Tasmania is once again making a strong case for winter – here’s four things we are currently obsessing over
The state’s Off Season campaign is back for 2026, rolling out more than 500 bookable experiences and events designed to pull travellers into the colder months, rather than away from them.
Running from May through August, the campaign leans into a simple idea: don’t endure winter — lean into it.
Now in its sixth year, Off Season has become a bit of a blueprint for how to rethink domestic travel, shifting focus onto quieter months with experiences that only really work when it’s cold, dark and a little bit wild.
And the offering is pretty broad this time around.
There’s the expected cosy end — long-table feasts, whisky tastings, truffle-heavy menus — but also a more left-field mix of floating saunas, cold-water plunges, dark-sky cruises and even clothing-optional stays if that’s your thing.
Then there’s the after-dark stuff – bioluminescence tours, nocturnal wildlife encounters and stargazing sessions – that lean into Tasmania’s clear winter skies.
Festival-wise, it’s stacked. Dark Mofo returns in June, alongside events like Light Up the West on the wild west coast – both leaning fully into Tasmania’s darker, colder edge.
But if you’re actually looking for a way in, there are a few standout picks to get you started.
Dark Mofo (June 11–22, Hobart)
The whole city basically shifts into this red-lit, late-night playground – art in old churches, gigs in warehouses, installations inside a literal 48,000-tonne ship docked at the harbour.
The music side pulls proper names too — Danny Brown, The Black Angels, Clipping, plus local acts like Ninajirachi and Baker Boy.
Then there’s the rituals: Winter Feast (75+ food stalls under firelight), Night Mass taking over the CBD with hidden rooms and chaos sets, and the Nude Solstice Swim to close it out. It’s equal parts art festival, party and endurance test.
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Truffle toasties and S’mores at The Agrarian Kitchen (New Norfolk)
One of Tassie’s most respected food spots, the restaurant itself grows the majority of its produce on-site in a one-acre walled garden, which you actually walk through as part of the experience.
The toasties are the casual version — wood-fired sourdough, layers of local cheeses, shaved truffle — served out of the kiosk – are the S’mores – two for 16 bucks every Friday to Sunday throughout winter.
But it’s all coming from the same setup that’s been named Gourmet Traveller’s Restaurant of the Year. So obviously, it punches above “just a toastie.”
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Launceston Distillery
It’s set inside Hangar 17, an old airport hangar where planes used to land — now it’s all barrels and copper stills.
ou can do a full walkthrough from grain to bottle, sit in old aircraft seats during the tasting, then literally fill your own bottle straight from the barrel.
Also runs on hydro power, uses local ingredients — very Tassie in that quietly serious way.
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Light Up the West (Strahan)
It’s a winter solstice festival on the west coast, so you’re dealing with proper isolation, harsh landscapes, and a community-led vibe.
Expect fire, light installations, and events that lean into the remoteness rather than trying to polish it.
It’s less spectacle than Dark Mofo, but arguably more “Tassie” because of it.
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If you’ve been flirting with the idea of a Tasmania trip, this is the window — there is nothing like a Tassie – winter…nothing.
Check out the 500 plus offerings here.
