Sniffer dogs at Vic Soundwave festival

Police will be out in force at the Melbourne Soundwave music festival, with drug detection dogs on hand to sniff out illegal substances.

As revellers enter the Flemington Racecourse on Friday, police will check their bags and the dogs will sniff them, police say.

Inspector Geoff Colsell said people should be able enjoy the festival without being bothered by antisocial behaviour.

"The sorts of illicit substances detected by our dogs aren't made with a person's wellbeing in mind and they are dangerous," he said.

The event begins at 11am (AEDT) and goes until 10pm, with 42,000 people expected to attend.