The Museum of Old and New Art has quickly become a Tasmanian cultural icon since it officially opened in early 2011. Although perhaps its status has been mostly encouraged through the annual MONA FOMA festival (more commonly known by its nickname MOFO), which was established back in 2008 by Violent Femmes bass player Brian Ritche, Salamanca Arts Centre and MONA.
With Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds headlining the inaugural event in 2009 this five-day festival has quickly grown into Tasmania’s cultural and artistic events glory. Its 2012 Helpmann Awardwin for ‘Best Contemporary Music Festival’ only furthers this sentiment.
MOFO brings an eclectic array of art forms such as music, dance, theatre, visual art, performance and new media to Australia’s most segregated state and transforms Van Diemen’s Land into an avant-garde rave. Under the guidance of curator Brian Ritchie the festival has quickly become not only Tasmania’s foremost contemporary music festival, but one of Australia’s most revered music events.
This success is encapsulated by the festival’s new sibling in Dark MOFO, which first held its Winter Solstice in June 2013. With international and local acts on display there is something for all minds open to left-field arts. In 2014 MOFO will enter a new era with the two stages located at the recently refurbished Macquarie Wharf for the first time. With three orchestras and over 200 artists next years event is likely to be its biggest.
Lineup
After the recent release of her debut album, Laminations, Ngaiire will team up with the Australian Art Orchestra for a stunning performance, while the Australian Chamber Orchestra Quartet are sure to add something grand to the event.
From an international perspective you can’t go passed the additions of saxophone maestro Colin Stetson (famous for touring with Arcade Fire and Bon Iver), hip-hop artist Astronautalis, former Battles frontman Tydonai Braxton and ex-Czars star John Grant to name just a few.
Other diverse acts include technical death metal specialists Psycroptic, 11-piece Bollywood band The Bombay Royale and synthpop duo Client Liaison. With more acts to be announced you can view the full lineup here.
Where And When
MONA FOMA will take place from the 15th to the 19thof January with the majority of events taking place at the Macquarie Wharf in Hobart.
How To Get There
As discussed in our guide to Marion Bay Falls Festival there are two options travellers can take to get across to Tasmania.
While taking the Spirit of Tasmania across is probably only realistic for Victorians those punters desperate to take their car with them might find the boat useful. Prices vary for boat fares depending on what time and date you depart from Melbourne. While a fee of $89 is incurred for those bringing their car along, the following are prices for one-way adult fares.
Deluxe Cabin: From $589 for a night departure and from $301 for a daytime journey.
Shared Birth: From $162 for a night departure and from $154 for a daytime journey.
Twin Cabin: From $261 for a night departure and from $217 for a daytime journey.
Day Ticket: $133 For more pricing options visit the Spirit Of Tasmania website.
Once you’ve set foot on Tasmania land in Davenport, you’ll have to catch a Redline bus to Hobart or drive your way down there. If flying is more your thing the following are the cheapest estimated prices for return airfares to and from Hobart available at the time of writing. You can fly through airlines such as Tiger, Jet Star, Virgin, REX and Qantas.
Adelaide: Prices start from $408 with a stopover in Melbourne included.
Brisbane: Direct flights start from $475, while one-stop journeys are valued from upwards of $400.
Melbourne: Direct flights start from $107.
Perth: One-stop flights start from $575, while two-stop journeys are valued upwards of $745.
Sydney:Direct flights start from $185, while one-stop journeys are valued upwards of $318.
Depending on where you’re staying getting to Macquarie Wharf could be as easy as walking, catching a taxi or driving a short distance.
Where To Stay
There are several accommodation options for interstate travellers, but location wise you won’t go any better than Hotel Grand Chancellor which is just two minutes walk from the wharf. Other options worth looking into include Somerset on the Pier, Salamanca Wharf Hotel, Hotel Collins, Sullivans Cove Apartments, At Eleven and The Old Woolstore Apartment Hotel.
How To Get Tickets
Tickets for MONA FOMA go on sale from the 28th of October with a five day pass valued at the very affordable price of $99 or $85 if you’re concession or a parent with a child. Individual event pricing is as follows: Australian Art Orchestra: $35 – $65 Australian Chamber Orchestra Quartet: $40 – $55 Pixar in Concert with TSO: $29 – $89 Faux Mo door sales: $30 / $20 (with concession or Festival Pass) per night. You can purchase your tickets online by following this link!
Insider Tips & Tricks/Things You Shouldn’t Miss
For attendees sleep is for the weak at MONA FOMA. The Bacchanalian FAUX MO club night which is held each night of the festival ensures that minimal shuteye is allowed. During 2012 and 2013 venue and lineup details of FAUX MO events were released on the morning of each festival day. This information could only be accessed via the official MONA FOMA app. You can expect the same of the 2013 event.
Speaking of which, even if you don’t fancy yourself an all night reveler the MONA FOMA app is a handy way to keep track of what’s happening each day without lagging around a program guide. The diversity of MONA FOMA over the course of its history is well known and the 2014 lineup is no exception. What this means for punters is that there few opportunities as prime as this to broaden your horizons on the art front. So make sure you check out the full breadth of this diverse lineup.
Among the performers and features of MONA FOMA the organisers boast the likes of a dancing robot, string quartet protest music, black metal with violins, gender liberationists, morning meditation and an improvised pipe organ amongst many other attractions. The festival also promises an abundance of lasers so if that doesn’t make you anticipate something visually stunning then nothing will.
We resent the tagline that the event Pixar In Concert with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra is “one for the kiddies”. Pixar films such as Toy Story, Finding Nemo, A Bug’s Life and Monsters Inc. amongst others have all made their impact on various age groups.
You won’t want to miss experiencing the music from the films in a live setting so snatch up your tickets quick! For more details head to the official MONO FOMA website
