EIGHTH ANNUAL ARUBA MUSIC FESTIVAL

NEW YORK, NY - August 18, 2009 - The A-list musical lineup has been announced for the Eighth Annual Aruba Music Festival, taking place October 9-10, 2009. This year's festival offers live performances by multi-Grammy Award-winning band Earth, Wind & Fire, Colombian icon Fonseca and Latina pop star Paulina Rubio.

The 2009 Aruba Music Festival falls over Columbus Day Weekend in Aruba's sun-kissed paradise, offering travelers a perfect opportunity to vacation in a music lover's paradise. Held annually at the Aruba Entertainment Center, the festival offers two nights filled with impressive performances from internationally acclaimed artists.

"For the last seven years, the Aruba Music Festival has brought top music talents from all corners of the world to our island, entertaining visitors and locals alike.  We are confident that this year's exceptional line up will continue to mark this festival as a success," said Aruba's Minister of Tourism and Transportation, Edison Briesen.  "With our perfect weather and uniquely rich culture, the Aruba Music Festival is just another reason to book a vacation to Aruba this fall."

Paulina Rubio, one of the top-selling female Latin pop artists with over 20 million records sold worldwide, performs on the festival's opening night. Raised in Mexico, Los Angeles and Spain, she began singing at the age of 10 with the Mexican group "Timbiriche" and then shifted to a solo career, which brought her international success. Her first solo album sold over 3 million records worldwide and won her a Grammy nomination for "Best Latin Artist," in addition to three Latin Grammy nominations, as well as a Billboard award for "Best Latin Album."

Colombian pop/rock singer Fonseca will also perform on the festival's first night. Fonseca's debut single, Corazon, is amongst the most notable releases in recent Latin music, winning the artist a Latin Grammy for "Best Tropical Song of the Year," a Latin Billboard Award for "Tropical Album of the Year," a MTV Music Award for "Best New Central Artist" and a Premio Lo Nuestro for "Best New Artist." In 2008, the highly-anticipated second album Gratitud produced the hit single Enredame, which was the number one song in Colombia for nine consecutive weeks.

The second night of the festival is dedicated to the legendary band Earth, Wind & Fire, one of the most innovative and celebrated contemporary Pop/R&B music forces of the 20^th century. The band has received 20 Grammy Award nominations and won six Grammys. They have earned more than 50 Gold and Platinum albums and sold over 90 million albums worldwide, securing them a place on the list of best selling music artists of all time. Rolling Stone magazine has declared that the group has "changed the sound of black pop."

Tickets for the 2009 Aruba Music Festival are available in several categories: Gold Circle Seating, Preferred Seating, or General Admission, and can be purchased through www.ticketweb.com.  The Aruba Music Festival is produced by Lee Tofanelli and Associates, Inc. of Vineland, New Jersey.

Primary host hotels for the 8th Annual Aruba Music Festival are the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort & Casino, the Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino, the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino, and the Westin Resort, Aruba. 

To coincide with the Aruba Music Festival, our partner hotels are offering great packages including:

The Renaissance Aruba Resort & Casino is offering a Sexy & Sultry hotel package starting at $245 per night, which includes every third night free, choice of lodging (Renaissance Marina Hotel or Renaissance Ocean Suites), $50 casino credit, $50 cocktail credit, and for those who party like a rock star during the music festival, one Hangover breakfast-in-bed for two. For booking information, please visit www.renaissancearuba.com or call 011 (297) 583-6000.

The Aruba Marriott Resort is offering a rock-n-roll getaway, guests who book a Garden view room for a minimum of four nights will receive two free tickets for Preferred Seating at the Saturday evening concert; and guests who book an Ocean/Pool view room will receive two Golden Circle tickets to the concert - the best seats in the house at the Aruba Entertainment Center. The package starts at $229 per night for a Garden view room and $309 per night for Ocean/Pool view rooms. Package is valid on four-night stays with arrival on October 7^th or 8^th. To book this rock-n-roll getaway, call 1-800-223-6388 or visit www.arubamarriott.com and request promotional code M16.

The Westin Resort, Aruba is offering the Aruba Music Festival package which includes 35% off room rates with a breakfast buffet for two daily. Stay 3 nights or more, and also receive a $50 Food and Beverage credit.  To book the Aruba Music Festival package, please visit www.westinaruba.com or call 011 (297) 586-4466, and request promotional code Music.

Private bus transfers from your hotel to the Entertainment Center and back to your hotel are available through De Palm Tours.

For more information on travel to Aruba, please visit online at www.ARUBA.com or call 1.800.TO.ARUBA.  For more information on the Aruba Music Festival, please call 1-800-390-4936.

About Aruba

Aruba, the island of 90,000 friends you haven't met yet, is truly an extraordinary experience.  Located only two-and-a-half hours by air from Miami and four hours from New York City, the island is ideally situated in the southern fringes of the hurricane belt and boasts year-round cooling trade winds and perfect weather with average annual temperatures of 82 Fahrenheit and less than 20 inches of rainfall per year.  Aruba serves up 28 luxurious hotels/resorts, championship golf courses, sumptuous spas, vibrant casinos, extraordinary international and local cuisine, exclusive shops and boutiques, exciting land and water activities, art galleries and museums, world-famous music festivals and events, clubs and cafes with live music and more. The backdrop of a cosmopolitan tropical destination with warm, hospitable people is the perfect place for first-time guests and loyal visitors who return to Aruba at a 60% repeat rate, more than any other Caribbean destination. [Back to Press Releases Main]