Rumba 2002 - Rumba 2002

Bon Jovi (Syd, Melb, Bris), Pink, Shaggy, Natalie Imbruglia, Abs, Sugababes, Toya, Taxiride, Sophie Monk, Kelly Osbourne (Syd), Bachelor Girl, Disco Montego feat. Katie Underwood, Liberty X, Selwyn, Shakaya, David Franj, Jeremy, Frantic.

It's more than a concert, it's a festival phenomenon! And it's back in 2002! It's RUMBA - the world's biggest pop festival - which blew away 90,000 fans in Melbourne and Sydney last year and will reach an audience of more than 200,000 this summer.

In 2002 RUMBA expands and will visit six cities. This year's tour takes in Auckland - 30 Nov, Perth - 3 Dec, Adelaide - 6 Dec, Melbourne - 8 Dec, Brisbane - 11 Dec and Sydney - 14 Dec. RUMBA tickets go on sale in Australia on Thursday 12 September and in New Zealand on Thursday 26 September.

The 2002 RUMBA line-up is hot and features 18 international and Australian acts as well as stars from fields outside of music such as the world champion extreme athletes from the Pepsi Max Team. Headlining RUMBA in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane is US rock band, Bon Jovi who has sold over 80 million albums, 2 million of those in Australia! The band's new single "Everyday", off their forthcoming album Bounce, is due for release on Sept 9. Also ready to RUMBA in 2002 is edgy US artist Pink, who has a huge following in Australia and topped the charts early this year with her killer anthem "Get The Party Started" from her platinum-selling album Missundaztood. A first for Australia, and one of the most exciting pieces of news, Rumba exclusively announces Natalie Imbruglia's first Australian tour ever. Natalie has clearly risen to the top of the entertainment industry and is one of the hottest celebrities in the world.

Due to popular demand returning in 2002 is one of the world's highest selling pop stars, who was widely acclaimed as the highlight of RUMBA 2001, Shaggy - new single "Hey Sexy Lady" will be released in September. An extremely special guest at RUMBA (Sydney) in 2002 is the crazy Kelly Osbourne (and we mean crazy in the nicest possible way!). Ozzy's daughter first made waves on the reality TV show featuring her family - and she has since gone on to musical acclaim for her cover of Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach". She will be a blast!

Abs from Five, who wound fans into such a spasmodic frenzy during his guest spot last year with UK boy band Blue, has been invited back to RUMBA to perform his brand new single "What You Got". And fellow Brit pop legends Sugababes are jumping on the RUMBA tour bus. The three-piece takes R&B to a whole new level, making it sassy and seductive. Hot new R&B sensation Toya from the US is also ready to RUMBA in 2002. Her single "No Matta What (Party All Night)" raced straight into the Australian Top 40 off the back of her Number 12 hit "I Do". The ARIA-winning, platinum-selling Melbourne trio Taxiride will also blow fans away, with a live set including its smash hit "Creepin' Up Slowly". And another artist returning to RUMBA is the gorgeous Sophie Monk, who is launching her solo career to coincide with the tour. UK chart-toppers Liberty X will RUMBA in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney. The band recently burst onto the scene with their Top Five hit "Just A Little". The Liberty X band members were the final five runners-up in the UK version of Popstars.

Bachelor Girl is also confirmed for RUMBA and will showcase tracks from the new album Dysfunctional, which is set to be as big a smash as the double platinum-selling debut album Waiting For The Day. Also appearing is R&B sensation Selwyn who has recently had three Top 20 hits in Australia, including the gold-selling debut single "Buggin' Me" and his current single "Rich Girl". Plus there's Shakaya, who recently toured with Destiny's Child and Kylie and who will perform their platinum-selling debut hit "Stop Calling Me" and new Top 20 single "Sublime". Plus there'll be an appearance by Disco Montego featuring Katie Underwood, whose song "Beautiful" has been one of the local stand-out tracks of 2002. And new Australian artists such as David Franj, Jeremy and Frantic will perform on the New Music Stage, with more to be announced.

RUMBA is not only about music - it's also a huge lifestyle and entertainment event featuring masses of the coolest activities around. There's RUMBA TV - the event's very own on-site broadcast showing on two giant screens framing the main stage. RUMBA TV crews will roam the event, filming the crowd and capturing the backstage action as it happens giving the audience a truly unique and interactive experience. 2002 also boasts the RUMBA debut of the Pepsi Max Team. This is Australia's number one freestyle sports team featuring world-class athletes in motocross (Jono Porter), BMX (Tim Wood), inline skating (Matt Salerno) and skateboarding (Brad Drury). The team comes equipped with an amazing 20-tonne, multi-sport course and will perform precise, choreographed tricks, including 360-degree vertical loops and four-way crossovers. RUMBA 2002's staging will feature brand new, multi-million dollar production - some of the biggest ever witnessed in Australia. With over 400 hundred people involved - including production personnel, bands, road crew, technicians and broadcast crew - RUMBA is set to be huge.

The inaugural RUMBA in 2001 showcased some of the world's biggest music stars including Shaggy, Nelly Furtado, Craig David and Emma Bunton. Plus there were local pop heroes too, such as Bardot, Tina Arena, paulmac and Human Nature, and a swag of media and sport stars thrown into the mix, including the legendary Ian Thorpe. RUMBA took fun to new heights!

RUMBA is the world's biggest pop festival and your official passport to the best day ever.