Heart of the festival is reddy to beat

THE city’s nights have been dressed in red for a week already, but only now is it time for the full fun of Dark Mofo to fill the streets with feast, fiesta and fire.

The heart of the festival, the Dark Mofo and City of Hobart Winter Feast, is setting up its banquet in time for tomorrow’s supper at Princes Wharf 1, which will run through the weekend from 4pm and from next Wednesday until June 23. Tickets are $20 but free after 8pm and on the final night.

Enveloping the outskirts of Hobart from the Regatta Grounds to Queen’s Domain and the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens will from tomorrow be a path that explores a series of artworks by various artists. Dark Path is a 4km artwalk that begins from the Regatta Grounds and carries on across the Bridge of Remembrance.

The final stage at the Royal Botanical Gardens will host food vans, pop-up cafes and bars as well as light shows and laser/mist light works by artist Tony Oursler.

Also opening from tomorrow is Night Mass on the corner of Liverpool St and Murray St, and the Ogoh-ogoh purging ritual in The Goods Shed at Macquarie Point.

Carriage Drive, Lower Domain Rd (between Tasman Highway and the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens) and Upper Domain Rd (between Lower Domain Rd and the Domain Crossroads Oval) will be closed from tomorrow until Sunday and from Wednesday until June 23 between 4-11pm to make way for Dark Path. Evans St and Hunter St will be closed from tomorrow until Sunday and from next Wednesday until June 23 from 4pm until about midnight.

And as the masses fill the streets for the party of Night Mass, Watchorn St between Liverpool and Bathurst St will be closed from 5pm tomorrow until 6am on Sunday, and the same the following week.