Day 1 of the Okeechobee Music and Arts festival brought out folks from across the country for a weekend of music.
Friday night, fans from across the country listened to big names like Hall & Oates and Robert Plant.
"Charlotte, North Carolina! We made the 10-hour drive just for this and it's already been worth it," said Lauren Rush
Coming into this event, not many people - including organizers and law enforcement - knew what to expect.
They did know it would take a joint effort to pull it off.
For the most part, they say, it's working.
"We got some internal things that are happening with this event that we were going to work out with the promotion and productions…but all in all I think that we all are pleased with the way things are going," says Noel Stephen with the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office.
Stephen says staffing the Okeechobee Music festival requires more resources than the city of Okeechobee itself.
7 different agencies are on hand here, with 100 officers on site daily keeping order.
Since Thursday, there have been almost 40 arrests, most of them drug related.
Security guards say there are more than 200 people, from law enforcement, to security and under-cover officers who are focused on safety.
They're also working to alleviate concerns from neighbors over trespassing.
Stephen says for the most part they're dealing with a respectful crowd.
That sell-out crowd of 30,000 people from all over the country is gearing up for 3 days of some of music's top acts.
Organizers say the demand for tickets has been unprecedented.
"First for first your festival to do this and sell out on her second day it's pretty unusual," says festival co-founder Steve Sybsma. "So…I think it's a good reflection on the community, it's a good reflection of the state."
Sybsma says they are already talking about bringing the festival back next year.
