‘Debaucherous’ Dark Mofo event cancelled after venue struggles

Festival goers might have been left with blue balls after a highly sought after Dark Mofo event was cancelled. WHAT’S BEEN CANCELLED AND WHY >>

A highly sought after Dark Mofo event has been cancelled after organisers were unable to find a suitable venue to host it at.

The Blue Rose Ball, described as a debaucherous costume party, was one of several events DarkLab were struggling to find a venue for.

Just over a month out from when the event was planned, it’s been cancelled.

Last month DarkLab put out the call for empty warehouses, unused industrial shed, old ballrooms or any other unusual large capacity venues.

Dark Mofo 2021. Waterfront crosses. Picture DarkLab Media

Patrons were required to enter the ballot to be randomly chosen to be able to purchase tickets to the ball.

“Sadly, due to the challenges in securing a suitable location that could do justice to our grand visions, we will not be proceeding with this years event,” organisers said in an email to those who signed up for the ballot.

It’s understood some events which were under threat of cancellation have been saved,

A DarkLab spokesman last month told the Mercury there had been a good response to the call-out for venues and that party goers could soon expect good news.

Dark Mofo kicks off on June 8.

Dark Mofo events saved from cancellation

Several Dark Mofo events have been saved from cancellation, with several venue holders swooping in to offer a space for the festival.

It comes after the festival organisers flagged that they were in “desperate” need of more venue spaces, lest they be forced to shut down at least four projects.

Earlier this week they put the call-out for empty warehouses, industrial sheds, and old ballrooms that they could transform into funky event spaces.

Dark Mofo’s Kane Young said the organisers would be providing further updates next week, but said that partygoers could expect some “good news” coming their way.

Paint the Town red

Mr Young did not say which venues had been offered up for Dark Mofo, but said that more information would be coming “soon”.

“Let’s just say that we’ve had a good response to our call-our this week,” Mr Young said.

Creative director Leigh Carmichael said it had been a struggle to find empty venues due to the sheer volume of development in Hobart.

Many of the previously used venues and empty warehouses have either been bought out, developed, demolished, or fully booked.

Those venues include the MAC1 shed, Macquarie Point yards, Avalon Theatre, Hobart Central Car Park on Melville Street, K & D Warehouse, St Davids Cathedral, the former Saloon Bar on Watchorn Street, and City Hall.

Hobart bathed in crimson light for Paint the Town Red

Tasmania will once again be bathed in crimson light as the state’s annual Paint the Town Red event makes a return for the 2022 winter season.

The visually striking event was launched on Friday and will see shops and houses illuminated with red light or festooned with red-themed decorations.

In previous years shopkeepers have got creative with red light bulbs, lanterns, fabrics, paint, and other vibrant decorations to light up the dark wintry nights.

Paint the Town red

The event comes in the lead-up to the Dark Mofo festival as well as the City of Hobart Winter Feast, Festival of Voices, Huon Valley Midwinter Festival, and Whisky Week.

Destination Southern Tasmania CEO Alex Heroys said they wanted to create a festive atmosphere for the locals and the visitors during these wintry months.

“This brings an air of excitement to Tasmanians as the festival draws near, and sends a welcoming message to visitors from elsewhere,” Mr Heroys said.

“Previously, Paint the Town Red has been a southern activation but given the demand for pre- and post- festival touring, we are inviting all businesses Statewide to Paint the Town Red this year as well as asking residents to light up their homes or decorate them red.”

Additionally Destination Southern Tasmania will be holding their photo competition with prizes for the best pictures under the hashtag #PTTR22.

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EARLIER: Dark Mofo hits major snag two months out from festival

With just two months to go until Dark Mofo kicks off in Hobart, organisers are warning of potential event cancellations as they struggle to secure enough venues for the hotly anticipated festival.

Dark Mofo creative director Leigh Carmichael said venues were needed to accommodate a number of events, noting that some artists were still yet to be announced.

“We are yet to find appropriate venues for at least four projects for this year’s festival, and we are getting desperate,” he said on Wednesday.

Dark Mofo Creative Director Leigh Carmichael. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

“At this stage it’s likely we’ll need to cancel at least some of them.

“The production demands of delivering the festival’s ambitious projects require the use of fresh, unusual, and large-capacity venues, in order to fully realise the vision of the artists.”

The festival organisers mentioned old ballrooms, unused industrial sheds, and warehouses as examples of venues they were on the lookout for.

Since its inception in 2013, Dark Mofo has utilised a number of spaces that are now either under development or in use, such as the old MAC01 shed, the Macquarie Point yards, the Hobart Central Car Park on Melville St, the old K & D Warehouse building, St Davids Cathedral, the former Saloon Bar on Watchorn St, and City Hall.

“It’s getting harder and harder to find spaces for our events as more properties in the city are being developed, and it’s putting pressure on our ability to meet demand, as we try to manage up to 20,000 patrons a night across Hobart,” Mr Carmichael said.

Crosses on the Hobart waterfront as part of Dark Mofo. Picture: Darklab

“Organising a festival of this size and scope is really challenging, and if we can’t find large-scale venues for events, the festival is diminished and our local and visiting audiences miss out.”

Dark Mofo is urging parties with any information regarding available venues to contact the organisers at [e-mail]. - Rob Inglis

Follow @rg_inglis

Originally published as ‘Debaucherous’ Dark Mofo event cancelled after venue struggles