—you might feel a part of that creative madness without even realizing it. This corner of Reykjavik continues to host a circus of memories beyond what meets the eye.