For some it is an event best avoided - flood-prone, mud-ridden, besieged by midges and over-priced. But for the 65,000 ardent fans heading to T in the Park this weekend it is the closest thing to paradise in Scotland.

Organisers this year have had to contend with the recession and the threat of swine flu as well as the traditional downpours that flooded Perth and Kinross over the past few days.

Nothing has daunted the enthusiasm of the crowd, however. From the moment a clear dawn broke over Balado Park, the venue for T, it seemed as if Geoff Ellis and his team had swatted away the potential problems as easily as festival-goers dismiss the midges that plague the site.

The 2009 weekend event is, as always, a sell-out - which Ellis, head promoter of DF Concerts, puts down to his clientele viewing their ticket as an essential rather than a luxury. He has lured them by offering virtually every in-demand band on the festival circuit - Franz Ferdinand, Kings of Leon, The Killers, Blur - as well as a number of left-field choices, including The Pet Shop Boys, Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. More than 120 bands will play across the 12 stages.

As Rebecca McAndrew, a 20-year-old student from Dumbarton, said: “It doesn't matter what you do or how much money you earn, you are going to save up and come here.”

“This is an escape from the recession,” added Kenny Hughes, 47, a project manager for Edinburgh trams.

The annual pilgrimage for T this year began a night in advance, with campers from 24 countries pitching up on Thursday evening to avoid the queues that blighted the event two years ago. They woke up yesterday morning to clear skies and temperatures of 19C. Today, the Met Office is predicting a dry start, with temperatures of 21C, to be followed by heavy rain from 3pm. The downpours should have cleared by 9am the following morning, leaving the rest of the festival dry and sunny.

With it all ahead of them yesterday morning, busloads of campers arrived clad in the obligatory wellies, straw hats and Stetsons, dragging tents, sleeping bags and suitcases to the campsite, which houses 65,000 people during the weekend, turning it into Scotland's fifth-biggest town. Many carried crates of beer by any method, from sledges to wheelbarrows.

Gangs of shirtless men hollered military chants as if marching to war, yelling in west coast accents at one another to “man up” and “keep up the pace”, while women in tiny floral dresses offered strangers money to carry their bags. Grant Norcross, 22, had “borrowed” a trolley from his mother's garden and stacked it with beer, cider and bacon rashers. Taking a break from the half-mile hike, he said that, other than seeing Snow Patrol play, his festival highlight would be “getting to the campsite”.

Some revellers had already overindulged by 9am, with one sunburnt individual collapsing on the grass outside the arena in a cloud of expletives, his ticket having been ripped up by security guards. It would not be Scotland's biggest festival without alcohol, but organisers will be hoping that the “booze and blades culture” will not be making an appearance this weekend. Two men have recently been jailed for nine years for a vicious stabbing at last year's event. Tayside Police have warned that they will be very much in attendance and taking a zero-tolerance approach to drugs.

The other agency making itself known was NHS Tayside. Health workers said they were well prepared for any outbreak, and that fans would be advised to leave if they showed symptoms of swine flu.

Those queuing to get in yesterday did not seem bothered by the pandemic, with Ms McAndrew pointing out that if it was such a threat, the festival would not have gone ahead.

The glorious sunshine and anticipation of musical delights kept the mood buoyant as the queues persisted. Many were looking forward to the Sunday headliners, Blur, who have received rave reviews for their comeback performances to date. “I can't wait to see them. It's been a long time coming,” said Caroline Puller, 29, a care worker from Paisley.

As the first act, James Morrison, took to the main stage last night, it appeared that Mr Ellis and his team had trounced the recession and were well prepared to fight any swine flu outbreaks. That only leaves the weather - but with the heavy rain forecast, nature may turn out to be the one thing they cannot beat.

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