No Dark MOFO, but there are plenty of other winter festivals to enjoy

It’s the time of year when devotees of that wildest of winter festivals, Dark Mofo, would usually be packing their woollies and wending their way to Hobart. A highlight of the Australian festival calendar since it was instigated in 2013 by the Museum of Old and New Art, the organisers have, however, pressed pause on the bacchanalia with a view to resetting for a comeback in 2025 – though two signature events, the Winter Feast and Nude Solstice Swim – are taking place in mid-June.

Fire Gardens at Adelaide Botanic Garden is part of the city’s Illuminate festival.

That shouldn’t mean missing out on cold weather frolics, though. There are winter festivals going on all over Australia. Vivid Sydney, Melbourne’s RISING both finish this weekend, but in other capitals and further afield, things are just warming up.

It should go without saying that South Australia – the Festival State – is getting involved.

In a place where the competition is stiff, relative newcomer Illuminate Adelaide won the Gold Medal Award for Major Festivals or Events at the South Australian Tourism Awards for its 2023 program, its third iteration.

This year’s Illuminate Adelaide (illuminateadelaide.com), July 4-21, is a mix of ticketed and free events. Highlights of the ticketed program include flaming sculptures as part of Fire Gardens at Adelaide Botanic Garden, after-dark puppetry and animations in Universal Kingdom at Adelaide Zoo and musical performances from the likes of Dutch pianist Joep Beving and British electronic musician Max Cooper. The free program centres around the 40 installations and projections of City Lights.

A spectacular Burning Man event will happen at Ngununggula, the Southern Highlands Regional Art Gallery in Bowral, on June 22.

In the NSW Southern Highlands in and around Bowral, Savour the Unexpected (visitsouthernhighlands.com.au) kicks off on June 21, running that weekend and the following. Celebrating the Solstice, it includes cocktails, music and fun at the whimsical venue, Fairground Follies, Cabaret at The Robertson Hotel in Robertson, Jazz at the Southern Highlands Botanic Gardens’ new event space, and a spectacular Burning Man event at Ngununggula, the Southern Highlands Regional Art Gallery in Bowral, on June 22.

From Manjimup in south-western WA where the Truffle Kerfuffle (trufflekerfuffle.com.au) is on June 28-30 to the major event, the Darwin Festival (darwinfestival.org.au) in August (dubbing itself “Hot August nights” is ideal for those who shun the chill), there really are winter happenings galore – so don those gum boots and embrace the cold.