Tuesday 17 May 2016 07:54, UK
Organisers are hopeful the 10th Magic Weekend, being staged at Newcastle United's St James' Park, will break all records.
Six games will take place across Saturday and Sunday on Tyneside with hopes high that they will break last year's attendance record of 67,788 when the event was held in Newcastle for the first time.
Saturday's programme kicks off with a game between Salford and Widnes, followed by Warrington versus Castleford and treble-winners Leeds, who are currently bottom of the table after 14 games, against old rivals Wigan.
Sunday features a clash between the Catalans Dragons and Wakefield, followed by St Helens against struggling Huddersfield and finishing with what is sure to be a tense Hull derby.
Mark Foster, Super League's interim general manager, said: "The 10th Magic looks like it will be bigger and better than ever, which is testament to the people that set out the idea at the start.
"We're slightly ahead of where we were this time last year. We'd like to get to 40,000 on the Saturday and beat the weekend total as well and the signs are good. We're opening the top tier due to demand.
"It shows how well the clubs, the players and the fans have taken to the format and the event. It seems like it's here to stay for a while.
"We'll get this year delivered and sit down a couple of weeks later to assess how well this year has done and weigh up our options for next year."
The event is reported to have brought a £4.2m boost to the local economy last year and Newcastle City Council are keen to host Magic Weekend again.
They stepped in for 2015 because of redevelopment work at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, which had hosted the previous three editions - it has also been played in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
Council leader Nick Forbes said: "People often think Newcastle is just a football city but in recent years we've had a growing interest in rugby.
"I watched all six games last year and it was terrific. It was a brilliant atmosphere in St James' Park and a real carnival atmosphere in the city centre as well. I'm really looking forward to this year.
"We enjoyed hosting it so much and it also gave us a significant economic boost - £4.2m on our reckoning - and it's helping put our city on the map.
"Hopefully we can have a great weekend and have a legacy of increased tourism as a result. No decision has been made on the future but it would be great for us to go for the hat-trick. We'll be working closely with the organisers to see what is possible."
