What to do on the last day of Hobart’s winter festival Dark Mofo
Last chance to commit fears to Maugean skate before it is burned to prepare the community for a clean and sacred year.
Tasmania
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Thousands of revellers are expected to fill Hobart’s waterfront for the Dark Mofo’s spectacular finale.
As Tasmania’s midwinter arts festival draws to a close there is still an opportunity to commit your deepest fears to a giant Maugean skate before it’s burnt to prepare the community for a clean and sacred year.
The Ogoh-ogoh procession is set to begin at 5pm at Parliament Lawns on Sunday evening before the communal burning from 6pm-7pm at Dark Park.
Throughout the festival visitors have passed their deepest fears to “the critically endangered and geographically restricted” Maugean skate Ogoh-ogoh through the lifelike replicas of skate egg sacs, also known as mermaid’s purses.
The Ogoh-ogoh burning is a Balinese ritual performed on the eve of Balinese New Year where giant, monstrous statues are paraded through villages before being burned- the burning will mark the end of the Dark Mofo festival.
The popular Winter Feast is open again for its Community Day with free entry on Sunday, thanks to a $150,000 contribution from the City Of Hobart.
More than seventy stallholders are showcasing the best of Tasmania’s produce and food culture to visitors and locals alike at the Winter Feast which saw 45,000 attendees in the first weekend.
Artistic director Chris Twite said the community day was an important festival ritual and the “warm beating heart of Dark Mofo”.
“The free final Sunday is a special way of making sure that everyone in our community gets to participate.”
Independent research showed that in 2024 stallholders at the Winter Feast grossed $3.2m and in the festival’s last full year in 2023 that figure was $4.1m.
Visitors to Dark Mofo stay an average of 4.4 nights and spend about $1400 per trip.
Independent research showed the Winter Feast delivered a return on investment of up to 341:1 for local governments.
City of Hobart Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said the city was proud to support events that “bring our community together and showcase our city’s creativity and vibrancy”.
The Mona museum is open with free entry this weekend with a host of new exhibitions.
Since 2013 Dark Mofo has delved into centuries-old rituals to explore the links between ancient and contemporary mythology, humans and nature, religious and secular traditions, darkness and light, and birth, death and renewal.
After a record breaking 2024 the infamous Nude solstice swim will take place at sunrise on Saturday June 21 to welcome back the light after the longest night. Free ticket allocation has been exhausted for this event.
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Originally published as What to do on the last day of Hobart’s winter festival Dark Mofo
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