Iceland's only international HEMA tournament returns for fourth edition
Iceland’s only international HEMA tournament will return to Reykjavík on July 25-26, with longsword, saber and sidesword drawing travelers to its fourth edition.
Keppinautur 2026 will run July 25-26 at Breiðholtsskóli, Arnarbakki 1-3, in Reykjavík, giving Iceland’s only international HEMA tournament a fourth annual edition and a fixed place on the summer calendar. The schedule listed by Sigi Forge runs from 9:00 a.m. on July 25 to 6:00 p.m. on July 26.
That matters in a country where the tournament scene is small and every overseas visit carries more weight than it would in larger HEMA hubs. The Reykjavík HEMA Club is pushing the event as a capital-area fixture and is telling competitors to book flights, secure accommodation and clean their gear well before the weekend. Its Instagram post says registrations close July 4 and notes that some spaces are still open.
The weapon lineup gives the event a broader draw than a single-weapon meet. Keppinautur 2026 will feature longsword, saber and sidesword, a spread that covers the core competitive spectrum from the larger technical fields of longsword to the faster, cut-heavy pace of saber and the line-and-blade control of sidesword. For visiting fencers, that mix creates a more efficient trip: one weekend, multiple categories, and a chance to test across distinct rule sets without leaving Iceland.
The tournament’s return also marks how far the brand has moved since its earlier incarnations. A Sigi Forge listing for Keppinautur - 12-16 year olds describes a beginner-friendly longsword charity tournament capped at 24 participants and calls it the second Icelandic HEMA tournament for adults, a reminder of how limited the local competition scene once was. Another listing shows Keppinautur 2024 ran March 22-24, confirming that the event has already established a multi-year rhythm.
Now the focus is no longer on whether Iceland can stage a tournament at all, but on whether it can keep one connected to the wider European circuit year after year. With Reykjavík as the host city, a published registration deadline, and a three-weapon format built to appeal beyond one club, Keppinautur 2026 looks less like a novelty and more like part of the HEMA season.
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