MONA's decision to cancel or pause its major festivals has meant some serious holes in Tasmania's tourism calendar.
But proponents of lesser-known events, such as Hobart's Beaker St Festival, have welcomed a rare patch of clear air.
"I think we often get a bit buried under Dark Mofo," said Beaker St founder Margo Adler.
In April the long-running Mona Foma was cancelled, while Dark Mofo has paused its program for 2024, although the winter feast and famous solstice nude swim will still go ahead.
Cost increases have meant a grim outlook for Australia's festivals generally, but the hope in Tasmania is that with less competition and extra government funding, other events can grow.
The Beaker St Festival, along with the Festival of Voices in June and July and regional events such as agriCULTURED in August, will be more secure when Dark Mofo returns, Dr Adler told AAP.
"So I see it as a really positive thing, when they do come back everyone's going to be on a stronger footing," she said.
The Beaker St Festival aims to welcome people to science, through art, music, food, and experiences, rather than boring science lectures.
Hobart has more scientists per capita than any other Australian city, says Dr Adler, and as Australia's gateway to Antarctica, it hosts many international researchers.
"There's a lot of science really concentrated in Hobart, you just meet scientists everywhere you go," she said.
Beaker St began in 2016 with three events at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, and has grown into a week-long program that in 2023 attracted 7500 people.
About 10,000 are expected in 2024, with a program that celebrates Hobart's link to Antarctic science.
There will be freezing plunge pools and Finnish tent saunas on the Hobart waterfront, and the chance to chat to people who have lived in the southernmost continent.
There's also a look at foods of the future, imagining what could be on restaurant menus in 2050 (a taste of sea urchin?) and an examination of wellness trends.
In the city's bars and restaurants, more than 150 scientists will be ready for chats, with live experiments and microscopes installed on bars and tables.
The collaborations between various scientists that occur during the festival can evolve into long-term connections, Dr Adler said. One workshop about the science of chocolate and red wine has become a university course.
The festival's science photography prize returns, with an influx of aurora images expected in 2024, and from the Sydney biennale, a confronting artwork looks at the impact of plastics on bird populations.
There's also the premiere of a new documentary from the Hobart local known as the "Platypus Guardian" Pete Walsh, titled Becoming Platypus.
While the hiatus of Dark Mofo was disappointing, according to Tourism Industry Council Tasmania's Amy Hills, there are other events ready to pick up the heavy lifting.
But with visitors booking accommodation at the last minute, the impact on the state's tourism industry is still an unknown, she said.
The Beaker St Festival runs from August 6 to 13.
