Expectations are high for this year's Winnipeg Folk Festival, which kicks off Thursday night in Birds Hill Park, just north of the city.

Festival spokeswoman Karen Press expects perfect weather — hot and sunny — for the first night at the outdoor festival, one of the largest and most successful music festivals in North America.

"Anyone who was at the festival last year will know that it was a bit of a mud-fest because there was a very wet spring and the ground was wet before we even got to the festival, so when it rained, there was nowhere for the water to go," she said.

"This year, it's completely dry, so even if we get a little bit of rain, I don't think we're going to have a big problem with it."

Weather forecasts for the weekend are mostly hot and dry, with a small risk of thunderstorms Friday evening. The rain might be welcome to music-lovers who spent all day in the sun; temperatures are forecast to be a scorching 34 C on Friday.

More than 80 performers are on the slate at this year's festival, including folk legend Bruce Cockburn, roots rocker Steve Earle, soul pioneer Solomon Burke and groups from Sierra Leone, Denmark, Belize and India.

Large turnout anticipated

With the weekend weather forecast, dry conditions on the site and the diverse musical lineup, Press expects turnout at the festival to be large.

"We don't know yet if we'll meet last year — last year was a record, we had almost 45,000 attendance," she said.

"This year, ticket sales are looking very similar to last year's ... it's going to be close."

The 5,300 campsites in the festival camping area have sold out, while a few sites remained open Thursday morning in the less rowdy quiet camping area.

The festival runs Thursday through Sunday on seven daytime stages and two evening stages. Adult tickets range in price from $62 for single-day entry to $155 for four-day passes.