The annual Bay of Plenty regional Smokefreerockquest event will take centre stage at Baycourt in Tauranga today.

Starting from 2pm, the programme, which is now in its 34h year, is held nationwide with events held in venues in 21 regions from Whangarei to Invercargill - hosting thousands of young musicians every year.

Smokefreerockquest is run simultaneously with Smokefree Tangata Beats which aims to nurture Pasifika and Māori culture in a contemporary music setting.

Participants, all enrolled in schools around the region, will perform on a professional stage.

They will experience a full set up with stage lighting, a live sound engineer, a projected backdrop, technical support, full stage set-up and an MC running the show.

This year the regional event will welcome a live audience as well as being live-streamed so that friends, family and support crew of the acts can watch remotely.

The regional event and live stream will start at 2pm.

General manager Matt Ealand says an ethos of development and confidence building has always reminded central to the programme.

'With a 34 year history of Smokefreerockquest, and a very rich history of great kiwi musicians at that, we know that this programme works,” says Ealand.

'Performing live on stage is a great boost in confidence and gives a great sense of achievement. It requires a lot of skills, not just musical ability.”

The Bay of Plenty acts performing on July 1 are:

Session 1 (2:00-4:00)

Rua kenana tribe (TB Only) Rotorua Boys' High School

Tu Mai ra raukura (TB Only) Rotorua Boys' High School

TABS (SFRQ and SFTB) Rotorua Boys High School

Raukura Reggaes (SFRQ and SFTB) Rotorua Boys High School

Strangers Alike (SFRQ and SFTB) Rotorua Boys High School

Brother up rising (SFRQ and SFTB) Rotorua Boys High School

L.A.M Rotorua Boys' High School

snags Rotorua Boys High School

Sophie and Tayla Rotorua Girls' High School

Kaegan Palmer Taupo-nui-a-Tia College

unregistered Trident High School

Aimee Te Aho o Te Kura Pounamu

Scooby Don't Whakatane High School

Unplugged Whakatane High School

Child's Pose Whakatane High School

Part Time Losers Western Heights High School

Paradox Blue Rotorua Lakes High School

Milhaus John Paul College

Session 2 (4:30-7:00)

Emma's Abs Mercury Bay Area School

Duckfoot Mercury Bay Area School

habitless Mercury Bay Area School

Another Highkey February Mercury Bay Area School

Francie Lidgard Mercury Bay Area School

Florence Peachblossom Mt Maunganui College

The Darlings Mt Maunganui College

MICAH (SFRQ and SFTB) Mt Maunganui College

Their There Mt Maunganui College

Mount Maunganui B Mt Maunganui College

Alchemy Mt Maunganui College

INDIGO Arataki School

SIMPLE CREATURES Papamoa College

OCD Papamoa College

L.I.T Papamoa College

PROTOCOL Papamoa College

M.G Papamoa College

RADIATION Papamoa College

BLAZIN SUNSETS Papamoa College

S.A.V Papamoa College

Session 3 (7:30-10:00)

Gnomeskulls ACG Tauranga

ADHD ACG Tauranga

Unit 51 Tauranga Boys' College

Emessgee (MSG) (SFRQ and SFTB) Tauranga Boys' College

Latch Key Kids Tauranga Girls' College

deja vu Aquinas College

indiajoyce Aquinas College

Secondhand Originals Bethlehem College

A LOON Bethlehem College

Slept In Bethlehem College

0.8 Bethlehem College

Deeds of Mars Bethlehem College

IDK Bethlehem College

Tabby Otumoetai College

the nobodies Otumoetai College

Kongregate Otumoetai College

bla bla uh huh boo hoo Otumoetai College

Temp22 Otumoetai College