FloydFest 13 opened Wednesday with hot, muggy weather and the early arrivals straggling in as vendors and staff awaited the real glut of festival goers to hit on Thursday and Friday.

“Kinda slow and easy right now,” said Will Griffin at The Republic of Floyd as he and other shop operators stayed in the shade to escape the heat.

Those who arrived early for the first of five days ventured into various vendor booths, sampled the food fare and waited for the music to start later in the day.

Last year, FloydFest at this point was a complete sellout for the run of the festival but tickets for this year remain on sale on the web site and from various scalpers offering sales on Facebook and elsewhere.

After a pounding rain storm last year left parking lots seas of mud and the festival site a mudhole, organizers revamped the parking system for 2014 with “alpha” parking on an airstrip behind Rotometrics near Meadows of Dan and air-conditioned buses for transport to the site.

Some short rain showers Wednesday dampened the site and participants but not the enthusiasm.

Thursday’s weather offers the worst threat of a pounding thunderstorm and more heat before the temperatures drop into a more moderate zone with little or no rain in the forecast for Friday and Saturday.

Blue Ridge Parkway rangers reported some arrests for people with coolers stocked with beer and reminded festival goers that alcohol is not allowed on any parts of the Parkway.

The fun has begun.