Opinion: Mudtopia promises good clean fun

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Mudtopia is coming!

We reveal today the name (yes, Mudtopia), venue and what's on the programme for the Southern Hemisphere's first mud and music festival - to be held in Rotorua in December.

It's a plan we first reported on back in June last year - though back then the intention was to hold it outside the Energy Events Centre and the scope of the festival was more limited.

The Arawa Park venue is not the only new detail announced today, with the enticing promise of a Saturday night concert featuring "high profile international artists" leaving us wanting to know more.

As well as the music component, organisers are promising a mud arena of "muddy madness and mayhem", along with plenty more mud-related activities for the whole family.

The kids will love it, as will the big kids - how often do grown ups get to throw mud at each other without getting strange looks?

The beauty of Mudtopia lies in its uniqueness - while there may be plenty of music festivals the mud gives it an appealing edge. And of course, mud is just so quintessentially Rotorua.

It's an exciting time for the city.

Crankworx is building up momentum, with another epic finale expected this weekend at Skyline. Then we have the Lions tour in June to look forward to, with no shortage of other musical, cultural and sporting events scattered in between.

Mudtopia is, in my view, a fantastic addition to Rotorua's events calendar. It's now up to locals to get out, buy tickets and help make it another iconic Rotorua must-do.