MONA FOMA
The FOMA in MONA FOMA technically stands for Festival of Music and Art, but the five-day event could just as easily be named MONA FOMO – Fear of Missing Out.
To call it just a festival of music and art doesn’t quite cover things. Curated by Violent Femmes bassist Brian Ritchie and overseen by Museum of Old and New Art founder David Walsh, this carnival of culture has been stretching its official definition since 2009, striking fear into the hearts of those terrified of missing something.
Held in January throughout Hobart and its surrounds, MONA FOMA draws some big headline acts – in the past including John Cale, Elvis Costello, Nick Cave, Philip Glass, Grandmaster Flash and PJ Harvey. The program covers all kinds of musical performance – from classical and opera to hip-hop and avant-garde – along with dance, theatre and visual art.
MOFO 2018 is set to bring an unprecedented 11 days of music and art to Launceston (12–14 January) and Hobart (15–22 January) this summer, with challenging art installations, unexpected world premieres and Australian exclusives set to take place in Tassie’s two largest cities.