This year's Ozzfest [ tickets ] will get a little help from a sponsorship deal with Jagermeister. The booze company is the first sponsor to get on board since the hard rock tour announced that its 12th annual edition will be free.

Jagermeister will roll out its own state-of-the-art mobile stage for Ozzfest's second-stage acts. The self-contained contraption comes with a full audio sound system and lighting, according to a press release.

"Jagermeister has been kicking around this idea for a long time," company spokesman Rick Zeiler said in a statement. "The fact that we've spent a year designing and building this stage proves our dedication to music. We can't wait to showcase it at Ozzfest."

Bands will be scheduled to play the Jagermeister stage during every day of the festival from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.

This year's Ozzfest will see the return of mainstage headliner Ozzy Osbourne [ tickets ], who will unveil songs from his upcoming album, which is due in May.

The tour's lineup and ticket information have yet to be announced but more details are expected to be revealed at Ozzfest's website the first week of March.

What is known so far is that Ozzfest will launch July 7 in Los Angeles, and other cities on the 25-date itinerary include San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Denver; Albuquerque, NM; Phoenix; Dallas; San Antonio; Kansas City, MO; St. Louis; Chicago; Indianapolis; Columbus, OH; Pittsburgh; New York City; Boston; Philadelphia; Hartford, CT; Charlotte, NC; Atlanta; West Palm Beach, FL; and Nashville.

In making the announcement for "FreeFest," Ozzy's wife/manager, Sharon Osbourne, said the summer touring industry is out-pricing itself and that Ozzfest organizers want kids to be able to experience the rock 'n' roll extravaganza.

"This will change everybody's impression of the way touring in the summer in America should be," she said in a statement.