Winter Feast 2026 Visual Story

Winter Feast is at Princes Wharf Number 1 shed (PW1) near Salamanca Place.

It is a big event where Tasmanian stalls sell different types of food and drink.

You can buy what you would like to eat and sit at tables inside the shed, or on seats or logs outside.

Winter Feast is cashless. You can only buy entry, food and drink with a credit or debit card.

There is sweet and savoury food, some from countries around the world. Some dishes are snacks, some are bigger, and some are made to share with friends or family. You might see and try things you’ve never seen before.

There are hot and cold drinks, and many alcoholic and non alcoholic options.

Dress warmly - bring a coat, a beanie, scarf and gloves. You might spend some time outside and it will be cold.

Castray Esplanade, Hobart

View an interactive version of this map on the Dark Mofo website here.

Winter Feast runs over two weeks. The below table shows the days and times the Feast is open, and the cost of entry for people aged 16 or over.

People aged under 16 years can enter for free, accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Winter Feast is free for everyone after 9pm each night.

There is one entry to the Feast, underneath the big red Winter Feast sign.

To enter the Feast, adults pay at the gate. Children under 16 get in for free.

You might need to line up to get into the Feast.

There will be a clearly marked place to line up and pay for entry.

Winter Feast staff members wearing red jackets will greet you at the entrance. They can help you if you have a question or need assistance.

Some of them will have red light sticks to help direct people.

This is what their uniform looks like:

When you get to the box office, you will pay for entry using a debit or credit card. The Feast is cashless.

Once you have paid for entry, the person in the box office will direct you to the entry gate. At the gate, more Winter Feast staff members wearing red jackets will welcome you.

These staff members will have phones in their hands, which they will use to count everyone who enters the Feast. We need to count everyone who enters and leaves so we know how many people are on the site to keep us all safe.

These staff members may be very busy and might not have time to chat with you, but they can direct you to someone who can help.

Once admitted, you can choose to spend time inside or outside.

Princes Wharf 1 (PW1) Shed

The doors to the Princes Wharf Shed (PW1) look like this. They might be open or closed, but they will be unlocked and you can go through them.

To enter the PW1 shed, walk through the glass doors. You will see red drapes all around you. You can go left or right to enter.

Inside Princes Wharf 1

• Inside the shed, tables with benches are set up down the middle of the room
• Lit candles decorate the tables.
• Red lights hang from the ceiling. The light is ambient and the space is not brightly lit.

On both sides of the tables are stalls selling food and drink.

Outside Princes Wharf 1

Outside and alongside the shed you will see the black marquees of the outside stalls.

There are seats on the deck along the shed, and on the lawns around fire pots. Most of the seats are wooden logs, and there are also wooden benches and seats with backs. There aren’t many tables outside.

There are white fairy lights in the trees on Salamanca Lawns, and strings of red lights above the stalls.

There are tall fire beacons that shoot fire into the sky from time to time. They are a rusty brown colourand pyramid shaped.

These beacons make a whooshing noise when the fire bursts from the top, and sometimes they make a whistling sound as well.

You might feel warmth from the fire but they are very safe.

There are many options for food and drink to buy. You can walk around to make your choices.

A list of Winter Feast stallholders showing some sample menus, and their location at the Feast is on theDark Mofo website

Once you have purchased your food you can find a seat and enjoy!

Remember that the Winter Feast is cashless, so all purchases need to be made with a debit or creditcard.

Inside the shed, food is served on compostable plates and bowls with compostable cutlery.

When you are finished eating, please put these in one of the green waste bins around the site.

Outside the shed, food is served on enamel plates or bowls with metal cutlery.

When you are finished eating, please take these to the plate return station near the Feast entrance.

See the map for its location.

Most stallholders will pour you a drink in a reusable plastic cup.

The first time you buy a drink in a cup at the Feast, you will need to buy the reusable cup. It will cost $6, in addition to the price of the drink.

You can swap this cup each time you buy a new drink - you don’t need to buy a new one.

Both hot and cold drinks will be served in these cups.

When you leave the Feast you can keep your cup, or take it to the cup return station near the Feast entrance for a $5 refund.

Some hot drinks, like coffee or hot chocolate, will come in a biodegradable cup.

When you have finished your hot drink, please put the cup in one of the green waste bins.

Some stallholders will sell drinks in cans or glass bottles. When you have finished, please put the can or bottle in one of the recycling bins.

There are no garbage bins at the Feast, only green waste and recycling bins.

The bins have signs showing what kind of wasteg oes into them.

Please check these signs before disposing of your waste, and ask a staff member if you are not sure.

You cannot buy water in a plastic bottle at the Feast.

You can bring your own drink bottle and fill it at one of the water stations, at either end of the Deck.

Inside the shed, there is a stage high up on the wall.

Outside there is the main stage near the entrance to the Feast, and other locations on the lawns under the trees and on the deck, where musicians will perform.

Locations where musicians are playing are marked on the map with the music icon.

Music performances start at 4pm.

After 9pm the music on the outside stage will be louder and more energetic.

Most of the music will be amplified, with small speakers like those in the above photos.

Winter Feast features a range of music from countries around the world.

Not all stages and locations will have musicians playing at the same time.
It’s possible to seek out or avoid music.

The Winter Feast can be noisy. You might hear:

• At the Winter Feast entrance, an eerie soundscape plays from speakers around the queueing area.
• Smoke from smoke machines will roll off the containers - you might hear a light woosh, and the smoke will come gently off the Winter Feast sign.
• If you are coming to the Feast at this time, the smoke will clear soon if you don’t want to walk through it.
• The smoke lingers for a very short time.
• Every few minutes, bursts of fire will happen behind the winter feast neon sign. They make a whoosh and you might feel some heat.
• Every 6 mins a few fireworks will fire into the sky that make a small bang follows by a crackling sound and some sparks.
• The fire beacons outside make a whooshing noise when they shoot fire into the air. Sometimes they also make a whistling noise.

You might also hear:

• Kitchen noises like saucepans clattering.
• Cleaning noises like cutlery and crockery clashing together.
• Wheelie bins being pulled along and emptied.
• Firewood being stacked and put onto fires.
• Music playing.
• People talking and socialising.

The toilets are marked on the map.

There are accessible toilets at each location.

You can find First Aid outside, near the toilets. Ask staff for help to find it.

First Aid is marked on the map.

The Quiet Area is a small building at the front of the PW1 shed. Inside is a carpet, beanbags, lamps and curtains on the walls.

There is a ramp to the entrance.

There is a heat pump high on wall. The heater will be turned on.

You can come in here any time when you need a break.

We will have ear plugs and some fidget toys to use if you need them.

The Quiet Area can accommodate up to six people at a time.

It is an alcohol free zone. Please don’t bring alcoholic drinks into the Quiet Area.

The Quiet Area looks a bit like this from the outside:

If queueing isn’t accessible to you, you can talk to a Winter Feast staff member in a red jacket, who can help you.

Remember to dress warmly. Bring your coat! You might also need a beanie, gloves and a scarf.

The Winter Feast is free to enter after 9pm nightly. This is when the queues can get very long and you might have to wait a long time to enter.

When you’re ready to leave, head back towards the entrance. The exit is through the gate between the entrance gate and the main stage. Front of House and Security staff will be by the gate in their red jackets.

There is only one designated exit point.

Thank you for coming to Winter Feast!

If you have any feedback about this document, please contact info@darklab.net.auopens in a new tab