There will be mud: Edmonton Folk Fest grounds mucky for opening night

Fans flocking to Gallagher Park for Thursday's opening night of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival should prepare for a bit of mud.

A deluge of rain this week has left the festival grounds in Cloverdale a mucky mess.

Terry Wickham, who has produced the festival for more than three decades, said crews are working hard to get things cleaned up before musicians hit the stage. Singer-songwriter Feist is the headliner Thursday.

"We got rain on Monday and Tuesday and last night swamped us out," Wickham said in an interview Thursday.

"It was really bad last night. We took a lot of rain. Whatever weather cell hit us, it's as bad as I've seen the site.

"But we've been pumping water and working on it so I think it will be presentable tonight."

Wickham said the rain created headaches for organizers this week as the festival grounds took shape.

A food truck got stuck in the mud en route to the concession line and the ground remains too soft to tow it into place, he said. Some areas of the site are flooded and will likely remain cordoned off Thursday.

Wickham said the bottom of the hill, near the food concessions and the west side of the main stage, is the soggiest. On Thursday afternoon, crews were spreading sand in some of thetrouble spots.

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He said he is confident that with no rain in the forecast for the rest of the festival, the grounds should dry out nicely in time for the weekend acts.

Folk fest is a four-day celebration of food, art and live music. Thousands of tarp-hauling music lovers flock to the event every year, often jockeying for the best stage-front real estate for their tarps.

Along with those tarps, festival attendees for tonight should consider wearing practical shoes.

"I wouldn't wear high heels," Wickham said. "We're hoping to get enough sand down if we can. But I would wear heavier runners.It could be a little squishier in places."

If you're willing to brave a bit of mud, single-day tickets for Thursday night are still available.

The festivalincludes performances from 58 performers, including this year's headliners Fleet Foxes, Ben Harper, and Old Crow Medicine Show.