ROTHBURY, MI - Some Electric Forest 2017 attendees were stranded in their vehicles, others were stuck at the Gold Rush Waterpark for hours Wednesday night.

It was a rainy welcome for the festival's weekend two early arrivals on Wednesday, June 28, and some people didn't even make it into the grounds.

After 11 p.m., cars were backed up, and the campground entrances had been closed for about four hours.

Festival organizers announced via the Electric Forest app around 1:30 a.m. Thursday, June 29, that the campgrounds would reopen at noon.

People began arriving for the second weekend of festivities at Double JJ Resort in Rothbury at noon on Wednesday. The rain began around 1 p.m. and continued into Thursday morning.

By 7 p.m., thunderstorms were beginning to impede arrivals. At that time, festival organizers notified attendees via the Electric Forest app that lightning was approaching, and advised taking shelter in vehicles. Shortly thereafter, another notification said that campground entrances were temporarily closed due to lightning.

Another notification around 10 p.m. said that campground entrances were still closed. Around 11 p.m., organizers advised festivalgoers to plan to arrive on Thursday if possible since it was unclear when entrances would reopen.

However, many Good Lifers arrived earlier in theday, and partook in a welcome party that included food, beer, entertainment and indoor waterpark fun.

The party was moved from the Double JJ Resort's Back 40 pool to the resort's indoor Gold Rush Waterpark.

Many attendees were stuck at the waterpark until after 11 p.m. since shuttles stopped running due to the weather conditions.

Shuttles restarted around 10:20 p.m., and workers advised everyone to move outside - into the rain and thunderstorm - at that time. The buses each accommodated about 20 people at a time.

"You just make the best of what you're dealt," said Shane Frized, 25, of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

He was with his brother Josh Frized, 28, waiting at the indoor bar for a drink before shuttles restarted. They also attended the first weekend, and stayed at the Muskegon Harbor Holiday Inn in downtown Muskegon between the two weekends.

"The rain has put a little bit of a damper on it," Shane Frized said.

While some people slumped over their phones, sat on the floor or took naps at tables while stranded, many seemed to be having a good time despite being unable to return to their campsites.

"We have friends who are really grumpy, but we're here to have fun so we went back inside and got drinks," said Shandi Flaherty, 21, of Denver, Colo., as she waited outside. "I'm praying this just passes us."

Adam Elhaj, 21, of Washington, D.C., said he took a nap on a table, played corn hole and had fun in the waterpark, but was unimpressed with standing in the rain, watching lightning illuminate the sky while waiting for a shuttle.

"I think it's a little heinous that they couldn't accommodate people inside longer," he said. "It's for our safety."

In its seventh year, this is the first time that Electric Forest is being held during two separate weekends. Weekend two is Thursday-Sunday, June 29-July 2. Weekend one was held June 22-25.

Electric Forest organizers estimated first-weekend attendance at more than 40,000.

More than 4 inches of rain fell in the Rothbury area on Thursday, June 22, and Friday, June 23, creating a muddy first weekend. Weekend two is shaping up to be just as rainy, if not more, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

The music venue is scheduled to open at 3 p.m. on Thursday. The first act is Brasstracks at 3 p.m. on the Ranch Arena stage. However, weather conditions could delay the opening.

There's a chance of showers and thunderstorms before 8 a.m. Thursday, and then a slight chance after 2 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The high is 78. Winds will be out of the southwest around 17 mph. Thursday night, there's a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8 p.m. The low is 64.

Headliners on Thursday are Big Gigantic and HI-LO. Big Gigantic will go on at 11:30 p.m. at Ranch Arena. HI-LO plays at Tripolee at midnight. However, the music schedule could change.

Second weekend headliners are DJ Snake, Flume, HI-LO, RL Grime, Thievery Corporation, A-Trak, Bassnectar, Big Gigantic, Claude VonStroke, Dillon Francis, Lotus and The String Cheese Incident.

The festival is known for showcasing a mix of roots, rock and jam-style bands, as well as some of the top performers from the house and electronic dance genres.

Find all MLive's coverage of Electric Forest 2017 here.