Dark Mofo boss Chris Twite opens up on festival’s rebirth, admits decision to cancel in 2024 ‘difficult’
Dark Mofo artistic director Chris Twite has explained why he feels the “difficult” decision to effectively cancel the festival in 2024 was ultimately the right call.
News
Don't miss out on the headlines from News. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Before he took the reins to Dark Mofo, Chris Twite counted himself among the hordes of outsiders who flocked to Hobart every year for the big, bad, and bold festival.
“It very much became an annual thing for me and most of my friends. They’re all coming down again this year, which is great for them but I’ll be busy,” he says with a laugh.
“The thing that became very clear [to me] over the years was the way that Hobart embraced Dark Mofo, the way that you felt like you were part of the festival when you stepped off the plane.
“You actually probably even sometimes [felt it] before you touched down because you look around and there’s this kind of shibboleth between people on the plane of, like, ‘Oh yeah, you’re going down [for Dark Mofo], I’ll see you there’. And so there’s that kind of camaraderie and you feel like you’re part of something.”
Twite was appointed the artistic director of Dark Mofo in 2023, taking over from the long-serving Leigh Carmichael, who launched the festival in 2013 and shaped it into the colossus it is today.
It’s fair to say he left some big shoes to fill. But if Twite is feeling the pressure, it’s not immediately obvious.
I meet the 43-year-old in a cafe on Murray St, just a couple of hundred metres from the administrative hub of Dark Mofo in the Hanging Garden precinct.
Sporting slicked-back, shoulder-length hair and bold frames with bright orange lenses, Twite cuts a striking figure, draped in an oversized olive green bomber jacket and a slouchy black tee.
Giving the impression of an off-duty fashion designer, Twite is a gregarious character, speaking quickly and enthusiastically.
But he’s also patient, listening carefully to each question before responding. Despite this, his answers are never self-conscious and always seem authentic. He’s hard not to like.
The veteran event manager and curator’s short time at the helm of Dark Mofo has not been without its challenges. Twite’s first 12 months in the role were defined by a momentous decision to effectively call off the festival for a year amid rising costs affecting the entire sector.
“It was a super hard decision to make and ultimately it was the right decision,” the Sydneysider says. “It allowed us to rebuild, renew, and reshape. And so we’ve come back this year and we’re in a really stable position. I think that sets us up a foundation for the next 10 years.”
“When I announced it, there were a bunch of texts from other festival [organisers] saying, ‘We should have done that, we’re in trouble now’. That made me feel a little bit better … But it was really tough. It meant a lot to the city and the state that it didn’t go ahead.
“What was really great about the whole experience was that so many of the comments from people were like, ‘We understand, that makes sense’. People were disappointed it wasn’t happening, but they understood why, and the fact that we said, ‘We’ll be back, don’t worry. We’ve just got to rebuild’ – everyone understood that.
“We’ve come back now and they’ve said, ‘They’re true to their word, they’ve come back strong, we’re all good’. And now everyone’s really excited.”
Twite is no stranger to running large-scale events, having previously led Falls Festival, Sydney Festival, Brisbane Festival, and Red Bull Music Festival.
He’s also worked in art galleries, headed up a music touring business, and run the popular Sydney punk venue Manning Bar.
When the Covid pandemic hit, Twite decided he wanted to get back to his roots, taking up an opportunity at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery as the curator of the biannual Hobart Current contemporary art exhibition.
With a masters in arts administration, he was well-equipped for the job and fell into it with ease.
That’s when the Dark Mofo gig presented itself. “When that came up, I was like, ‘Right, we’re there’,” Twite says.
“It’s a weird melding of so many things that I’ve been able to have experience in over the years – galleries, festivals, et cetera. It’s nice to be able to pull on all those threads and put something new together in a very different way.”
After the festival’s 2024 hiatus, the pressure is on for the eleventh iteration of Dark Mofo to be a hit. But Twite isn’t measuring success by ticket sales – at least not outwardly.
“I am hypercritical of myself so I’ll look at everything in minute detail … but I think if I see people moving through the streets, having conversations, gathering around the fire, exploring Hobart, then I think we’ve succeeded,” he says.
“That’s what I feel like. That’s the mark of success.”
Twite describes Dark Mofo as a “big circus tent”, held aloft by dedicated staff who are all committed to an overarching aesthetic vision.
“What happens underneath that tent can completely change every year,” he says. “I think you can keep changing what’s inside it if you can make sense of what Dark Mofo is.”
“I think the interesting thing about [the festival] is that it’s really ritualised. There are things that people love and adhere to and that are important parts of their calendar. There are people [for whom] the Nude Swim is their day. There are people who have the Ogoh-Ogoh Burning as their day.
“It’s these tentpole moments for the festival, but they’re also tentpole moments in the year. And the rituals have been built over the past 10 years that people love so much. Even Night Mass, some people are like, ‘OK, that’s my winter party. I am ready to revel in the streets. What have you got for me?’ So that’s really nice.
“And those things then change each year – they’re never exactly the same, and they’ve evolved over the whole time [of the festival’s history]. So it’s not locked into a formula.
“It’s quite beautiful in that respect. There’s room to move.”
Twite’s contract with Dark Mofo still has another two years left to run but he’s not ruling out staying on beyond that point.
“Let me get through the first [festival],” he jokes.
“I mean, honestly, I am loving doing it so far. We’re already working towards 2026 because we need to get that long lead time.
“We’re really excited about what we can bring to this year and what we can bring to the future.”
DARK MOFO 2025 PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:
Crash Body – Paula Garcia: Saturday June 7, 6–8pm, Regatta Grounds. Free
Night Mass: God Complex: Friday June 6, Saturday June 7, Friday June 13, Saturday June 14, 10pm-4am, undisclosed location. ALL SOLD OUT
Void – Joshua Serafin: Thursday June 5, Friday June 6, Saturday June 7, Sunday June 8, 7pm-7.40pm, Theatre Royal. ALL SOLD OUT
Beth Gibbons: Thursday June 5, 6pm-7.10pm, 9pm-10.10pm, Odeon. $119-$129
Hymns to the Dead: Wednesday June 11, 7pm-10.45pm, Odeon. $99-$109
Winter Feast: Thursday June 5 – Sunday June 8, Thursday June 12 – Sunday, June 15, 4-11pm, PW1. $10-$20, free on the second Sunday, season or weekly passes available from $50
Dark Park: Thursday June 5 – Sunday June 8, Thursday June 12 – Sunday June 15, 4pm-10pm, Macquarie Point. Free
More Coverage
Originally published as Dark Mofo boss Chris Twite opens up on festival’s rebirth, admits decision to cancel in 2024 ‘difficult’
Potential grand final preview plays out in classic at Huonville
Three teams went into the round undefeated, two of them, Huonville and Cygnet, lined up against each other in what was an expected grand final preview with the game showing off the best in the competition. Find out what happened here.
Tasmania set to challenge themselves in VFL State clash
Tasmania have made eight changes for the upcoming VFL State League match against Sandringham Zebras but Fraser Turner said there is still plenty of buy in from the playing group. Read it here.