Tiagarra Tasmanian Aboriginal Cultural Centre, Mersey Bluff, Devonport
Stu Gibson
CULTURE AND CREATIVITY
Tasmania's culture and creativity offering is sparked by a thriving arts scene, bold and distinctive events, and a tight knit creative community inspired by the island's natural and political landscapes.
From museums and galleries to performing arts, street art, festivals, markets and meet the maker experiences, the island's cultural experiences reflect a uniquely Tasmanian perspective, authentic, unconventional and deeply connected to place.
The creative community is small, but mighty. Across the island, communities have developed their own distinctive creative lives, influenced by history and inspired by nature. Small enough to collaborate easily, isolated enough for a creative character that does not look or feel like everywhere else.
Salamanca Market, Hobart
Tourism Australia
What the research tells us
Visitors include a wide variety of arts and cultural activities, experiences and events in their trips to Tasmania and help provide the variety that visitors look for across their trips.
Local markets attracted more than 570,000 visitors last year. The Salamanca Market is a key drawcard activity, last year 33% of all visitors (or 450,000 visitors) supported local businesses, artisans and producers during their trip.
Mona is the most visited cultural museum and nearly 320,000 visitors went to Mona last year, around 23% of all visitors. Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery and Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery also attract strong visitation, providing foundational cultural infrastructure alongside smaller and contemporary galleries.
Visitors are also supporting local theatres and around 78,000 attended the theatre or a performance last year.
The impact of events
Winter cultural events including Dark Mofo, Festival of Voices and Beaker Street continue to attract both Tasmanians and visitors year after year. Events help provide reasons to visit other parts of Tasmania and increase regional distribution. Events in Tasmania that most strongly appeal are unique, quintessentially Tasmanian experiences.
Siloam, Mona, Berriedale
Mona and Jesse Hunniford
What sets Tasmania's culture and creativity apart
Distinct culture: Tasmania's unique culture cannot be replicated, shaped by isolation, landscape and the people who live here. It is an expression of what it is to be Tasmanian that shows in the island's diverse arts and events.
Tight knit artistic community: Geographic separation has forged a close creative community. Tasmania's natural environment influences artists and filmmakers, provides materials for furniture makers and boat builders, and fuels seasonal events.
Unconventional and authentic: From Mona's underground galleries and Dark Mofo's performances, to the Unconformity's celebration of the unusual, or even the humble garlic bulb, Tasmania celebrates the quirky, the different, the authentic.
UNESCO City of Literature: In 2023, Hobart was named a UNESCO City of Literature, the second Australian city (alongside Melbourne) to receive the honour, which recognises commitment to culture and creativity.
TVS Analyser
Key messages: talking about culture and creativity in Tasmania
Island of creativity: Tasmania has a thriving arts and events scene, a unique culture and a growing community of artists, musicians, makers and creators that draw upon local culture, heritage and the environment to tell their stories.
Lose yourself in the crowd: There are many ways to experience the arts in Tasmania: meet the makers and channel your inner artist in workshops and classes, browse galleries and museums, catch a theatre show, sing along with the band at a live performance, or lose yourself in the crowd at thrumming markets and festivals.
Offbeat events: Tasmania's festival and events calendar is peppered with offbeat and unusual events with venue filling lineups, inspired menus and rousing performances, from heroes and headliners to laidback community events centred around garlic or scallops, hard working honeybees and homespun crafts.
Alternative ideas: Across the state, diverse galleries, museums and artistic spaces challenge, entertain and serve up different perspectives on island life.
Creative hives: Tasmania's artsy rural communities are hives of creative industry: wander the mural lined streets of Sheffield, get crafty in Deloraine, turn to topiary in Railton, or explore the eclectic galleries of Cygnet.
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Sources
All data sourced from the Tasmanian Visitor Survey YE Sept 2025