What cannot be realistically predicted, once again, are the precise bands that will compete for this extra space. Touring schedules are not organised until much nearer the time. Meanwhile, organisers can only operate from a wish list, and then see which artists are actually available.
But what can be confidently predicted is the expansion of Liverpool Music Week, currently attracting an audience of 26,000, with 40 bands in 16 "themed" venues.
This is predicted to grow at more than 30% per festival.
Says Gordon Ross: "The tendency is to put specific genres of music into selected venues, featuring established and still unknown musicians - and not all guitar bands.
The Streetwaves talent spotting project for young bands will also be expanded Mersey wide, to include Wirral, and feature up to 150 competitors, with a prize to feature at the Mathew Street Festival, plus free studio time.
There will be a rock and pop history exhibition, The Beat Goes On, at World Museum Liverpool, with memorabilia from the '50s Cavern days through to contemporary street dance.
An Everyman/Playhouse musical - Eric's, The Musical - will tell the story of Liverpool cult music club Eric's, which was also in Mathew Street.
Eric's was the focus for some of the biggest bands of the 1970s New Wave explosion, including home-grown talent such as Echo and the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes and Wah! as well as The Clash, The Police, The Sex Pistols and Blondie.
Other 2008 attractions include a three-day African and UK dance extravaganza, with a world-class line-up of musicians also promised for the Africa Oye and Liverpool Arabic arts festivals.
