Tents pitched and campervans parked, first festival campers roll into town

"The outdoors and venue are pretty good," he said.

"Nice grassy area, it is very pleasant, the countryside is quite gorgeous; and all that sort of thing."

They enjoy that they can set up quite close to the Riverside stage.

Mr Maxwell said one of their favourite parts of the 10-day festival is that they can set up a couple of fold-out chairs close to the stage and enjoy the music.

"The venues up in town are nice, but at some of the venues, you hear other performances happening around," he said.

"It feels alive in town, but here we can really focus on the music."

Mr Maxwell was only up in the North-West a month prior as a Rural Fire Service volunteer, helping to fight the Pilliga Duck Creek bushfire that broke out near Narrabri.

He said it was good to be back in the region for some relaxation and a bit of a change in atmosphere.

Tamworth Regional Council (TRC) events officer, Melanie Jenkins, said there was a higher number of pre-bookings at the campsites this year.

"We have had about 800 so far. I think we will have more than 1300 campsites," she said.

Ms Jenkins said a lot of regulars rolled in first and stayed for longer, while the younger campers would pitch their tents for a select few days.

Two caravans over from the Maxwell's, their neighbour Johnny Lee has his set-up down to a fine art. This will be the 21st TCMF.

Mr Lee's set-up features outdoor sitting areas, a portable solar panel to charge up his electronics, and all his flags flying high.

He said he always looked forward to venturing up to Tamworth.

"It's good people; it's a good time, and I meet a lot of good people," he said.

The former rodeo rider said he preferred staying at the Riverside camp grounds as the regulars had become like family.

"The atmosphere and the people keep me coming back," he said.

TRC mayor Russell Webb said the festival gave visitors a taste of what the region had to offer and encouraged them to relocate to Tamworth.

"Many people choosing to do a tree change do come from events like this, where people come up here to spend a bit of time and get a taste for what Tamworth has to offer," he said.

"Some people come out of the city and think they are arriving in a bushtown; they come and find it's a thriving properous city with jobs and affordable housing.

"They pick up on the liveability and quality of life we provided for a regional city in Tamworth."