OXFORD — The quantity of Grateful Dead stickers on cars parked at campsites at the Oxford Fairgrounds hinted at the motorists’ chief attraction to the Nateva Festival.

The paint on some vehicles was nearly obscured by dozens of such graphics, including dancing bears, skulls with lightning bolts through them and bumper stickers such as “I Miss Jerry.” The band last visited Oxford in 1988, and is returning in some capacity this year as Furthur, featuring former Dead members Phil Lesh and Bob Weir.

Furthur, one of the top-billed acts of the festival, will perform at 8 p.m. Sunday. Performances began Thursday night, and Friday marked the first use of the main stages built within the racetrack at the fairgrounds. The early bands and sunny weather proved a draw for the thousands of campers.

Paul Mehan of Maryland said he found out about the festival online and was familiar with several of the groups scheduled to play. He wore a T-shirt of the band moe., a progressive rock band headlining Friday’s show. He first saw the group 12 years ago in New York City and has been a fan since.

“When I was young, I went to a bunch of Dead shows, so Furthur was another draw,” he said. “And I’ve never been to Maine.”

Mehan said he was looking forward to several of the performances, including The Flaming Lips, the Adam Ezra Group, and the Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band.

“Seeing new bands is a big part of it,” Mehan said.

The performances at the Port City Music Hall Stage, inside one of the barns at the fairgrounds, offered a respite from the heat but also drew smaller crowds. As the main-stage bands began to play, the grassy interior of the racetrack filled with people who flew kites, played Frisbee and hacky sack, danced, or simply lay back and enjoyed the tunes.

Jon Walters of Woodstock, N.Y., was helping to run a colorful attraction near the stage: the Karma Wash. Consisting of an archway filled with pleasant images like rainbows and smiley faces, it aimed to lighten spirits and encourage laughter. Visitors were given a quick once-over with a tri-colored duster and urged to squeeze a rubber chicken.

“We kind of help tip the scales toward making it a more peaceful event,” Walters said.

He estimated that the Karma Wash brought in 300 visitors by Friday afternoon, and anticipated that thousands would go through it by the end of the festival.

“It’s going to be great to see Furthur, but beyond that there are some great bands,” he said.

Kristen Dowling of Boston is working the festival as a vendor with Narragansett beer. She said there was time to have fun at the event, as well, and praised the venue and the crowd’s attitude. Dowling said she was looking forward to taking in the shows by Passion Pit, George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, and The Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi Band.

“I saw (Derek Trucks) two weeks ago and I was blown away,” Dowling said. “I’m ready for round two.”

Security personnel checked festival-goers going into the main-stage area, sometimes resulting in lines. Eric Steinpick, manager for the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., group The Heavy Pets, was able to park a van near the checkpoint, play music from the band and promote its upcoming tour to waiting people. The band played a set at the Port City Music Hall Stage on Friday evening.

“I got lucky. Now I’m staying all weekend,” Steinpick said. “I don’t think there’s better marketing than what I’m doing.”

Leeds Scott, a school bus driver from Rochester, N.H., and Bernie Schultz, a biochemist from Dover, N.H., observed the shows from their campsite on the outskirts of the track. Both went to the 1988 Grateful Dead show, and they met outside another music performance a month ago.

“We’re Deadheads,” Schultz said, “but we like them all.”

“I’ve listened to them all, and it’s been great,” Scott said. “We’ve never seen or heard of The Flaming Lips, and we’ve heard from our adolescents that they put on a great show, so we’re looking forward to that.”

Performances from the main stage are being streamed live at iclips.net/watch/nateva-broadcast.

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