Rain, shine or boggy conditions, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival will go on.
A heavy downpour Wednesday drenched the Gallagher Park site, the night before the start of the annual four-day festival, forcing crews to scramble to mitigate the muddy mess.
"It's the most standing water I've seen on site, and I've been here for 35 years," said Terry Wickham, the festival's longtime producer.
Crews ran water pumps through the night, focusing on the soggiest areas, and laid sand to improve traction in places.
“The sun and wind are our two best friends right now," Wickham said Thursday. "The forecast is good for the weekend, so it’ll get firmer as the weekend goes on."
The popular festival, which attracts about 23,000 people per day, is close to being sold out, with about 300 tickets remaining for Thursday's performances. Tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are sold out.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Marek Tkach
