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On the weekend of Aug. 1-4, the Mateel Community Center will present the 29th annual Reggae on the River, which, after five years of festival exile, will be making a highly anticipated return to its original French’s Camp venue in Southern Humboldt. Reggae fans worldwide are overjoyed with this news, and now that the line-up is ready to drop, the excitement is even more palpable.

Showcasing a diverse mix of top-class reggae and world music talent from around the globe, the 29th annual Reggae on the River will feature performances by Julian Marley and The Uprising Band, Morgan Heritage, Tarrus Riley and Blak Soil, Anthony B, J Boog and Hot Rain, Natural Black, Sierra Leone’s Refugee Allstars, Les Nubians, Rockamoyva, Blue King Brown, Rootz Underground, Chronixx, Kabaka Pyramid, Nkulee Dube, The Meditations, Prezident Brown, Garafuna Collective, Toussaint The Liberator w/ Amandla, MC Zulu, Army, Paula Fuga + Mike Love, Zincfence Band, Reggae Angels, and Woven Roots, with more acts to be announced, plus an all-star cast of DJs and vocalists from the Emerald Triangle and beyond. The event will also offer more than 60 craft and food vendors, a lively kid zone, and a weekend full of camping, community, and irie fun on the banks of the majestic Eel River.

The main three-day festival will take place Friday through Sunday, Aug. 2-4 and tickets are priced at $190. A limited number of early arrival tickets will allow access to the grounds and an extra evening of DJs and special guests on Thursday, Aug. 1, and this four-day pass will cost $250. A total of 6,000 tickets will be available to the public for the 2013 event and only 2,500 of these will be early arrival tickets, which are expected to sell out first. All tickets include the option of camping on site. A limited number of RV spaces are also currently available by advance registration for a price of $250.

Tickets and RV registrations are available online at www.reggaeontheriver.com. Tickets can also be purchased at the following outlets: The Works (Eureka), People’s Records (Arcata), Fortuna Music Mart (Fortuna and Eureka), Mateel Office/ Redway Liquor (Redway), Peg House (Leggett), Main Street Music (Willits), Ukiah Natural Foods (Ukiah), It Takes Two To Tangle; (Laytonville), Cornerstone Reggae Culture Shop (Sebastopol), and The Last Record Store (Santa Rosa).

Stay tuned to the festival website at www.reggaeontheriver.com for more details and be sure to join the ROTR email newsletter for the latest updates. Vendor, advertiser, and sponsor opportunities are also currently available. Visit the website for downloadable application forms and additional information.

For more on the 29th annual Reggae on the River, call the Mateel office at 707-923-3368 or send an email to office@mateel.org.