ROTHBURY, MI - Good morning from the Forest.

It's the morning of day two and thousands of people from throughout the country are now entrenched in tent villages located throughout the sprawling Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury. The fifth annual festival will continue until Sunday, June 28.

Most of those people arrived throughout the day on Thursday; many of them for their third, fourth and fifth Electric Forests.

The move into the general admission was mostly smooth, although late-arriving campers had to deal with less-than-ideal circumstances. Areas near the back of the general admission camping area were flooded and muddy and several vehicles got stuck in the muck.

It was a minor rain cloud in an otherwise joyous mass gathering as the festival began.

"I can't just say it's one thing or another that brings me back," said East Lansing resident Tyler Aho, who is attending his fifth Forest. It's the combination of the people, the music, overall, it's just good vibes. It's a great way to get away from the hustle and bustle of the world."

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Aho said he's most excited to see Bassnectar, but he is looking forward to a loaded lineup this year.

Festival-goers provide many reasons why they love the four-day event so much, but one common denominator remains every year: the people themselves.

"The way I think about it is it's just like a giant tribe," said Birmingham, Ala., resident Ben Humphrey "Everyone just comes together for music and culture and it's just a shared experience. It's really cool."

Humphrey, who left Alabama with his friends at 4 a.m. Wednesday, said he's most excited to see Skrillex, Flume and Break Science. Other than the people, his favorite part of the festival is the Sherwood Forest at night.

Others, like Prescott, Ariz., resident Genna Kumnik, are excited for violinist extraordinaire Lindsey Stirling. Kumnik is celebrating her 30th birthday at the festival.

"It was like the best weekend of our lives last year," said Bloomfield Hills resident Olivia Urwiller. "The music and the people are so nice. It's so different than going to a normal show where everyone is just taking drugs and gets too messed up. Here, everyone is here for the music."

Musical performances began just after 4 p.m. on Thursday. Headliners on Friday night include The String Cheese Incident, Skrillex and Flux Pavilion.

Brandon Champion covers arts and entertainment, business, sports and weather for MLive Muskegon Chronicle. Email him at bchampio@mlive.com and follow him on Twitter @BrandonThaChamp.