This will be our first music fest at Suwannee Music Park. We are really looking forward to this so much so that we have reserved camping for Wanne as well. A few things I was wondering about: 1) How much does beer cost inside the concert area 2) We got some friends/family coming in for Saturday only. I was thinking about either driving my truck out to pick them up so I can load up their coolers, ect. or maybe giving them 1 of my camping passes so they could drive themselves into our spot. I would prefer that they drive themselves in but did not know if they could get thru the gate without a 3 day arm band. 3) Read a lot of chair messages and was looking to put ours back from the stage a ways. Was wondering when in the morning you can set up chairs. Thanks, Indy

I'll try to answer a few questions....
Beer cost about $5 and if you buy it from hawkers it is usually a buck higher. The key is to drink in the parking/camping area and not buy too many in the park...or that is what we do.
For the second question..you need to ask someone more knowledgeable. I think for day campers they might have to park outside the park and walk in. They could not control crashers if they allowed people just to drive in during the event. Not sure how they could control who is legal and who is not otherwise. You might want to call the park or ask someone that has experience with this question...as I am not.
Chairs at Mag are not the same as chairs at Wanee. Wanee will have 20,000+ in attendance so there are larger crowds for the main bands. With ABB, Furthur, etc. you will definitely need to park chairs to the rear. I just carry my chair and find an empty spot minutes before ABB or others come out to play. There are open areas, even then.
Mag will have closer to 5,000 peeps so the crowd will be smaller. You can move up closer for this and there should be plenty of room. The Mushroom stage or the Amphitheatre, as it is called at Mag will be the most crowded. It is smaller...and yet I have had no problem finding a good spot. (Let me preface this by saying I have never been to Mag...but have been to Brrr Creek and I think Mag is very similar.
People will borrow your chairs (permanently) if you just put them up and not return for hours. Either that or they move them elsewhere and you might never find them. That is why I just carry mine. (My friend had his borrowed and we never found it)
And don't even think of leaving them overnight.
These are my opinions and are not necessarily those of others.
Hope this helps. sorry, I could not answer your main question of your friends getting in.

Indy_Hawkeye, welcome ... long time MagFester checking in...

Q#2 - - The folks that have the full weekend ticket, will have a sticker put on their car so the traffic control folks know they are camping. Daytrippers don't get the car sticker. As you drive by, everyone has to show their wristband. So, no; your friends coming in for Sat only, won't be able to drive themselves to your camp. You will be able to pick them up at the gate and shuttle them in w/ coolers etc. to put at your camp for the day. It seems years ago, they made a deal about not letting daytrippers in to camp areas, but I do not recall that being an issue in the last several years at MagFest. I don't think they get very many daytrippers, so I don't think the security people are advised to prohibit non-campers from hanging in the camp areas. You just have to show you're properly paid up for the event (wristband), and ya gotta have that camper sticker on your car for any vehicle going into the camp areas.

Q#3 - - You can set up chairs from 9am on I believe. Rivernole is correct about attendance numbers and the amphitheater being the 'main stage'. However, you need not be paranoid about leaving your chair setup for the day at the amphitheater for MagFest ... matter of fact, the 'rules of the road' printed in the MagFest program specifically state that chairs may be used by anyone, until you return. I've never had a chair stolen from the stage, but over the years, I've drunkenly left several overnight by mistake (OOPS!); they were taken away by the morning cleanup crew. This is also stated in the printed 'rules of the road': chairs left overnight are removed in the AM...

At MagFest, chairs stay right up front all day long, with folks sitting in them, all day long. Dancers tend to do their thing along the sidelines. UP UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR DONNA THE BUFFALO. If your chair is near the stage, and particularly on the concrete slab in front, when Donna hits, in short order your chair WILL get folded, and WILL eventually be set aside to make room for more dancers. That's just how it is, and so forewarned is forearmed or something like that

That said, it's a very neighborly & friendly crowd, with tons of regulars, and people treat each other well almost without fail. Be nice, and you will get nice back