TheDigitel
The crowd was quite thick, the stage is visible just to the right.

I think most of us knew that last night's free concert by the Lt. Dan Band was going to pack the Waterfront Park for the opening night of the Beaufort Shrimp Festival, but the crowd's size still surprised.

From a personal observation, the park felt and the parking throughout downtown seemed to crowd out any Water Festival event I've seen in recent years.

And though many were turned away from actually entering the park, it still proved to be a generally good time for all. WTOC 11 went down and has a nice report and video from the night; check it out here.

Meanwhile The Island Packet has a more traditional wirte-up that focuses less on last night and more of the veterans aspect of it; read it here.

Don't forget the festival goes on throughout today with food and craft events.

• Keep up with Shrimp Festival coverage on our topic page.