Campers crammed onto the Craven Country Jamboree grounds as the country music festival officially got underway Thursday.

About a third of campers had arrived at the site by 10 a.m., and organizers were anticipating another rush in the afternoon. An estimated 23,000 visitors were expected to attend the festival daily.

Festivalgoers who have not yet secured campsites will likely be out of luck. Camping for the festival is sold out, despite the addition of 200 more sites last week due to high demand.

Longtime festival attendee Jeremy Dyke and his family still hadn’t secured a camping spot after arriving on the jamboree grounds Wednesday.

“We thought we could just get our (camping) pass at the gate,” Dyke said. “But it’s Craven and you make it what it is…Whether we have fun or have to sleep in the creek, we’ll make it work.”

Festival spokesperson Kim Blevins acknowledged that camping space is limited this year, and said organizers were doing their best to accommodate people.

“Whenever there’s a change that comes, especially after 10 years, it’s going to be frustrating for people, and we understand that,” Blevins said.

“We were putting that message out that (camping space) was limited, that it was in a different area this year…you don’t the message out to everyone, obviously.”

Otherwise, the festival was running smoothly compared to some previous years, Blevins added.

“This is the way a festival is supposed to go,” she said.

“We’re not worrying about (standing) water; we’re not worrying about traffic on the highway. We’re just worrying about getting people in quickly, safely and getting ready for a big party.”

About 50 RCMP officers will be working on the site in shifts, in addition to the Mounties patrolling the highways that lead to the festival grounds.

As of Thursday morning, only one person had been placed under arrest for drunk and disorderly conduct, S/Sgt. Geoffrey Buxcey told a media scrum.

Buxcey said police will be on the lookout for impaired and distracted drivers, and he reminded Craven-goers that alcohol must be consumed within campsites.

“If we see people drinking outside their campsites, we’ll tell them to pour it out,” he said.

“If we do have any issues with them or it’s a continual event with them, then they will receive tickets for that offence.”

The limited camping space and strong police presence didn’t seem to put a damper on the fun at the festival, however.

Nor did the rain, with Environment Canada forecasting warm, sunny weather for the entire four-day event.

“It’s just a great time. I’m a big country music fan and they put on a good performance, they always get the top-of-the-line acts, and it’s always fun,” Dyke said.

“There’s no one here that can walk away from Craven saying they had a bad experience, in my opinion.”