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Want to visit a Firefly Music Festival camper for a beer and a burger? Think again.

Ryan Cormier
The News Journal
A security guard checks wristbands at Lot 9 at Firefly Music Festival in Dover on Friday.

For some, the Firefly Music Festival experience involves campsites without camping.

Music fans who commute each day or have hotel rooms sometimes not only rock out in the festival grounds, but visit campsites of friends to take a break from the action and catch up.

This year, some of the festival's campsites, such as the Lot 9 near Del. 1, are surrounded by a chain link fence with security posted at the entrance.

While some campsites are still open, others like that RV lot are on full lockdown.

Wilmington's Ray Russell has attended all seven Firefly festivals and is staying with a friend at the Red Roof Inn & Suites Dover Downtown. 

Their plan to visit fellow Delaware music fans at their campsite at Lot 9 was thwarted Thursday night.

"The one downside of staying in a hotel is we feel disconnected in some ways from the festival. So it's nice to be able to go in there, visit friends, throw some burgers on the grill, have a couple of beers and come back in," Russell says. "We don't have that option this year."

Campers leave Lot 9 near Del. 1 Friday, heading into the Firefly Music Festival grounds.

Firefly Music Festival officials confirmed the move in an email, adding, “We are always evaluating ways to improve safety and the fan experience.”

On the 15,000-person Firefly Music Festival Fan Page on Facebook, a Firefly festival ambassador explained the change several weeks ago in an attempt to spread word about the change.

"The wristbands that will be issued for the camping areas are going to be largely for liability reasons and security reasons," they wrote. "Safety is the biggest concern of any large event and the event needs to protect itself."

While some have complained about the new restrictions, others applauded the move, citing problems in the campsites in the past caused by non-campers.

This year's Firefly is the seventh edition at The Woodlands in Dover. Headliners include Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, The Killers and Arctic Monkeys.

While attendance was down last year, early indications point to the festival bouncing back with a strong crowd arriving Thursday, the first of four days and the only festival night without a performance by a headliner. A shoulder-to-shoulder crowd greeted California EDM duo Hippie Sabotage at the Lawn Stage on Thursday at 9:45 p.m.

Friday night's acts include English rockers Arctic Monkeys, Maryland rapper Logic, instrumental hip hop duo Big Gigantic and two sets by Firefly alum and indie pop act Foster the People. 

After sunny skies and a high of 80 during the day,  the temperature is expected to drop to 67 in time for the Arctic Monkey's 11 p.m. set.

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Contact Ryan Cormier of The News Journal at rcormier@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier), Twitter (@ryancormier) and Instagram (@ryancormier).