Dark Mofo 2024 Cancelled

After a successful festival this year, Dark Mofo has been called off for 2024.

Dark Mofo is one of Tasmania’s biggest drawcards, attracting thousands of locals and visitors alike to the island state each year. However, the beloved festival will be taking a year off in 2024, allowing the team to work on a renewed vision for the future.

About Dark Mofo

Dark Mofo is one of Australia’s best winter festivals, having well and truly planted itself on Tasmania’s cultural calendar. The festival revels in the gloom and cold of winter, inviting locals and visitors to Hobart alike to celebrate the dark through art, food, music, fire, light and noise, all underpinned by the longest night of any Australian capital city.

Dark Mofo in Hobart, Tasmania — Dork Mofo will be cancelled for 2024. (Image: Adam Gibson)

The main thread running through the interwoven program of Dark Mofo is the exploration of centuries-old rituals. Many of the events aim to investigate and uncover the links between ancient and contemporary mythology, humans and nature, religious and secular traditions, darkness and light, birth, death and renewal.

Why is Dark Mofo being cancelled?

The news of the cancellation has come as a shock to many Dark Mofo loyalists. However, it isn’t as terrible as it sounds. Although Dark Mofo will be absent from the 2024 calendar, it won’t be forever. The team behind the festival will be taking a well-deserved break to focus on a renewed vision and set the stage for a stronger and more sustainable festival in the future.

It’s part of a broader plan of changes being made by Tourism Tasmania, who are aiming to ensure that Tasmania stays top of mind for Aussies next winter. Increased investment in the state’s off-season program, with higher-reaching paid media channels and an expanded media plan, will help bolster Tasmanian winter events.

Tourism Tasmania will also be working with Events Tas to increase the awareness of the full winter events program, with an additional $1.8 million provided to Business Events Tasmania over the next three years, with an immediate focus on winter 2024.

“We understand Dark Mofo’s need for a smaller event in 2024 as they reshape the festival for the future, and we will continue to work closely with them on their plans when the full event returns in 2025," says Premier and Minister for Tourism and Hospitality, Jeremy Rockliff.

According to the Dark Mofo website, 2023’s festivities left a lasting mark. However, it also exacted its toll, prompting the decision to pause, reflect and plan out a more sustainable future so people can enjoy Dark Mofo for many years.

What does the future hold for Dark Mofo?

Don’t fret, Dark Mofo won’t entirely disappear next year. Support from the Tasmanian Liberal Government has ensured two major pillars of the festival will continue next year, despite the cancellation of the overall program. Over two weekends, the ever-popular Winter Feast and the Nude Solstice Swim will return.

The two events are known program highlights, having particularly excited attendees since the conception of Dark Mofo 10 years ago. There will also be a new exhibition at MONA (the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart) as part of Dark Mofo’s tiny 2024 processions.

MONA in Hobart, Tasmania — A new exhibition will open at MONA as part of Dark Mofo. (Image: Jesse Hunniford)

The Nude Solstice Swim is a celebration of the return of light after the longest night of the year. Courageous crowds take to the cold waters of the River Derwent at sunrise, and as the name suggests, bathing suits are nowhere to be seen. The Winter Feast is a major foodie event, bringing together the best of local food, beer and wine. Guest chefs, live music and an intoxicating atmosphere have kept people coming back year after year.

Further details for these events will be announced shortly. In the meantime, we can look forward to 2025, when Dark Mofo will shine through the darkness brighter than ever.

Hobart has quietly become our coolest capital, but the real wonder lies just beyond the city limits.

In the cool shade of Kunyani/ Mt Wellington, Hobart has earned a reputation. Home to culture-defining Dark MOFO, the city blends rugged, raw wilderness and rule-breaking galleries. But, step beyond the thrumming capital’s border and you’ll find a new perspective: historic towns, Jurassic-era cliffs and a UNESCO City of Gastronomy. With ALL Accor as your home away from home, fill your days with epicurean odysseys and wild scenery on the best day trips from Hobart.

Where to stay

Behind every good road trip is the perfect home base. Somewhere central to review your camera roll, make the most of Hobart’s dining scene and relax before setting off again.

For modern, Tasmanian-inspired design, book a stay at the Movenpick Hotel Hobart . Standing at the Salamanca Markets, look to the Hobart skyline and the award-winning hotel will catch your eye. As the third-tallest building in the CBD, the views across the harbour toward Antarctica are totally unique to your room. Here, end each day at the daily free chocolate hour (plus a free Movenpick ice cream for the little ones).

For a more budget-conscious option, head to the picture book, sandstone buildings of Macquarie Street. Nestled along the buzzing, historic streetscape, you’ll find Tasmania’s biggest hotel: the Ibis Styles . Return home each day to defrost in one of the hotel’s two saunas. Make use of the proximity to MONA, or take an easy stroll to the candy-coloured cottages of Battery Point between your adventures.

A stylish, Tasmanian-inspired bedroom at Mövenpick Hotel Hobart, your perfect base for relaxing after the best day trips from Hobart. — Elevate your Hobart stay with sleek style at Mövenpick.

1. Bruny Island

Craggy cliffs and tropical-hued, white sand beaches signal your arrival to Bruny Island/ Lunawanna-Alonnah.

Start your day trip at the island’s most iconic spot, the Neck Game Reserve. Scale the Trunganini steps to gaze out over the teensy stretch of land that juts through the sea connecting the two ends of the island.

Catch a rare glimpse of the white furred wallabies that call Bruny Island home at Adventure Bay. Then, for ocean-fresh oysters, pull into the drive-thru window at Get Shucked . Sample Bruny Island cheese at the cellar door before catching the ferry home with an esky full of local produce.

Bruny Island Neck is an isthmus of land connecting north and south Bruny Island. — Begin your adventure with a climb and a view. (Image: Elise Weaver)

2. Mount Wellington

At 1271 metres, Mount Wellington watches protectively over Hobart. Follow the winding road to climb through alpine forest and tufts of snow to reach the summit. Gaze down over Hobart and out to sea, or over your shoulder to the southwestern wilderness.

Reset your adrenaline with a mountain bike ride back down. Or, make like the locals and head into the mountain on foot. Try the hike to the Jurassic-period Organ Pipes which slips under the mountain’s magnificent dolerite cliffs (perfect for families thanks to the trail’s minimal incline).

For a view of Mount Wellington itself, hike nearby Cathedral Rock.

No matter where you are in Hobart you are never far away from the City's beloved mountain, Kunanyi / Mount Wellington — Climb through alpine forest to the summit. (Image: Paul Flemming)

2. Port Arthur

Constructed entirely by convicts, the manicured gardens and penal buildings of Port Arthur offer a day trip that practically hums with history.

The rugged, seagirt location was chosen for its difficult escape conditions. Now, you can cruise the coast below the towering, jagged cliffs of the Tasman National Park or wander the sloping fields of fragrant lavender.

Tickets to Port Arthur include a walking tour and harbour cruise. See the Isle of the Dead where 1000 men are buried in marked and unmarked graves. And Point Puer, Britain’s first prison for children.

The Port Arthur Historic Site is one of Australia's most important heritage sites and tourist destinations. Located on the scenic Turrakana / Tasman Peninsula in the south east of Tasmania, it offers a unique and essential experience for all visitors to the area. — Wander convict-built grounds and gardens. (Image: Dearna Bond)

3. Launceston

You’ll find Launceston at the confluence of three rivers after an easy 2.5-hour drive from Hobart. Launceston is a patchwork of old and new. Here, heritage streetscapes meet modern architecture.

Visit Cataract Gorge, the green, sun-dappled heart of the town and sacred meeting point for Tasmania’s indigenous communities. Pull up at roadside produce stalls that dot the Tamar Valley, or dine out. Launceston is, after all, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.

Should the local wine scene persuade you, simply extend your time in Launceston at Peppers Silo (but definitely at least stop by the onsite restaurant, Grain of the Silo , for a farm fresh menu) or Mercure Launceston before heading back to Hobart.

Walk the sunlit paths of Cataract Gorge. (Image: Nick H Visuals)

4. Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary

Take a 35-minute drive from your hotel and you’ll find Bonorong Wildlife Sanctuary . This social enterprise is run by a team of extremely passionate Tasmanians with a mission to look after critically endangered species who have found sanctuary here after facing extinction on the mainland.

Choose to wander the sanctuary at your own pace or join a guided tour (free with your ticket) to come face to face with Tassie’s most iconic species. Tasmanian Devils, wombats and echidnas are part of the free tour. You can book up close encounters with your favourite animals, too.

Bonorong is a Sanctuary for wildlife run by a passionate team of like-minded people. We're a social enterprise: a little business with a big heart. — Snap a cuddle-worthy encounter. (Image: Tourism Australia)

5. Richmond Village & Coal River Valley

Richmond is a town that belongs in a snow globe. Fifty colonial-era, Georgian buildings have been painstakingly restored and turned into cafes, cosy restaurants and galleries. Visit Richmond Gaol , said to be the home of a prisoner so vile he inspired Charles Dickens to pen Oliver Twist’s Fagin.

Then, follow the Coal River as it flows past grassy, duckling-dotted knolls and under the iconic Richmond Bridge, the oldest bridge in Australia. From the crest of the bridge, see the oldest Catholic Church in Australia. The river crawls past many cellar doors, perfect for a day of wine tasting.

Richmond is a picture-perfect town in the Coal River Valley wine region, offering a glimpse into early colonial life, one of the best day trips from Hobart. — Trace the river through history and wine country. (Image: Fin Matson)

Plan your trip to Hobart and beyond with ALL Accor at All.com .