Laufey created a ‘third space’ with her annual fan event, ‘A Very Laufey Day.’ Then it exploded

Laufey created a ‘third space’ with her annual fan event, ‘Laufey-day" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="185504" data-entity-type="event">A Very Laufey Day.’ Then it exploded 1 of 5 | Musician Laufey describes how she created “Laufey-day" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="185504" data-entity-type="event">A Very Laufey Day,” saying the annual global fan event began as a way to encourage connection through music and community. (Aug. 14) 2 of 5 | Laufey speaks about her annual global event, “Laufey-day" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="185504" data-entity-type="event">A Very Laufey Day,” in New York. The Icelandic recording artist said the event, which now spans 75 cities across 25 countries, was created to encourage fans to explore arts and cultural spaces while connecting with one another in person. (Aug. 14) 3 of 5 | Laufey performs during iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball in Philadelphia, Dec. 15, 2025. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) 4 of 5 | Laufey accepts the award for best traditional pop vocal album for “A Matter of Time” at the 68th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) 5 of 5 | Laufey appears at Billboard’s Women in Music event in Los Angeles, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) 1 of 5 Musician Laufey describes how she created “Laufey-day" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="185504" data-entity-type="event">A Very Laufey Day,” saying the annual global fan event began as a way to encourage connection through music and community. (Aug. 14) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 2 of 5 Laufey speaks about her annual global event, “Laufey-day" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="185504" data-entity-type="event">A Very Laufey Day,” in New York. The Icelandic recording artist said the event, which now spans 75 cities across 25 countries, was created to encourage fans to explore arts and cultural spaces while connecting with one another in person. (Aug. 14) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 3 of 5 | Laufey performs during iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball in Philadelphia, Dec. 15, 2025. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) 3 of 5 Laufey performs during iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball in Philadelphia, Dec. 15, 2025. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 4 of 5 | Laufey accepts the award for best traditional pop vocal album for “A Matter of Time” at the 68th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) 4 of 5 Laufey accepts the award for best traditional pop vocal album for “A Matter of Time” at the 68th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, Feb. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share 5 of 5 | Laufey appears at Billboard’s Women in Music event in Los Angeles, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) 5 of 5 Laufey appears at Billboard’s Women in Music event in Los Angeles, April 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] New York (AP) — It was 2023 when Laufey, the Icelandic singer-songwriter known for her neoclassical jazz-pop, decided to create a global fan event. Her second album, “Bewitched,” was soon to be released and she wanted to do something big to celebrate it. But more than that, she says, she “wanted to find a way to get my fans out of their homes, and to really follow an itinerary of my perfect idea of a day and have the music from ‘Bewitched’ follow it.” And thus, “Laufey-day" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="185504" data-entity-type="event">A Very Laufey Day” was born. Each year, the Grammy-winning singer curates itineraries for different locations across the globe for her listeners to follow. It’s “anywhere I have been and loved,” she says. It allows them to live what she refers to as “a perfect day,” but also to connect with their community offline and in person. And as she approaches its fourth edition, it has only grown larger. “It became much bigger than I anticipated, really,” she says. She sought to inspire her audience to find “third spaces,” and explore some of her favorite locales: museums, bookstores, cafes, concerts and the like, and foster community in the process. And each year, it has only grown bigger, with fans dressing up in their favorite Laufey-themed vintage fashions to celebrate the unofficial holiday.And Aug. 23 will mark the fourth annual “Laufey-day" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="185504" data-entity-type="event">A Very Laufey Day.” “It is a fun puzzle every year,” she says. ‘Laufey-day" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="185504" data-entity-type="event">A Very Laufey Day’ 2026This year, “Laufey-day" class="entity-link entity-event" data-entity-id="185504" data-entity-type="event">A Very Laufey Day” will include experiences in 75 cities across 25 countries, centering on the theme of “A Celebration of the Arts.”Those include performances spanning symphony orchestras, ballet, jazz, opera and theater as well as events with libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, yogurt/ice cream shops and more. Her concert film “A Night at the Symphony: Hollywood Bowl” will be screened at select theaters. And she’s partnered with many museums around the world, including New York City’s Guggenheim, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, London’s Tate Modern and National Gallery, Chile’s Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Seoul’s Daelim Museum and more. At some participating businesses, fans will be able to acquire limited edition merchandise and Laufey-themed specialty drinks.“This year it was really about focusing on the arts and culture and finding ways to bring this barrier of entry down between my audience — which is mostly Gen Z and Gen A — and these kind of so-called high cultural experiences,” she says. “Whether it’s going to see an orchestra show … museums or galleries, we really want to find ways to connect with those institutions.” Some of these spaces can be intimidating for younger fans, and Laufey says this year was all about making these rooms, some of her favorites, inviting to her audience. “It doesn’t have to be this scary thing. And so, I’ve kind of made it my life’s mission to make spaces like that fun and accessible,” she says. Maria Sherman is the music reporter at The Associated Press. She is based in New York City.