Fans began arriving in Dover for the 2014 edition of the Firefly Festival Wednesday.
By 4 pm Wednesday a couple hundred cars, trucks, campers and RVs were waiting patiently to be among the first of the 80,000 people expected to attend this year's event to check in.
For an extra $20 festival-goers could purchase a special Wednesday premier tent camping package that allowed them to get the jump on traffic and secure a camping spot close the entrances. There was also a premier RV camping package available for an additional $40.
Julian Erdos-Steinberg made the seven-hour trek down from Belmont, Massachusetts, Wednesday morning with a couple friends. He says it was worth the extra cost to get in early.
“Oh yeah, for sure; beat all the traffic, don’t have to wait in the lines," said Erdos-Steinberg. "We got here real early. I’m sure they’ll be all lined up, people paying to park, and we got a free parking spot, first check-in, you know, all the perks.”
Hockessin resident Ryland Shattuck had a much shorter trip to make and after a quick drive down Route 1 was first in line for RV camping.
“[It was] nice and easy. We left about 9 o’clock this morning. Took us about an hour. I don’t want to go sit in a line, I’d rather be in the front of the line than in the line. It’s going to be fun. There’s a bunch more bands," said Shattuck.
The festival officially kicks off Thursday, with gates to the festival grounds opening at 5 pm.
The first two acts are scheduled to begin 45 minutes later when Chicago indie rock singer-songwriter Andrew Belle hits the Backyard stage and Alabama’s John & Jacob bring their back porch harmonies and upbeat rootsy melodies to the Forest Stage.
Letting some campers in early is part of organizers' plan to help the event avoid the opening day traffic nightmare it faced a year ago.
Fans coming to this year's festival from north of Dover may also have to contend with delays cause by the closure of the I-495 bridge of the Christina River in Wilmington. Firefly organizers and DelDOT are encouraging fans coming from points north to just I-295 through New Jersey and enter Delaware by the Delaware Memorial Bridge to avoid that traffic issue.