On August 23, New York City’s West Side steps into Laufeyland thanks to Candlelight: A Very Laufey Day in NYC.
It’s a swooning tribute concert that coincides with ‘A Very Laufey Day’, a global fan celebration of Icelandic-Chinese singer-songwriter Laufey. The Grammy-winning artist is behind “From The Start” and “Madwoman,” whose star-studded music video features Heated Rivalry’s Hudson Williams. For NYC’s Laufey Day finale, the concert will take over the New York Society for Ethical Culture, a landmarked Viennese Secessionist Art Nouveau hall just steps from Central Park.
Bookshops, scavenger hunts and live music sets: How ‘A Very Laufey Day’ began
Returning August 23, 2026, A Very Laufey Day began in 2023 when the release of Bewitched sparked an L.A. celebration of scavenger hunts, coffee stops, and a live acoustic set. What started as a playful album moment soon grew into an annual international event reaching Paris, London, Boston, and New York City.
The appeal lies in dreamy city routes connecting indie bookshops, record-store listening sessions, vintage thrift events, matcha counters, and library meetups—all framed by Laufeyland’s signature bows, cardigans, hair ribbons, old films, and reading groups. Musically, it mirrors Laufey’s blend of jazz, classical composition, bossa nova, and pop, driven by songs of wit, longing, insecurity, and romantic misfires.
In the U.S., the 2026 edition also extends into libraries through Laufey’s official collaboration with the American Library Association. Participating systems can begin issuing Laufey Book Club-branded library cards on August 23, carrying the celebration into Library Card Sign-Up Month in September.
Tell me more about Candlelight: A Very Laufey Day concert in NYC
When evening arrives, Candlelight x Laufey: A Very Laufey Day takes over as NYC’s official finale to the celebration. Thousands of candles transform the room into a soft field of light, while Laufey’s jazz-pop melodies and classical instincts are reshaped for an intimate acoustic setting. The setlist includes fan favourites such as “Valentine,” “Let You Break My Heart Again” and “Beautiful Stranger,” recast for string quartet beneath the candlelight.
Laufey will not perform live at this concert. Instead, local classical musicians perform string-quartet arrangements of her songs, bringing out the tension between elegance and emotional messiness that defines so much of her work. Tenderness sits beside awkwardness; cinematic romance gives way to something more confessional. The scale is refined, but the feelings stay close.
The New York Society for Ethical Culture: One of NYC’s rare Art Nouveau landmarks
The New York Society for Ethical Culture has been part of Central Park West for over a century. Completed in 1910 by architect Robert D. Kohn, it’s one of New York’s rare examples of Vienna Secessionist Art Nouveau architecture: a monumental limestone building shaped by muscular geometric forms, restrained ornament and a striking triple-arched window arrangement.
Under thousands of candles, that architectural restraint becomes part of the atmosphere. The pale stone, high arches, stained-glass windows and concentrated, inward-looking room make an apt setting for string-quartet versions of Laufey songs—romantic, refined and a little bit melancholy.
Candlelight x Laufey tribute comes to just 10 global cities including NYC
New York is one of only 10 initial cities chosen for this official collaboration, joining London, Paris, Seoul, Berlin, Melbourne, and a select group of other global hosts. With so few venues and concerts designed around intimate capacities, tickets are strictly limited.
Everything you need to know about this Candlelight tribute to Laufey in NYC
📍 Venue: The New York Society for Ethical Culture, 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West, New York, NY 10023
📅 Date: Sunday, August 23
🎻 Concert: A candlelit string-quartet tribute to Laufey, featuring songs including “Valentine,” “Let You Break My Heart Again” and “Beautiful Stranger.”
♿ Accessibility: Specific seating zones are ADA accessible. The venue has ramp and elevator access, but some auditorium sections, including the balcony and mezzanine, require stairs; contact the venue or check the ticketing page to arrange assistance.
🎟️ Tickets: From $32
Candlelight x Laufey: A Very Laufey Day gives NYC a finale that feels tailored to the city: romantic without losing its edge, elegant without becoming distant. Between the Art Nouveau setting, the glow of thousands of candles and Laufey’s songs reworked for live strings, the evening turns Central Park West into the closing scene of A Very Laufey Day.