Dark Mofo is one of Tasmania’s most exciting events, transforming Hobart into a hub of art, music, fire, and after-dark fun.
It celebrates dark and ancient pagan rituals, making the most of the mid-winter darkness. Expect thought-provoking performances, incredible art, and heaps of midnight madness.
Winter Feast
Spanning across the entire two-week event, the Winter Feast is a place to connect and recharge. Huddle by a warm firepit, wander past more than 75 storeholders sharing the best local produce, food and drinks, and enjoy a nightly program of live music and performances.
Winter Feast will also host guest chefs Niyati Rao, Craig Will, and Bianca and James Welsh in a collaboration combining top Tassie produce with big, bold flavours from around the world. Think wallaby wings, sea urchin in spiced broth, creamy pandan milk pudding, and more.
Nude Solstice Swim
Perhaps the festival’s most unique event, the Nude Solstice Swim is a beloved part of the Dark Mofo calendar. To celebrate the longest night of the year, brave souls will gather on the sand at Long Beach before running into the sea at Sunrise – fully nude!
If you can’t take the icy cold water, make sure to head down and watch the swim anyway. It’s always heaps of fun.
Ogoh-Ogoh Procession
Each year, attendants are invited to join a march from Parliament Lawns to Dark Park, culminating in the burning of an Ogoh-Ogoh effigy.
In 2025, the effigy will take the shape of the endangered Maugean skate – a species found only in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, near where salmon is farmed. The giant sculpture was crafted by Balinese artists, to honour the Balinese Hindu purification ritual that Ogoh-Ogoh gets its name from.
Art
Dark Park is an abandoned shipyard transformed into a nightly fun-park full of light, art, exhibitions and more. As well as being the location of the Ogoh-Ogoh burning, it will also host Dark Bar, an outdoor bar with warming drinks, live music, and red ice cream for kids.
For an Australian exclusive, head down to the park on either Thursday night to see La Danse Macabre, a video work by Claudia Comete depicting two pianists performing Saint-Saëns symphonic mediation on death, while a sculpture is consumed by flames and motocross riders jump through the blaze.
Dark Park will also host the work of First National Alaskan artist Nicholas Galanin, a 12-metre-wide neon sign reading: “I’ve written a new national anthem. Take a knee and scream until you can’t breathe.”
Make sure to also wander past Hobart Town Hall. For one performance only, Cuban performance artist Carlos Martiel will be stuck inside an hourglass slowly filling with sand.
Music
In 2025, Dark Mofo will host an all-star lineup of musical performances, with 17 Australian-exclusive acts. Leading the way is Methyl Ethel, an Australian rock band who shot to fame in 2015 with their debut album, Oh Inhuman Spectacle. They will be part of an exciting collaboration with Gamilaraay artist Thelma Plum. Discovered as part of Triple J Unearthed, she is known for her heartbreaking melodies, lyrical voice, and the mix of culture, love and pain that makes her music so special.
Art festival Berline Atonal will be taking over the Playhouse Theatre for an exciting audio-visual showcase called Nox Omina, while the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra will perform a symphony of abstract waterscapes at the Federation Concert Hall.
Or, for a little bit of everything, MONA will be hosting the Music at MONA series. Throughout the festival, Australian and international artists will perform both inside the museum and on the lawns, with styles to suit every taste. Grab a picnic blanket and some mates, and prepare for an evening of unbeatable entertainment. The program features blues performer Chris O, folk and punk group The Sketchers, and alt-pop crew Kudu Joy.
Film
If you’re looking to escape the cold, Dark Mofo will be showing a series of 12 experimental and unique films at the iconic State Cinema. Think Heath Ledger as a poet in Candy, Kirsten Dunst watching a planet collide with the Earth in Melancholia, and Robert Pattison navigating cabin fever in The Lighthouse.
To discover the best winter activities in Hobart to enjoy on your visit, click here.
