David Walsh kills Foma to save Mona

Millionaire gambler David Walsh has killed his Tasmanian summer festival, Mona Foma, citing the cost of running his globally renowned art museum.

Mona owner David Walsh.

Millionaire gambler David Walsh has killed his Tasmanian summer festival, Mona Foma, citing the cost of running his globally renowned art museum.

The creator of Hobart’s Museum of Old and New Art late on Friday broke the news via his blog. “Mona Foma took us around the world,” he said. “But it ends here. Maybe the end started at Covid. Maybe it’s because the last festival was a poorly attended artistic triumph.

“But those aren’t the reasons I killed it. I know that we live for experience but, more and more, I seek permanence, a symbolic immortality. At Mona, I’m building this big thing, hopefully it’ll be a good thing, but it’s a costly thing. I’m addicted to building, and my addiction got out of hand. Some things have to go before I’m too far gone.”

Mona Foma, Wayfinder performers Sabine Crompton- Ward, Damian Meredith, Darci O'Rourke and Tiana Lung at the Theatre Royal, Hobart. Picture: Chris Kidd

He said Mona Foma was “one of those things”. “It’s been magical, but the spell has worn off,” he said. “Only these words, from Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, remain: ‘Live by the Foma that makes you brave and kind and healthy and happy.’

“Gratitude to all of you that came. And to those who didn’t, a silver lining: you’ll no longer suffer from FOMO for Foma. And anyway, repetition is regimentation. And regimentation is ridiculous. Greatest gratitude to those who helped put it together. I hope it was as good for you as it was for me.”

Walsh, a gifted mathematician who has with others developed high-flying gambling systems, uses the proceeds to fund Mona and its festivals.

A popular figure in Tasmania, he also owns a winery, brewery and restaurants at Mona, as well as the popular Altar and Hanging Garden venues in central Hobart.

The decision to axe Mona Foma, on top of a major scaling-back of this year’s Dark Mofo winter festival, will be a blow for the Tasmanian economy and music lovers.This year’s Mona Foma included TISM and Courtney Barnett, while previous years have drawn big music names to Tasmania, including St Vincent and David Byrne.