Mona Foma 2024: Your Guide To Hobart’s Epic Summer Festival Of Music & Art
From open-air concerts to offbeat art installations, here’s everything to catch at this year’s Mona Foma 2024 festival.
Tasmania’s famous winter festival Dark Mofo is on temporary hiatus in 2024, but MONA (the Museum of Old and New Art) is still throwing its other event – the summer celebration of art, music “and other stuff” that is Mona Foma.
Held in nipaluna / Hobart and Launceston over three weekends in February – making the most of Tasmania’s warmest month – the festival lineup is stacked full of open-air concerts and immersive art installations from both Australian and international artists. Some events are free, or included with entry to MONA.
You’ll be able to catch the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Shonen Knife, Courtney Barnett and Paul Kelly as well as art installations from Nigerian artist Emeka Ogboh and Taiwanese artist Yahon Chang, and so many more.
Read on for your guide to everything happening at Mona Foma 2024 so you can plan your festival experience accordingly.
Nipaluna / Hobart (Thursday 15th February to Sunday 25th February)
Frying Pan Studios
Throughout the duration of Mona Foma, artists will appear at the museum’s in-house recording studio to jam, record or workshop new sounds. If you are at MONA that day, you can drop by to have a look – slated to appear are Courtney Barnett (February 15th and 16th), various Music in Exile artists (February 17 and 18), Darren Hanlon (February 19), Chua + Chester (February 22), Little Ugly Girls (February 23), Kutcha Edwards and the Australian Art orchestra (February 24), Dusted (February 25), The Shruti Sessions (February 26), Mulga Bore Hard Rock (February 27) and SILIKIL (March 3).
February 15-19, February 22-29 and March 3, included with MONA entry
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Salty Sessions
Mona Foma’s official site describes the Salty Sessions as “definitely not a day club”, which makes us think it might be slightly more chill than that. Curated by Hobart-based indie musician Ben Salter and held on-site at MONA, the performers will be mostly Tasmanian but you can expect to see a few rogue Mainlanders as well.
February 15-19 and February 22-26, included with MONA entry
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Music At MONA
Even outside of Mona Foma you’ll catch live music performances on MONA’s lawns from Thursdays to Sundays, and these sessions will continue during the festival featuring loads of local acts to be announced. As always, if weather permits these gigs are held outside on the lawns but if the rain kicks off, the show is moved inside the museum.
February 15-19 and February 22-26, included with MONA entry
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Boats
This fascinating multi-faceted work from Nigerian-born artist Emeka Ogboh is part of the artist’s ongoing exploration into migration and belonging, and centres around a specially-crafted gin. The spirit has been created using both local and West African botanicals, and according to Mona Foma’s site is “a sensory journey that explores the essence of migration [and] its challenges and opportunities”.
There’s several elements to the installation, kicking off with the Sharing Feast on February 15th at the Detached gallery space – entry for this event is via ballot form which you can find on the Boats program page.
The actual exhibition is held at Detached from February 16th to the 25th and on billboards around Hobart itself, and you can enjoy the specially crafted gin and West African-influenced food at MONA’s The Source, Wine Bar, Dubsy's and the Void Bar between February 16th to 19th and February 22nd to 25th.
Sharing Feast: Thursday February 15, entry via ballot
Exhibition: February 16th to 25th, free entry
91-93 Macquarie Street, Hobart
Gin and gastronomy: February 16th to 19th and February 22nd to 25th, included with MONA entry
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Anito
In Anito, Sydney-based performer and artist Justin Shoulder brings audiences to the Skyworld, “a Queer Filipinx Future Folkloric space of storytelling” where dance, theatre, installation and visual art all meet in a spectacularly sensory live work featuring elaborately costumed performers.
The Saturday matinee performance at Hobart’s Theatre Royal will be preceded by two free “tactile tours” for those with sensory sensitivity, allowing them to quietly experience the sets, costumes and props before the show. The Saturday night performance of Anito will be bookended by DJs and drinks, so you can really make a party out of it.
$40.00 to $50.00 per ticket + booking fee
February 15th and 16th, 7.30pm
February 17th, 2.30pm (matinee) and 10.00pm
Corner of Campbell & Collins Streets, Hobart
Franko x Mona Foma
Hobart’s summertime institution Street Eats @ Franko – a weekly food and drink market held on the edge of the city at Franklin Square – gets the Mona Foma treatment with the festival curating the night’s entertainment. There’ll be performances from Ajak Kwai, Kylie Auldist and emi emi to accompany your dinner and drinks.
Friday February 16th, free
70 Macquarie Street, Hobart
Queens of the Stone Age
Embarking on their first Australian tour since 2018, Josh Homme and his band of rockers are stopping it at Mona Foma to play a sold-out outdoor gig on the MONA lawns, supported by POND and Gut Health. The End Is Nero tour is in support of Queens of the Stone Age’s eight album In Times New Roman… which was released in mid 2023 and shot up to number two on the ARIA charts.
$179.90 + booking fee (Sold Out)
Friday February 16th
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Songs Are Made of Air
A unique partnership sees Australian singer-songwriter Darren Hanlon and percussionist and composer Bree van Reyk team up with musicians from the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra for a one-off show at the Odeon performing songs from both artists. Conducted by Erkki Valheim, this performance celebrates creativity and collaboration.
$59.00 to $69.00 + booking fee
Friday February 16th
167 Liverpool Street, Hobart
Arka Kinari
Arka Kinari is the name of a 70-tonne sailing ship that traverses the world’s waters to deliver an incredible artistic exploration into the global climate crisis. Spearheaded by American percussionist and producer Grey Filastine and Indonesian vocalist and environmental activist Nova Ruth, the Arka Kinari acts as both the tour bus and the venue. Climb aboard for a truly unique cinematic and musical experience.
The boat is also hosting two days of tours called Sustainability and the Sea Laboratory, explaining how it travels on the wind, gets power from the sun and how it removes salt from water and manages food waste.
Arka Kinari: February 16th to 19th and February 22nd to 25th, free event
Sustainability and the Sea Laboratory: February 19th & 22nd, free event
1 Franklin Wharf, Hobart
Music In Exile Presents
Music in Exile is a non-for-profit record label platforming artists from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, and its taking over MONA’s lawns during Mona Foma. Head to the museum to catch sets from South Sudanese singer Ajak Kawi, Chinese-Australia musician Mindy Meng Wang, Guinean fusion group Jarabi Band and Chinese-Malaysian Australian artist Sui Zhen.
February 17th & 18th, free entry
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Courtney Barnett
The Aussie singer-songwriter will play a show at the Odeon divided into two parts. The first part is a live performance of her instrumental album The End of the Day with her collaborator Stella Mozgawa, while the second part will be dedicated to the hits and favourites from Barnett’s back catalogue.
$69.00 to $79.00 + booking fee
Saturday February 17th
167 Liverpool Street, Hobart
Paul Kelly
Back in 2022, legendary Aussie singer-songwriter Paul Kelly released Time, a themed compilation of his past work (and some new songs) all about the concept of time. For his two sold-out Mona Foma shows at the Odeon, Kelly will be performing songs from this compilation in what will be an unforgettable show.
$99.00 to $109.00 + booking fee (Sold Out)
Sunday February 18th & Monday February 19th
167 Liverpool Street, Hobart
South Weight Hi-Fi Sound System
Head to MONA’s Amarna to check out hand-picked local DJs playing at “Australia’s southernmost custom-built sound system”, which is a radio station, mobile disco and audio lab all in one.
February 22nd to 25th, free event
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Wayfinder
Queensland-based performing arts company Dancenorth brings its lively, colourful show Wayfinder to Mona Foma. Scored by Aussie band Hiatus Kaiyote and featuring incredible, vibrant fabric artwork from Japanese-Australian artist Hiromi Tango, this show is all about exuberance and exhilaration. Like Anito, there’s a tactile tour available for this performance as well.
$39.00 to $79.00 + booking fee
February 22nd to 24th
Corner of Campbell & Collins Streets, Hobart
Skeleton Crew
Mysterious group SILIKIL feature in this even more mysterious event, which Mona Foma’s own website can’t offer much detail on. The official listing reads: “Details are sketchy, but rumour has it this spooky crew prefers to haunt docks, ferry piers, and long staircases”. So keep an eye out around the grounds of MONA and you may be in for a scary surprise!
February 23rd to 25th, free event
655 Main Road, Berriedale
MONA Sessions
For three consecutive nights, the Mona Lawns will be taken up with outdoor gigs featuring huge lineups of artists – including exclusive sets from the likes of Mogwai, Shonen Knife and Michael Rother + Friends, as well as appearances from Mona Foma artists like Isaac et Nora, Little Ugly Girls and The Shruti Sessions. If you don’t want Foma FOMO, you can bundle up a pass to all three nights.
See the Friday, Saturday & Sunday lineups here
$75.00 to $85.00 + booking fee
Or $202.50 to $229.50 + booking fee for all three shows
Friday February 23rd to Sunday February 25th
655 Main Road, Berriedale
Isaac Et Nora
Viral internet sensations Isaac and Nora, two French-Korean siblings who play Latin American music alongside their father Nicholas, are set to play Hobart’s Town Hall for Mona Foma. The brother and sister, who are 14 and 11 respectively, have amassed millions of views for their music on YouTube and here’s your chance to catch them in real life on their first Aussie tour.
$40.00 to $50.00 + booking fee
Sunday February 25th
50 Macquarie Street, Hobart
Faux Mo
The Granada Tavern – a neighbourhood pub across the road from MONA – will be taken over for three nights during Mona Foma for Faux Mo, a series of late night parties (except for the daytime Sunday version) promising “DJs, dance and democracy sausages.”
There’s stacked lineups each day including artists like Soju Gang, POOKIE, M8triarchy and Grace Chia, so head to the event page to see a full list of who’s joining the fun. As a bonus, there’s a ticket bundle deal if you want to catch the MONA Sessions and head over to Faux Mo afterwards to keep the party going all night long – or do it on reverse on the Sunday!
$55.00 to $65.00 + booking fee
Or $117.00 to $135.00 + booking fee to bundle a MONA Sessions and Faux Mo ticket
Friday February 23th to Sunday February 25th
666 Main Road, Berriedale
Yahon Chang
Taiwanese artist Yahon Chang has the floor (literally) for this installation, painting a huge floor-sized canvas at Princes Wharf in real time. He uses a variety of brushes, including one roughly as tall as the artist himself, and you’ll watch this amazing piece of large-scale creativity unfold before your eyes.
$30.00 to $40.00 + booking fee
Saturday February 24th
Castray Esplanade, Hobart
Rawspace x Mona Foma
Artistic duo Chua + Chester – also known as Sean Minhui Tashi Chua and Diana Chester – have created an epic sonic experience for Mona Foma, a project called Sastrugi – Sounds of the Antarctic Sea Ice.
Using several techniques, from field recording to sonification to musique concrete, they’ve created an immersive soundscape that represents the disappearing of sea ice in the Antarctic due to climate change. There’s two free events to attend at the Theatre Royal’s Studio theatre, one about the process of capturing the sounds, and then the work itself.
Saturday February 24 (Sastrugi – Process Sharing), free
Sunday February 25 (Sastrugi – Sounds of the Antarctic Sea Ice), free
Corner of Campbell and Collins Streets, Hobart
The Shruti Sessions
Touted as a “cross-cultural collaboration”, the Shruti Sessions will see Hindustani, Rajasthani and Australian musicians join forces for workshopping, jamming, chatting, food, community and general “cross-cultural hotpot vibes”. The Shruti Sessions will pop up in standalone, ticketed shows at Moonah Arts Centre, but you can also catch them at the free Mona Foma Celebration event on February 22nd, at four free Morning Meditations events and the February 23rd MONA Sessions, as well as two free to attend workshop events on February 23rd and 24th. Head to the Shruti Sessions program page for more info and tickets.
February 21, 22 and 24, $40-$50 + booking fee
23-27 Albert Road, Moonah
Launceston (March 2nd to 3rd)
Morning Meditations
In a nod to the four Morning Meditations led by Shruti Sessions at Hobart’s Moonah Arts Centre, Launceston gets its own event at the iconic Cataract Gorge. Launceston residents can head to the Fairy Dell at the Gorge for an AM dose of relaxation and reflection, led by Tassie-based arts collective Where Water Meets.
Saturday March 2nd, free event
74-90 Basin Road, West Launceston
The Gorge
Launceston will be treated to a big evening of free live music with this concert at Cataract Gorge featuring cult Aussie band TISM (playing only their fourth show in 20 years), as well as Cash Savage and The Last Drinks, Mulga Bore Hard Rock and FFLORA x Grace Chia. There’ll be food and drinks in abundance and if you want an actual seat, a private entry line and VIP bar, pick yourself up a Peacock Pass to party in a fancy way.
Saturday March 2nd, free
or $65.00 + booking fee for Peacock Pass
74-90 Basin Road, West Launceston
Now that you're primed to experience the off-the-wall brilliance and dynamism of Mona Foma 2024, it's time to make other Tassie travel plans. Check out our hotel guides for both Hobart and Launceston, as well as all of our favourite restaurants in Hobart and Launceston.
