MONA FOMA

What a bunch of weirdos.
MONA FOMA – or the Museum of Old and New Art’s Festival of Music and Art – is an extension of the giant looming museum of sex and death that’s taken Tasmania, nay Australia, nay the world a little bit, by storm. The festival is an annual event, and each year gets bigger, taking over more corners of little old Hobart town.
The event began in 2009, creeping along quietly and flying under the radar but gaining more and more followers. The most recent festival caused a hipster influx, because by then most of Australia had heard of the great and powerful MONA, and so they came in droves to be a part of it. On every corner you could spot a mainlander. If it had been a drinking game, we’d have all been drunk on hipsters.
The festival itself is more than just music. It’s about running all over town and seeing everything there is to see. Most big events more recently have been held in PW1 down at Salamanca, but other corners of Hobart are also utilised. Perhaps the most exciting and intriguing part of 2013’s festival was the official nightly afterparty, Faux Mo, taking over one city block’s back alleys and underground spaces. Did it even happen? I don’t know… were you there?
Also, thanks to MONA FOMA, David Byrne & St. Vincent came to Hobart and cemented themselves in my top ten gig list. Dang, those beats were fresh.