Multi-award-winning guitarist Jimi Hocking will headline the 2013 Rotorua Blues Festival.
Queen's Birthday weekend and blues music again go hand in hand in downtown Rotorua for the annual Rotorua Blues Festival.
Presented by the Bay of Plenty Blues Club, the six-day programme includes the popular Blues Cruise on the Saturday and Sunday, youth guitar seminar and workshop, and Saturday "Streat Party".
A selection of blues bands will be in various bars and cafes throughout Rotorua's restaurant precinct over the holiday weekend. Entry to all downtown bars and cafes is free. The festival winds up on Monday with a blues jam session.
Headline act from Melbourne is multi-award-winning guitarist Hocking. He has toured extensively throughout Australia and the USA. In 2005 he won the prestigious International Blues Challenge, held annually in Memphis Tennessee. He has a long musical history, including working as a guitarist for hire, working with big names like The Angels and The Screaming Jets.