Lucky Dube Band to headline inaugural Viti Reggae Festival in Nadi

Reggae fans can look forward to three days of music, culture and entertainment when the Lucky Dube Band headlines the inaugural Viti Reggae Festival in Nadi this October.

Organised by the Viti Indigenous Tourism Alliance (VITA), the festival will be held at King Charles Park from October 8 to 10, featuring the internationally renowned Lucky Dube Band and a guest appearance by TK Dube, son of the late South African reggae legend Lucky Dube. Local artists will also perform throughout the festival.

VITA president Sitiveni Nawaqa said the event would give reggae fans a major festival to look forward to.

"We are aware that the Home Coming Festival organiser has announced that the event has been cancelled," Mr Nawaqa said.

"This event is for reggae music lovers, and Nadi is a great venue to host it."

Beyond the music, Mr Nawaqa said the festival was expected to boost tourism and generate business opportunities for local operators and communities.

"The VITI Premium ticket tier will directly support our resilient tourism operators, many of whom are members of the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association (FHTA) and Duavata.

"The VANUA VIP package will help prepare communities for tourism, while proceeds from the BULA General tickets will support the Vanua App, which has been developed to make doing business easier," he said.

VITA secretary Salote Malani said the festival would also deliver direct benefits to resource owners.

"Ten per cent of gate takings will be returned to resource owners through investment portfolios."

She said the remaining revenue would support business partners involved in staging the event, as well as VITA's operations and administration.

Tickets are priced at $80 per day and are available through Ticketmax and the Flicket app.