10 May 2014
The coolest nights will bring the hottest sights in Tasmania this season as MONA presents its second solstice festival of music and art, Dark Mofo. From blazing banquets and large- scale light works to the dark heart of Australian cinema, the 2014 program will lead more than a hundred thousand locals and visitors on a ten-day journey into winter's longest night. Warming hearts and stomachs from Hobart to Bass Strait, the state's best wine, beer and produce will be on display at Taste of the Tamar, Launceston's seventh annual Pinot Noir Showcase, Latrobe's Chocolate Winterfest and Stanley's weekend-long seasonal degustation. Meanwhile, two musical mainstays return as the Devonport Jazz Festival fills the port city's clubs, bars and cafes with local and visiting talent and Hobart's beloved Festival of Voices celebrates its tenth anniversary.
DARK MOFO — 12 JUNE TO 22 JUNE 2014
After attracting 128,000 people to Hobart in its inaugural year, MONA's Dark Mofo festival returns this winter solstice. A ten-day festival of art, music, film, food and drink, Dark Mofo brings the spirit of the longest night into some of Hobart's most intriguing, least-known spaces. The Town Hall Underground, Prince of Wales Battery, Narryna Heritage Museum, the Old Mercury Building and new festival hub The Odeon Theatre will all be warmed by MONA's fiery, extraordinary vision of contemporary art. Rafael Lozano-Hemmer's large-scale public artwork 'Articulated Intersect' will scar the night sky with powerful beams of light. Avant-garde musical pioneers Sunn O))) (just say 'sun') will rumble foundations. David Lynch will not be in attendance, but Chrysta Bell — mysterious chanteuse and Lynch's new muse — will. This year's program introduces a major public forum, Future Hobart 2014, inviting New York artist Vito Acconci to lead a discussion exploring new possibilities for Hobart's shared spaces. A perfect warm-up for the City of Hobart Winter Feast—three-nights of bacchanalian banqueting along the waterfront followed by after-hours debauchery at festival nightclub Dark Faux Mo. Prepare for performances, pagan rituals, installations and exhibitions—all leading up to Dark Mofo's notorious nude solstice swim. Remember, it's always darkest before the dawn.
WHAT: MONA presents its second winter music and arts festival, the darker sister of summer's popular MONA FOMA
WHEN: 12–22 June 2014
WHERE: MONA and venues throughout Hobart
HOW: Includes free events as well as ticketed events. Visit www.darkmofo.net.au to view the program and book tickets.
FESTIVAL OF VOICES — 4 JULY TO 13 JULY 2014
Filling Hobart's theatres, concert halls and public squares each winter, Festival of Voices celebrates the human voice in all its forms. July's tenth anniversary program will be headlined by two of Australia's best voices and five of America's newest: beloved singer-songwriter Ben Lee, ARIA award-winner Clare Bowditch and LA-based five-piece The Exchange, famed for their electrifying take on a capella singing. The headline guests will also contribute to the festival's workshop series—a broad participatory program set to cover topics from professional development to Mozart's Requiem. A cultural mainstay for Hobart, the ten- day festival brings national and international artists together for a smorgasbord of free and ticketed events, presenting vocal performances from choral to cabaret, storytelling to hip hop in venues throughout the city.
WHAT: A ten-day celebration of song, and the human voice in all its forms
WHEN: 4–13 July 2014
WHERE: Various venues around Hobart
HOW: Includes free events as well as ticketed shows. Bookings for selected shows now open. The full program will be released on May 8. For more information visit www.festivalofvoices.com.
TASTE OF THE TAMAR — 19 JULY TO 20 JULY 2014
The Tamar Valley's best boutique wine makers head to Hobart each winter for an annual, weekend-long tasting event. Housed in the atrium of the stunning Henry Jones Art Hotel, this year's Taste of the Tamar will showcase seventeen producers including Bay of Fires, Chartley Estate, Iron Pot Bay, Marion's Vineyard, Tamar Ridge and Winterbrook. A tempting introduction to the Tamar Valley Wine Route, the showcase allows visitors to meet the makers and discover first hand why this region's cool-climate wines are celebrated the world over.
WHAT: The Tamar Valley's best winemakers present a weekend of tastings in Hobart
WHEN: 19–20 July 2014, noon–5pm
WHERE: The Atrium at The Henry Jones Art Hotel, Hobart
HOW: Tickets cost $15 and are available for purchase at the door. Entry includes an engraved souvenir tasting glass and free tasting of all products on display. Find more information at www.tasteofthetamar.com.au.
SEASONAL PRODUCERS' WEEKEND, STANLEY — 19 JULY TO 20 JULY 2014
Located at the remote northwest tip of Tasmania, Old Cable Station is a former telecommunications centre turned country guesthouse. And four times a year it transforms into a foodie's paradise, complementing stunning Bass Strait views with a weekend-long seasonal degustation. This winter is no exception, as chef Charlotte Brown prepares to team up with a notable Tasmanian guest to spotlight the seasonal fare of local producers. The menu — available as dinner on Saturday and lunch on Sunday — will be matched with wines from Tasmanian makers Kelvedon Estate, The Bend and Lake Barrington Vineyard along with ales from Evandale's Van Dieman microbrewery. Many local producers attend the feasts, so food lovers can share a toast with the makers and learn more about one of Australia's most vibrant growing food regions.
WHAT: Producers and foodies gather for the winter edition of Stanley's seasonal degustation
WHEN: 19–20 July 2014
WHERE: The Old Cable Station, West Beach Road, Stanley
HOW: Bookings available for Saturday dinner and Sunday lunch at $175 per head. To book, phone +61 3 6458 1312 or email stay@oldcablestation.com.au.
TASMANIAN PINOT NOIR SHOWCASE — 26 JULY 2014
Great pinot noir is notoriously difficult for winemakers to produce, hard for aficionados to find—and ultimately rewarding for both. Tasmania's cool climate offers ideal growing conditions for a world-class drop and this showcase — now in its seventh year — provides aromatic evidence of that fact. One of Australia's premiere wine tastings, the event brings together nearly 30 of Tasmania's best producers and more than 40 of their wines for a day-long event at Launceston's Pinot Shop. Canapés and cheeses will be served to accompany the drink that at least one well-known sommelier has been heard to call "sex in a glass".
WHAT: Tasmania's best pinot noir producers present their seventh annual tasting event
WHEN: Saturday 26 July 2014, 11am–4pm
WHERE: Pinot Shop, 135 Paterson Street (river end), Launceston
HOW: Tickets cost $65 per person and include free freight within Australia for orders of more than 6 bottles. For bookings and more information visit www.pinotshop.com/products/tasmanian-pinot-noir- showcase-2014.
PAT BRASSINGTON, Á REBOURS — 30 MAY TO 14 SEPTEMBER 2014
Opening in May, the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery's major winter exhibition is Pat Brassington: Á Rebours. It's the first major survey of work by this influential Tasmanian photo artist — an early adopter of digital technology, whose haunting photographs draw influence from both surrealism and cinema. Drawn from 30 years of practice, the exhibition explores Brassington's use of subtle manipulations to create images that tip "just off the verge of normality". Á Rebours has been curated by Juliana Engberg of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art and forms part of MONA's Dark Mofo festival program.
WHAT: A major touring exhibition of works by Tasmanian photo artist Pat Brassington WHEN: 30 May to 14 September 2014, 10am-5pm daily
WHERE: Tasmanian Museum and Art Galley (TMAG), Dunn Place, Hobart
HOW: Entry is free
CHOCOLATE WINTERFEST — 10 AUGUST 2014
Latrobe's Chocolate Winterfest is set to celebrate a sweet anniversary this August. The tenth edition of this day-long cocoa bonanza will offer multiple opportunities to indulge in the edible sin also known as the food of the gods. The House of Anvers chocolate factory is obviously an ideal festival hub, but tastings, demonstrations and workshop events pop up throughout Latrobe and the surrounding Mersey Valley farmlands. This year the event will culminate in a lantern parade, allowing festival-goers to walk off the day's decadence with a stroll to the picturesque Bells Parade riverside reserve.
WHAT: Latrobe's annual celebration of all things chocolate
WHEN: Sunday 10 August 2014, 10am–4pm
WHERE: Venues in and around Latrobe, an easy 10-minute drive from the Spirit of Tasmania terminal in Devonport
HOW: Entry is free. For more information phone 03 6421 4650 or visit www.chocolatewinterfest.com.au.
DEVONPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL—24 JULY TO 27 JULY 2014
Like Herbie Hancock's royalties cheque, Devonport Jazz Festival grows larger with every passing year. From ten concerts at 2000's inaugural event to 334 shows in 2013, it's become a mainstay for local and visiting aficionados. Held over four days in July, the festival transforms Tasmania's north west gateway with shows in pubs, clubs, vineyards, churches and cafes—even the nearby chocolate factory in Latrobe. Musicians from around Tasmania and interstate feature in a program that incorporates elements of latin, funk and blues as well as trad and modern jazz. Events extend to dance, visual art and film—all accompanied by the best of north west Tassie's food and wine.
WHAT: Devonport's annual four-day festival of live jazz.
WHEN: 27–27 July 2014
WHERE: Venues in and around Devonport
HOW: Includes free events as well as ticketed shows. The full program will be released in mid-June. For more information visit www.devonportjazz.com.
AFL GAMES — 7 JUNE TO 23 AUGUST
Fans are once again rugging up as the AFL season lands at some of Tassie's favourite grounds. Since 2007 the Hawthorn Tassie Hawks have been playing four home games a season in Launceston's Aurora Stadium. And, as of 2012, North Melbourne has entered the fray, playing two games each year in Hobart's Blundstone Arena. Hawthorn play the West Coast Eagles on 7 June, the Gold Coast Suns on 28 June and the Western Bulldogs on 3 August. North Melbourne will square up against St Kilda on 12 July and face the Adelaide Crows on 28 August.
WHAT: The Hawks and North Melbourne are set to play five games on Tassie soil this winter season. WHEN: 7 June, 28 June, 12 July, 3 August and 28 August.
WHERE: Aurora Stadium, Launceston and Blundstone Arena, Hobart
HOW: Tickets from $26, available through www.ticketmaster.com.au.
For a full and up-to-date listing of Tasmanian events, and information on travelling to Tasmania, visit the Discover Tasmania website www.discovertasmania.com.au.
Travel to Tasmania
Travellers can fly to Tasmania on Jetstar, Virgin Australia, Qantas, Qantaslink, Tigerair, Sharp Airlines or Rex Airlines, or take the Spirit of Tasmania ferry from Port Melbourne (VIC) to Devonport (TAS).
Background Notes
Tourism Tasmania's role is to maximise the contribution of tourism to Tasmania's economic growth. Tourism Tasmania is a Statutory Authority operating under the Tourism Tasmania Act 1996, and is part of the Tasmanian Government's Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts.
Media Contact
Joshua Iles media@tourismtasmania.com.au
