Dark Mofo ticket sales up 110%, with box office of $1.85 million

Tasmania’s Dark Mofo kicked off yesterday until June 21 with ticket sales up 110% and generating $1.85 million so far, according to its Creative Director Leigh Carmichael.

In 2016, Dark Mofo opened with $860,000 at the box office.

Carmichael expects over 300,000 to attend its events (52% from outside Tasmania – most Australian festivals have 10% from outside their home state), and for sales to total $2 million, up from $1.4 million last year.

Another 2000 new interstate visitors are expected this year on board the Sydney-to-Hobart P&O Dark Mofo cruise.

Most of the rock music shows – including Paul Kelly’s performance tonight and Mogwai’s only Australian show tomorrow – have long sold out, as have Russian feminist punk group Pussy Riot and Norwegian metal group Ulver.

This year’s festival has been marked by controversy: animal activists were angered by Hermann Nitsch’s bloody 150.Action, involving the supposed sacrifice of a bull in the name of art.

Yet Dark Mofo has a number of events with dark undertones.

Yesterday it launched with the booming out at sunrise and sunset of siren music from 400 loudspeakers placed on the top of six buildings – evoking a call to prayer, or North Korea’s waking its citizens with booming music.

Between June 14—18, there’s a “pilgrimage” along the Midland Highway between Launceston and Hobart which stops off at six tiny deserted churches.

The dark, European-inspired journey is led by Melbourne thereminist and The Night Terrors member Miles Brown, Einstürzende Neubauten guitarist Alexander Hacke and US-born German-based artist, musician and Love Parade Berlin founder Danielle de Picciotto.

At each stop, the church will be lit up from the outside and scented inside, where the performance will be staged as ticketed events.

Dark Mofo’s economic impact is considerable, generating $46 million in 2015. It has created excitement and tourism in the dead of the Tasmanian winter, with accommodation and flights virtually sold out.

Last year the Tasmanian Government confirmed a $10.5 million funding injection over five years.

But in turn, Mofo has to built its audience to 500,000 by 2021, of which 20,000 had to come from outside Tasmania. It had to expand to regional areas, and spend $250,000 to use Tasmanian based arts and music organisations.