George Street Festival kicks off 33rd year with Sam Roberts Band

The sun is shining, the weather's fine, and organizers are hoping this year's George Street Festival will draw in plenty tourists and townies alike.

The 33rd edition of the annual festival kicks off Thursday night, with performances by Sam Roberts Band and Matt Mays.

"We expect thousands every night, and with the great weather we've been having, we're gonna see many more we're hoping," said organizer Joella Lomond.

Lomondsaid the festival is a great way to showcase the city's centre..

"It gets people downtown again, visiting the downtown core, bringing business downtown that we may not see," she said.

"People really make a night of it. They'll come down, they'll have dinner on the street, take a look at the bands."

The festival is scheduled tocontinue every night until the last performances on Wednesday, Aug. 2.