The doors to the city’s temporary riverside camping grounds, which are at the epicentre of the big festival celebration, were officially flung open yesterday as the city starts to prepare for the massive invasion which is predicted for the 40th festival bash.

In the 24 hours from 10am on Wednesday, the number of people setting up camp in the grounds more than tripled.

Twenty campers were in the ground on Wednesday morning.

By 10am yesterday there were no less than 60 and by 4pm another 20 had arrived.

Tamworth Regional Council mayor Col Murray said the early arrival was all part of the traditional games played between campers and council.

“We held out for as long as we could before opening it and the decision to open was only made after we were confident things were ready,”he said.

Those preparations included the testing of a newly installed emergency siren system.

“It appears the authorities are confident with the tests on that, so everything was OK to go ahead,” Cr Murray said.

While opening early can put a strain on council resources, Cr Murray said the number of visitors already in the ground and reports of people camping out in outlying towns had helped with his decision to open early.

“There have been people camping in Bendemeer and Manilla,” Cr Murray said.

“For them, getting into the campground is part of the excitement. They get an early dose of the Country Music Festival camaraderie and they can start to live and breathe the festival.”

Among the first visitors into Riverside was Debbie Neeuwsen, from Brisbane, who says it’s just like coming home.

She’s been a festival visitor for about 23 years and caught up with old Tamworth friends Fred Baker, and Melissa and Jayden Sherlock.

“I love coming for the friends I’ve made here, the music and the atmosphere,” she said.

“There are lots of things I love about camping here, especially the guys that run the cricket club and operate the kiosk. Our kids have grown up together and they’ve now got children of their own. It becomes like a family.

“I come back two or three times a year and there are 10 homes I could stay in during the festival, but it’s the camping atmosphere that makes it, the friendships you make and that endure that I love.”