Last year, Dark Mofo’s artistic director Chris Twite announced the midwinter solstice festival would not take place in 2024. In the face of rising costs, the festival was cancelled so it could undergo a “period of renewal”.
After a year of fallow, it’s back – and in a big way. The festival’s 2025 edition will run from June 5 to June 15 and will include beloved rituals like Winter Feast, the Ogoh-Ogoh and Night Mass. The Nude Solstice Swim will also return (outside of the festival’s main drag) on June 21.
“Dark Mofo is back,” said Twite in a statement. “For our 11th chapter once more we’ll bathe the city in red and deliver two weeks of inspiring art, music and ritual.”
The full program will be announced next year.
A limited pre-release of tickets to Night Mass, the festival’s “sprawling behemoth” of art and music, will go on sale at 10am on Tuesday November 5 to those pre-registered on the Dark Mofo website.
In the meantime, the festival’s website offers a provocative portent. On a black screen, in red text, sits a Bible verse. John 11:11: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but now I will go and wake him up.”
