Rotorua's Raggamuffin 2012 line-up has been revealed - international acts Billy Ocean, Marvin Priest, Big Mountain, Junior Marvin and dance hall Dube will join headliner Ali Campbell at the premier reggae event.
Former UB40 frontman Ali Campbell, Grammy Award-winning artist Billy Ocean, son of reggae legend, Maxi, and singer of the current top 40 track debut single Own This Club Marvin Priest, US reggae group Big Mountain, The Wailers' Junior Marvin and Lucky Dube's daughter Nkulee Dube will perform at the Rotorua International Stadium at next year's event on January 28.
Joining the line-up of international artists on the main stage are Kiwi groups Kora and Three Houses Down. Other groups House of Shem, Cornerstone Roots, Sons of Zion, Sweet and Irie, Tomorrow People, Soljah, NRG Rising and Foundation will also be part of the event along with DJs Sir-Vere, Poroufessor and Beau Zee.
The 2012 event will be the biggest yet, celebrating five years in Rotorua. The festival will offer more than 12 hours of reggae, dance hall and funk with a dash of R & B and hip-hop on two stages. Celebrations will start on January 27 on the Second Stage, Field 2 at the stadium with a mix of bands and DJs.
A Rotorua District Council economic impact report on Raggamuffin showed the annual event injected about $15million a year into Rotorua's economy with concert-goers staying overnight in the city and spending an average of $751 each. About 20,000 people went to this year's festival, the lowest number on record, but council officers were confident numbers would be up again next year given the stronger line-up.