One Love Festival at Tauranga Domain last year. Photo / File
"One love, one heart. Let's join together and a-feel all right."
It was 1977 when Bob Marley sang those words and next weekend thousands of people will join together and feel all right at One Love – the festival celebrating roots and reggae.
It only seems fitting the start of Tauranga's annual One Love Festival coincides with Marley's birthday.
It's a festival which will paint Wharepai Domain green, yellow and red for two days.
The festival has continued to evolve throughout its seven year history, and this year is no different.
Last year, Jamaican dancehall legend Sean Paul, reggae superstar Shaggy, reggae heavyweights Toots and the Maytals, Californian reggae royalty Common Kings, reggae legends Third World and Texan soul singer LaTasha Lee took the stage.
International artists Sean Kingston, Kolohe Kai, Steel Pulse, and Chaka Demus were scheduled to perform this year but three weeks out from the festival, it was announced they were no longer able to attend due to ongoing travel restrictions and low stock for quarantine spots, a social media post stated.
They've all confirmed they will perform at the 2022 festival but the changes have left Pato Alvarez of organising company Pato Entertainment, inadvertently achieving something he'd always wanted to do – an all Kiwi line up.
While there was always going to be a focus on Kiwi talent this year, the line up has been rounded out with Dave Dobbyn, 1814, The Black Seeds, Chad Chambers, Victor J Sefo Music and Maimoa Music.
"We should be very proud of our bands," Alvarez said.
He said New Zealand had high-quality and popular Aotearoa and Polynesian style-reggae up there with Jamaican and California reggae.
Fat Freddy's Drop will make their One Love debut as headliners, playing on Sunday at the R18 festival.
The seven-piece act is internationally regarded as one of the world's finest live drawcards with several critically acclaimed albums to their name.
The household name has been categorised under multiple genres including reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno.
This will be alongside other world-renowned homegrown artists, including L.A.B, Kora and Maisey Rika, Katchafire, Sons of Zion and Ardijah.
More than 20,000 people are expected at this year's festival. It's the fourth year the festival has sold out and there are 8500 people on the waiting list.
Back in 2015, 5000 people attended. It was Alvarez's first festival and holds a special place in his heart.
Over the years about 1500 people from overseas have attended, and 12 to 14 international acts played.
It has made its name as a top festival and was crowned New Zealand's favourite event at the annual New Zealand Events Association Event Awards last year.
As well as growing in size, the festival has evolved to look more at its eco-footprint, partnering with the Closed Loop Site Services to help with cleaning and waste management three years ago.
Closed Loop works with events to keep the venues clean and help organisers achieve environmental and sustainability goals. The ethos of the company is to build a circular economy, turning waste back into products that re-enter the local supply chain.
Last year, 310 cu m was collected at the festival with 73.2 per cent diverted from landfill. This year the goal is to divert 75 per cent.
Closed Loop director Greg Schicker said the impact of the level of diversion from the large festival was "massive," with the new generation of festival-goers more conscious about sustainability and what was happening with the waste.
Over the past seven years, the festival has continued to evolve, but one thing is constant: Mandatory good vibes.
Next weekend will be no different.
Who is playing when?
Venue opens 11am daily.
Day 1: FIJI, Kora, House of Shem, Stan Walker, Sons of Zion, 1814, Tomorrow People, Maisey Rika, Three Houses Down + General Fiyah, Hamo Dell, Cornerstone Roots, Rubi Du.
Day 2: Fat Freddy's Drop, L.A.B, Dave Dobbyn, Katchafire, Sammy J, The Black Seeds, Ardijah, Swiss, Lomez Brown, Tree, Chad Chambers, Victor J Sefo, Maimoa.
Sound outside the event
As the music will be heard beyond the venue, the event's resource consent allows for amplified noise from 12pm to 10.30pm on Saturday, and to 10pm on Sunday.
A sound check has been approved for an hour each day from 10am.
Noise monitoring - which is part of the approved noise management plan - has been put in place to monitor noise levels throughout the event.
Data will be assessed after the event to make sure it was within permitted levels under the resource consent.
Live nearby but not going?
The event organisers will implement a plan which included a waste management team, security team, and a resident hotline.
The hotline is a way to report any issues, to minimise the impact of the event to local residents and visitors as much as possible.
Once an issue is raised the event organiser can make sure it is handled as quickly as possible.
The resident hotline is 027 4116 116.
Road closures
There will be closures on several streets in the CBD from 12am on the Saturday of the event through to 6am on Monday, February 8.
This will be to help with the set-up and take-down of the event and pedestrian safety.
Resident access will be allowed throughout the event.
Closures include:
• Cameron Rd from Brown St to Wharf St
• Durham St from Wharf St to Harington St
• Hamilton St from Willow Street to the end of Hamilton St West
• Harington St from Willow St to Cameron Rd
• McLean St from Willow St to Cameron Rd
• Monmouth St from Willow St to Cameron Rd
• Park St from Willow St to Cameron Rd
• Park St from Willow St to Cliff Rd
• Cliff Rd from Brown St to Park St
• Mission St from Chapel St to Cliff Rd
What not to bring
Aerosol products, air horns, alcohol, recording devices, bicycles, skates, scooters, skateboards, chilli bins, droves, drugs, fireworks, food, gang patches or regalia, weapons, glass or metal water containers, instruments, pets, tents, umbrellas or gazebos.
Weather
As of Wednesday, the weather forecast was for periods of cloud and sun with a high of 22C and low of 11C on Saturday. Then for mostly sunshine with a high of 22C and low of 13C on Sunday.
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