CUMBRIA'S premier music festival got under way yesterday, with around 25,000 people expected through the gates this weekend.

The 10th anniversary of Kendal Calling - running until Sunday - promises to be the biggest in its history, with an increased capacity and an extra day of live music.

Up-and-coming indie act Sunset Sons kicked off proceedings, and returning headliners James were the major players on the Thursday Main Stage bill, with world-renowned names such as Kaiser Chiefs, Snoop Dogg and The Vaccines set to follow in there footsteps over the next three days.

The increased capacity also meant that the volume of traffic was heightened, with many drivers queueing for up to three-and-a-half hours to enter the Lowther Deer Park site.

A slightly delayed start saw the first act up in the arena at 5.45pm, with acoustic acts, and smaller stages also in operation on the first day.

Unlike previous years, the predicted wet weather held off, with most people enjoying the luxury of putting up their tents in the sunshine. The next three days' forecasts don't appear as promising, but the enthusiasm from those in attendance is such that no adverse conditions will stop it from being the most successful year in the event's history.

For 2015, Kendal Calling has expanded to include a number of new stages, moving even further from its origins as a small festival and into an event of national renown.

While Cumbrian acts don't trouble the bill on the largest stage, more homegrown names than ever before will be performing over the course of the festival, spread across the 300-acre site.

Unlike previous years, more than 75 per cent of the entire audience was expected to make the journey on the Thursday, and this year organisers also teamed up with Virgin Trains to arrange for the "Kendalino" train to bring festival-goers direct to the site.

Today is expected to be on a par with any previous day in the event's history, with hotly-tipped rockers The Vaccines topping the bill, while Saturday's and Sunday's offerings promise to push the boundaries even further as the event moves into the realm of mainstream recognition.