On Wednesday night, Italian Christian heavy metal band Metatrone were scheduled to perform in a city park.
But unlike Woodstock on Max Yasgur's farm outside New York in 1969, pilgrims will not go hungry or sleep out in the rain.
Thousands of young Catholics, nuns and priests on Wednesday attended "Aussie BBQs" in schools, churches and homes.
Organisers have prepared 3.5 million meals, 2 million bread rolls, 2.7 million cakes, 1.3 million pieces of fruit and 2.5 million cans of mineral water for pilgrims.
With several masses to attend, 300 kg of flour has been used to make one million Hosts, the wafer consecrated in the celebration of the Eucharist.
Pilgrims will stage an all-night vigil on Saturday at the city's main horse racing track ahead of the final mass by Pope Benedict on Sunday, but for most of WYD they will have a roof over their heads in case Sydney's winter turns nasty.
Around 100,000 are sleeping in 400 churches and school halls, 40,000 in family homes, 10,000 in Sydney's Olympic Park and the rest in paid accommodation.
On Thursday, Pope Benedict will meet Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd before travelling by boat across Sydney Harbour to greet young pilgrims and then travel in his Popemobile through the city's central business district.
Police have launched an Olympic-style security operation for the papal visit, with 300 streets closed and more than 350 "declared zones" where cars and people can be searched.
Sydney's main business thoroughfare, George Street, will be closed to traffic all week, allowing thousands of hymn-singing pilgrims to wander through the city freely.
"The only car we want to see in the city tomorrow is a Popemobile," WYD spokeswoman Kristina Keneally told a news conference. "So if your car is not a Popemobile leave it at home, the Pope wants to see you, not your car."
