Mona Foma takes centre stage

Hobart's fifth annual MONA FOMA festival, being held this week, is becoming a destination for tourists from all over the world according to Curator Brian Ritchie.

Explaining that more than half of ticket sales for the contemporary music and arts festival have been from outside of Tasmania, Richie says the festival has fast become a cultural drawcard for the state.

Richie told the ABC "its becoming a destination, MONA FOMA and its an intellectual and spiritual and artistic destination I suppose."

He adds that Tasmanians are also embracing the festival, stating "the things that make MONA FOMA special is its the experimental side of the music and the art would be meaningless but for the fact the public comes along in huge numbers.

"They really give it a go and we're getting to the point now where people say I didn't know what to expect but that was great, or I didn't like everything but I'm glad you're doing it."

This year's festival features theatre performances, art and sound installations and an eclectic mix of music, including Ethiopian funk, Indian bongos and lullabies on violin.

First staged in 2008, MONA FOMA (an acronym for Museum of Old and New Art: Festival Of Music and Art, sometimes further shortened to MOFO) is an annual festival based in Hobart. Billed as Tasmania's largest contemporary music festival, MONA FOMA showcases the work of artists in a broad range of art forms, including sound, noise, dance, theatre, visual art, performance and new media. MONA FOMA was established by Salamanca Arts Centre, Brian Ritchie and the Museum of Old and New Art (MONA).

The program runs until Sunday with a special bushfire appeal concert organised for next Monday night.