Massive love for One Love

Pato Entertainment presents One Love 2016 at Tauranga Domain this Waitangi Weekend, February 6-7. Photo: James Sales Photography.

More than 15,000 reggae lovers from across the world are heading to town for the One Love Festival this Waitangi Weekend.

Presented by Pato Entertainment, the fourth annual festival is bringing the world's biggest reggae bands to the Tauranga Domain this Saturday and Sunday.

Director Pato Alvarez says with the crowds doubled on 2015, this year's One Love will be one of the biggest festivals ever staged in Tauranga.

'We always knew One Love would be huge which is the team's been putting in 15-18 hour days at the moment. This is what we do, because we love what we're doing.”

The official line-up has now been released and Saturday sees performances by Herbs, Swiss, Third World, Che Fu, Nesian Mystik, Collie Buddz, Three Houses Down, Sons of Zion, Kora and J Boog.

Then Sunday the good vibrations continue with Paua, 1814, Ardijah, Tomorrow People, Fiji, Sammy J, House of Shem, Katchafire and Common Kings.

'Organising set times was pretty hard because all these bands are big,” explains Pato. 'It was hard choose the opening acts – no-one should be opening because everyone deserves to be headlining.

'Saturday is also Bob Marley's birthday, all the bands on the bill received offers to play elsewhere but they have chosen to be part of One Love, and that means a lot to us.”

With plenty of love for reggae lovers, Pato says there should also be a ton of love shown to local business and services this weekend too.

Along with creating 250 jobs for people during the festival, Pato reckons up to $4 million could be injected into Tauranga's over the next two days.

'If 10,000 people each spend $400 on restaurants, bars, supermarkets, taxis and shops, that's $4 million injected into the economy,” he explains.

'We already know the city's accommodation has been fully booked out for the past couple of weeks, some people are having to stay in Rotorua because they can't get a room.”

Once again, festival goers will also be helping children in need of love with $1 from each ticket sold being donated to Tauranga's amazing Homes of Hope Charitable Trust.

'They are an amazing foundation which ensures children have an opportunity to grow up in a safe, stable environment. We're very proud to be working alongside them again,” says Pato.

Pato Entertainment presents One Love at Tauranga Domain on Waitangi Weekend, February 6-7. For more information visit: www.onelovefestival.co.nz

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