The Catlins Woodstock event, held in the natural amphi-theatre of a Tawanui paddock near Owaka in the heart of the Catlins every January, will be two days' entertainment this weekend instead of the usual one.
Country music lovers will be catered to tomorrow, and there will be a variety of music on Sunday.
For Mr Kirk, the 20th anniversary of Woodstock has arrived very quickly, and he believes its future is assured, as thousands attend every year.
Catlins Woodstock has a low-key origin.
Mr Kirk, a long-time entertainer, was jamming with friends in his woolshed when it became too noisy.
They decided to look for another venue.
The group inspected a large paddock on the Kirk property, 10km south of Owaka, and decided the Tawanui setting, with a nearby stream and natural theatre-like setting, was perfect.
Mr Kirk's wife, Veda, was the one who called it Woodstock, and the name had stuck, Mr Kirk said.
He also credited her with being "the backbone" of the event for the last two decades.
Having agreed the Tawanui site had potential, Mr Kirk approached the Owaka Lions Club to see if it was interested in becoming involved in what he saw as an opportunity to raise funds for the Catlins community.
And the rest, as they say, is history.
Tens of thousands of dollars had been collected over the past 20 years and hundreds of musicians had performed at the event.
Mr Kirk can still remember the very first Catlins Woodstock in January 1989 as clearly as if it were yesterday.
He recalls the big crowd for South Otago and says he knew then he was on to a winner.
But he was reluctant to claim a lot of credit for the festival's success.
Soundman Ian Chalmers, who has been involved from day one, Mrs Kirk, the musicians and the public all deserved to take a bow, he said.
And, two decades on, the sight of cars "bumper to bumper" travelling along the narrow, windy road to Tawanui still amazes him.
"We've made this . . . something for all the family. It's pretty simple, at the end of the day."
In recent years, the Kirks have invested money into developing the Woodstock Lodge and function centre; providing year-round accommodation to visitors.
Rooms will be booked and filled.
Dozens of motorhomers will converge on a nearby paddock to take in the sounds this weekend.
And while he was hoping for fine weather tomorrow and Sunday, Mr Kirk said big changes were in the pipeline for the event that has dominated the last 20 summers of his life.
More details would be released once they were confirmed, but he hinted a new format would bring positive changes for all music lovers.
