When guests arrive at your event, one method of creating an atmosphere of excitement is to make sure your patrons hear music. The moment I hear music, I feel like I am at the fair. This is why I highly recommend providing background music or entertainment before attendees even enter the festival. →
If parking attendants are all carrying music players playing calliope or country music, guests will feel as though the party has already begun. If you can afford it, you could have a band, solo banjo or guitar player, or perhaps a meet-n-greet stilt walker or a mime at the gates, entertaining the lines of people waiting to get in. It will make a world of difference.
Also, remember that as guests are leaving they will also hear the music. Maintaining that "fair feeling" from the moment they arrive until the moment they leave—that's what it’s all about.
