MOFO MANIA
Festival ticket sales explode to $1.85m Cheap flights to state sold out Accommodation at a premium
A MYSTICAL midwinter festival designed to coax Tasmanians out of their mid-year slumber has exploded into a juggernaut for Hobart with flights and accommodation almost booked out for Dark Mofo.
There is little chance anyone who wants to make a last minute dash to the state will get a cheap flight, let alone a place to stay, for the festival that starts tomorrow.
Dark Mofo creative director Leigh Carmichael, pictured, said there had been a 110 per cent increase in tickets sold.
Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said all the lowcost flights to Hobart had been absorbed by Dark Mofo, which starts tomorrow.
“This is an extraordinary thing, the fact that Hobart has peak flight pressure in June.’’
The lack of flights would build a case to increase flight capacity in the winter months, he said. “In the old days flights would be slashed after Easter.”
Tasmanian Hospitality Association chief executive Steve Old said accommodation in Hobart was extremely hard to find this weekend with people booking well ahead for Dark Mofo.
“I am aware of people coming from Western Australia having booked months ago to lock in their opportunity to see such a great event,’’ Mr Old said.
Mr Carmichael said demand for tickets had soared.
“Last year we had sold $860,000 of tickets by this time, this year we have sold $1.85 million,’’ Mr Carmichael said.
Mofo injected an estimated $46 million into the economy in 2015 and created about 400 jobs with an estimated 280,000 attending the festival.
The event made $1.4 million in sales last year and organisers hope it will break the $2 million mark this year.
The State Government has backed the midwinter event for a further five years in a $10.5 million investment.
In return Mona agreed to grow overall attendance to 500,000 and interstate and overseas visitors to 20,000 a year by 2021; get media exposure and promotion of Tasmania; deliver a regional expansion program every year; and invest $250,000 in programming and support of local arts based organisations.
Mr Carmichael says 500,000 was a “pretty ambitious” target.
“Every time someone walks through a gate they get clicked ... Winter Feast, Dark Mofo or a music gig — they get clicked — it’s not 500,000 people.”
Another 2000 new interstate visitors are expected this year on board the Sydney-toHobart P&O Dark Mofo cruise which will dock overnight in Hobart on June 15.
To reach the 500,000 target Dark Mofo would have to stretch to three weekends, Mr Carmichael said.
“I don’t know if bigger is always better and we don’t want to get caught in that bigger and better ever year cycle.”
The growth of Dark Mofo had been unintentional, Mr Carmichael said.
“Last year we only had the one after hours event Blacklist that sold 6000 tickets — it sold out. We thought, well there’s demand we’ll split in two — it’s crazy, now we’ve got 9500 tickets for after hours activity which doesn’t include the TSO and Theatre Royal, the growth is phenomenal.”
Mr Carmichael said more people would come if more flights were available at a normal price and there was accommodation.
“We could sell so many more tickets — but these are good problems to have.
“Mainland festival organisers are happy if they get 10 per cent of interstate ticket sales — we are hitting over 50 pert cent.”
The Paint the Town Red program has 77 businesses signed up, up from 25.
“That’s just pride in our city, I love that stuff.
“Half of it I don’t even know happens, all these little fringe events, there’s really solid program of music at the Hobart Brewing Co and the Brisbane Hotel.
“There’s exhibitions popping up all over the place at times to coincide with Mofo, these things don’t even sit in our research and our numbers.
“Sometimes it’s the fringe stuff that’s the most interesting, especially for visitors — this is a bit of real Hobart, not something that just happens for this week, local artists playing in local pubs drinking local beers — real earthy — that stuff is important.”