More than 35,000 people have flocked to Dark Mofo’s Winter Feast in the opening three days of this year’s festival, with another 30,000 visiting Dark Park, organisers say.
The crowds turned out across Thursday, Friday and Saturday as the midwinter festival got underway in Hobart.
Of those at Dark Park, 24,000 boarded the Spirit of Tasmania V, the vessel moored at the site with artworks installed below deck.
Crowds packed the precinct over the weekend, with long queues forming to get on the ferry and some people turned away.
Another 15,000 passed through the Ogoh-Ogoh “to purge their fears”, organisers said.
The figures mark a strong start for the festival, which runs until June 22.
Dark Mofo executive director Melissa Edwards told Pulse the opening weekend had transformed the city.
“It has been incredible to see the streets come alive over the past few days,” Edwards said.
She said the festival’s music program had drawn full houses.
“The Odeon and Altar Bar have hosted sold-out gigs from clipping, Sassy 009, Dry Cleaning, Chat Pile and many more, while live performance works from international artists have taken over Hobart’s City Hall and the old Pianos Warehouse,” she said.
Edwards said crowds had embraced the festival’s signature rituals.
“Festival-goers have come out in droves to board Spirit of Tasmania V in Dark (P)ark, revelled through the witching hour at Night Mass and queued from early morning to be one of the lucky few to see the world’s most elusive film,” she said.
“We’re honoured that so many people are getting amongst it – and there’s still so much more to come.”
Run by the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA), Dark Mofo marks the southern winter solstice with art, music, light installations and feasting across Hobart and the state.
The festival returned in 2025 after a one-year break, drawing close to 120,000 unique attendees and delivering more than $67 million to the state’s economy.
This year’s program spans two weekends and more than 60 events.
It closes on June 22 with the burning of the Ogoh-Ogoh – this year an effigy of the Pedra Branca skink – followed by the Nude Solstice Swim at sunrise.
