CONTENT COURTESY DARK MOFO MEDIA
Mona’s winter festival Dark Mofo to be held in June 2020 has been cancelled due to concerns around the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19).
Leigh Carmichael, Dark Mofo Creative Director said:
“It is with deep regret and sadness that we have made the decision to cancel Dark Mofo scheduled for June this year.
“After a thorough risk assessment on the potential impact and disruption of coronavirus, we have been left with no option other than to move the current program to 2021.
“The implications of COVID-19, and subsequent travel, financial and logistical issues, are beyond our control.
“The financial exposure faced by David Walsh of a festival-wide last minute cancellation would run into the millions, and likely end the event permanently. We’ve had to act decisively to ensure Dark Mofo’s long term survival.
“Our current priority is to minimise the implications and cost on our audience, artists, suppliers, sponsors and key stakeholders, and support our staff through a challenging period.
“At this stage, subject to further Government advice, Bon Iver’s sold out performances will still go ahead as planned on Friday 12 and Saturday 13 June, as part of their national tour.”
In a Facebook post, David Walsh has said:
“It’s likely that nothing will happen. June will roll up, COVID-19 will die down, and I’ll look (more) like a fool for having cancelled. But that’s the best thing that could happen. The worst thing that could happen is not me trashing my cash. We could soldier on, without consideration or advantage, have the crowd turn up anyway, and send them home sick. But that wouldn’t be the worst thing, either. Worse than that, for me at least, would be proceeding with Dark Mofo and having it fail, and thus having it become the final Dark Mofo. That would mean facing a future of Hobart winters unpunctuated by pageantry, and thus returning to a tyranny of complacency—that worse-than-COVID Hobart malaise of believing we don’t have to seek to do more, and we don’t have to seek to do better.”
Pictured: Burning of the Ogoh-Ogoh at Dark Mofo (Photo: Dark Mofo/Rémi Chauvin)
