DESPITE the wet weather, there were lots of smiling faces at Vicarage Farm as this year’s Mucky Weekender began.
As previously reported, this year is a bigger event than in previous years, with the festival having an increased capacity of 5,000 people and three days of music and fun instead of just two.
Headliners will include The Dualers, Dutty Moonshine Big Band, Dub Pistols, Dreadzone, Congo Natty, Marshall Jefferson, LTJ Bukem and more.
READ MORE: Live updates from Mucky Weekender 2024
In contrast to last year’s scorching heat, this year’s Mucky Weekender has seen heavy rain forecast for almost the entirety of the festival. Despite this, the festival ground itself is not very muddy due to the more chalky make-up of the festival fields.
While Thursday has a more limited number of attendees, with the main festival activity due to start on Friday, there were plenty of excited and smiling faces eager to enjoy Mucky Weekender.
Chris Johnson is attending Mucky Weekender with his partner Sam. He told the Chronicle: "I'm really excited about all the different acts. I think I'm going to have a really good time. It is the first festival that I've attended in the UK for about 10 years.
"The weather is very British, it's more or less what I expected!"
Friends Nikki Perrin and Sharon Rodd are also first-time Mucky Weekender attendees.
Sharon said: "We're really liking the vibe so far!"
Nikki added: "I'm a Jungle DJ, and most of the vinyls I play are jungle music. There's a big jungle takeover tomorrow that I'm excited for.
"The weather has been challenging, but it is beginning to break. The weather doesn't matter whatever festival you go to, people ignore it."
Meanwhile, Tim England said it was his third time helping out at the festival after he aided one of his friends with installing some of the lighting.
He said: "It is a really good festival. I come along for the love of it, really; it's fantastic.
"The weather is a bit of a killer, but it's getting better. It's going to rain a lot, but that doesn't really matter for the people here, there are tents set up and stuff."
SEE ALSO: Mucky Weekender 2024: Here's everything you need to know
Sarah Torgersen and Chloe Ellis travelled from Oxford to attend the event.
Sarah said: “We’ve been coming for three or so years now.
“I love it. We love the size of it, it’s not too big. It feels special.”
Chloe added: “People are our generation, and everyone is respectful. People come to get what they need, and it feels short and sweet. It has a nice atmosphere.”
We will be continuing our coverage of Mucky Weekender throughout the next few days, check out our live blog for more information.
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