Raggamuffin weekend is still three months away, but accommodation providers are already predicting a popular event.
The line-up for Rotorua's 2011 reggae festival will include international stars Mary J Blige, Sean Paul, Jimmy Cliff, Maxi Priest, The Original Wailers and Ky-Mani Marley.
The annual reggae festival, which attracts tens of thousands of
people to Rotorua International Stadium, will be on February 5.
Headlining the concert will be the American singer, songwriter, producer, actress and nine-time Grammy Award winner, R&B queen Mary J Blige.
Kiwi artists performing include Salmonella Dub, Nesian Mystik, 1814 and Sons of Zion.
The lead vocalist from Sons of Zion, Rio Panapa, is a former Western Heights High School student and one of the members of 1814, Maihi Pinker, also lived there.
As in previous years, Rotorua accommodation is filling fast.
Dan O'Connor from Cactus Jacks Backpackers said they had about 90 beds and only had a few left for the weekend of Raggamuffin.
Mr O'Connor said most of the bookings were for festival-goers.
"We're not fully booked out yet but our rooms are going fast," Mr O'Connor said.
Rotorua Association of Motels (RAM) secretary-treasurer Bruce Beesley said many motels were already booked out for Raggamuffin weekend and he encouraged people wanting to arrange accommodation for that weekend to get in fast.
He said most people tended to start booking rooms at Rotorua motels around Christmas time, but believed a few of the smaller motels in Rotorua had already been booked out.
He said the first year the event was held, Rotorua's accommodation providers had to ring around to Whakatane and Tauranga to look for rooms for people wanting to attend the festival.
Every other year they haven't had to do that but Mr Beesley said motels, hotels and other accommodation providers were usually always busy during the summer months.
"Most certainly book in fast before you miss out," he said.
