ROCKNESS 2010 LAUNCHES

WITH PROMISE OF BEST FESTIVAL YET

www.rockness.co.uk

Friday 11th to Sunday 13th June 2010

EARLY BIRD OFFER OF £120 WEEKEND TICKET PRE-SALE LAUNCHED ON THURSDAY 3^rd DECEMBER, ON GENERAL SALE MONDAY 7^th DECEMBER

The countdown to ROCKNESS 2010 officially commenced today with the announcement that THE STROKES - recent recipients of ALBUM OF THE DECADE by NME for 'Is This It', the seminal work that defined a moment and sent the band on a trajectory to global acclaim - are confirmed to headline the Highland music festival in June.

Widely acknowledged as one of the finest exponents of alternative garage rock in a generation and renowned for their electrifying live shows, the band's RockNess assault signals an end to a four year hiatus and comes with the tantalising news of a new album on its way.

In a hugely exciting new development, which bears testament to the kudos and blossoming popularity of RockNess, BBC RADIO 1 is today announced as the OFFICIAL RADIO PARTNER to the festival. The station's hottest names du jour including Annie Mac and Rob da Bank are all set to head north with the two each hosting their own unique arenas. Expect an array of awesome talent to be revealed over the coming months! 

In true RockNess style, the proverbial envelope continues to be pushed to the max for 2010 with more new arenas added that once again promise to deliver an exceptional soundtrack signalling the start of summer as well as the most festival fun to be had over any weekend.

In a monstrous Scottish festival exclusive, the spectacular sensory overload known as the ARCADIA ARENA makes its big, bold RockNess debut. This world class audio and visual feast, orchestrated by the Arcadia collective of artists, technicians and engineers, blew Glastonbury into orbit this year with the brand new Afterburner Mk2 set and was one of the most spectacular night time shows the festival had ever seen. Now the extravaganza is heading to RockNess where a mind boggling array of post-apocalyptic pyrotechnics, dramatic podiums extending into the crowd, multi rave platforms and truly awesome fire performance displays will all be set against a cutting edge music offering from the world's top DJs including Bestival's Rob da Bank . This is one of the few times the ARCADIA ARENA will have been witnessed outside of Glastonbury, and set against the iconic backdrop of Loch Ness, expect to be well and truly blown away!

In customary RockNess tradition, the very finest electronic and dance music will be represented in full force for 2010. Back by overwhelming demand and in a move sure to generate mass excitement, the mighty 2 MANY DJS are lined up as the official house band of this year's festival in a unique new production that is yet to be unveiled, but promises to take their great live reputation to another level. In a weekend-long sonic assault, the prolific duo are confirmed as hosting 2 MANY DJS live in their own arena on the Saturday and performing live as SOULWAX on the Sunday. What's more, the good time vibes and exemplary mash ups will continue throughout the weekend with the news that for the first time RADIO SOULWAX will be broadcast online from the site.

Rounding up this exciting first announcement is the news that FRIENDLY FIRES, the Mercury-nominated electro popsters will be bringing their epic soundscapes to The Highlands in another RockNess debut.

Jim King, RockNess' Festival Director said on the announcement:

"We're definitely going to have our best ever line up this year with some of the strongest new acts to be announced over the coming months. We're also targeting acts that have been hugely influential over the last decade and none come bigger than The Strokes.

We're also really excited about 2 Many DJs playing live and they have some extra special production announcements to make in the New Year. There's a lot still to be unveiled and I'm actually as excited about Arcadia's Afterburner coming to RockNess as I am about some of the acts. When I saw it at Glastonbury I thought it was the most amazing installation I'd ever seen at a festival. It's going to blow people's minds. We all think 2010 is going to be a really great year at RockNess."

RockNess 2010 - The Most Beautiful Festival in the World - takes place on Friday 11th - Sunday 13th June and returns as a three-day event following last year's success when the Main Stage got the party started on the Friday night for the first time. 

This year in another first, FRONT ROW CAMPING Early Bird tickets are being launched at £120 each for the weekend. Great news for those fast enough to secure their place closer to all the main arena, and late night action, not forgetting those awesome views down the magical loch. This offer will run for a limited period only so it's advised to get in there quick to avoid disappointment. Tickets go on sale at 9am this Thursday 3 December as an exclusive pre-sale via the RockNess website and Ticketline - www.ticketline.co.uk, and on general sale via all other ticket agents next Monday 7 December at 9am.

Further tickets and prices will be on sale in the New Year.