Swimmers' annual nude plunge into chilly Tasmanian river marks the winter solstice – and Dark Mofo's revival
Swimmers have stripped off and raced into chilly waters on the shortest day of the year.
Wearing nothing but red swim caps, 3,000 courageous souls took the annual nude sunrise plunge into Hobart's River Derwent to mark the winter solstice.
The air temperature was about 10C as the naked pack took to the water at 7.40am on Saturday, sparking shrieks and yells of anguish. Liz Cannard, who has been travelling around Tasmania for nearly four months with her husband, said she was petrified before taking the dip.
'I'm not a strong swimmer and I don't take my gear off for anybody ... so I've ticked off a couple of things today,' the Geelong resident said.
Lizzy Nash from Sydney was also in the mood for a bit of carpe diem. 'It's about seizing the moment, seizing life and being inspired,' she said.
'This is the sort of thing that motivates you to want to do more and challenge yourself. It was awe-inspiring and I absolutely loved it.'
The free swim is part of the Dark Mofo festival and started with just a few hundred participants in 2013. Melburnian Belinda Chambers said she had been watching people do it on television for years and decided to work remotely from Tasmania for the festival so she could stay and leave on a high.
'So exhilarating,' she said. 'I was nervous, but there was this almost primal moment of everyone being together that carries you along, and a sense of pure happiness.'
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Dark Mofo has returned to its full pomp in 2025, after running a reduced program in 2024 so it could find a more sustainable financial model. The festival's artistic director, Chris Twite, said the swim was a tremendous way to bring things to a close.
'The response in 2025 has been incredible,' he said. 'The streets of Hobart have come alive with locals and visitors celebrating winter and Dark Mofo again.'
More than 103,000 tickets were sold to Dark Mofo events in 2025, generating $4.6m. The festival has made a name for itself by courting controversy and in 2018 drew the ire of some by installing inverted Christian crosses along Hobart's waterfront.
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