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Published: 2022-03-25 11:30:00 Updated: 2022-04-01 23:47:41
Posted March 25, 2022 11:30 a.m. EDT Updated April 1, 2022 11:47 p.m. EDT
Raleigh, N.C. — Raleigh is getting ready for music to take over Dix Park this weekend.
Dreamville Music Festival is back after a two-year pause from the pandemic.
Candace Rowlett said she wanted to celebrate her 9th wedding anniversary by seeing some of her favorite song artists.
"The anticipation of finally being back in person to actually see the concert is amazing," said Rowlett. "I am a 90s baby. Lil Wayne, TI, Jeezy, Ja Rule, Ashanti and I am huge J Cole fan so that is ultimately what I am waiting for!"
The popular two-day music festival from North Carolina rapper J. Cole will be in Dorothea Dix Park April 2 and April 3.
Dreamville Festival organizers know the event will be competing with Saturday's Final Four game, so the UNC-Duke game will be livestreamed on site.
The entire Dreamville Records roster will be performing during the festival including J. Cole, Ari Lennox, Bas, J.I.D, EarthGang, Cozz, Omen, and Lute, who hails from Charlotte.
The lineup also includes Lil Baby, T-Pain, Ja Rule & Ashanti, WizKid, Kehlani, Moneybagg Yo, Bia, Morray, Wale, Rico Nasty, Fivio Foreign and Larry June.
The festival will be the site of the first performance of DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz collaborative performance which will feature southern rap icons Lil Wayne, Jeezy and T.I.
The festival will require guests to provide proof of COVID-19 vaccinations or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of attending the event.
General admission and VIP tickets are on sale now via the Dreamville Festival website.
Rosie Sherman traveled from Goldsboro, she said the key to avoiding any headaches is planning ahead.
“What are we wearing? What are we doing? Where are we staying? What time are we leaving? Where are we parking? Everything!” said Sherman.
There will be some parking close to Dreamville Festival at North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus, which is across the street from Dorothea Dix Park. Event organizers said those parking spots will be limited and are expected to fill up quickly. In order to park at one of those spots, attendees must purchase a $30 one-day pass. Overnight parking at NC State's campus is not permitted, and event organizers said cars left overnight will be towed.
But there are other ways to get to the music festival. Event organizers said the downtown shuttle is "110% the best move for you to get back and forth from the festival."
The shuttle will pick attendees up from Moore Square at 200 S. Blount Street in downtown Raleigh and will take attendees to the west entrance of Dreamville Festival, which is closer than walking from the festival's limited parking at N.C. State.
The downtown shuttle pass is $20 and covers trips for both days of the festival. The shuttle will run non-stop from 10:30 a.m. until 1 a.m.
Event organizers have also partnered with Bus.com for a shuttle for attendees coming from Charlotte, Fayetteville, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Norfolk, Virginia. All departures will need to hit a minimum of 25 people. Those who register with Bus.com will be notified 72 hours before the event if the out-of-town shuttle will not be active.
Another option is to take a Uber, Lyft or taxi to the festival. Dorothea Dix park will have designated drop-off and pickup zones for ride shares.
The park also has access to the greenway, so people can bicycle in. However, bicyclists will need to lock bikes up at one of two bike parking areas on the outskirts of the park and walk to the festival entrances. The two locations for bike parking are on the corner of Centennial Parkway and Blair Drive and on the corner of Western Boulevard and Hunt Drive.
Attendees should make sure any bags brought with them are clear. Only small clutch purses or fanny packs do not need to be clear, but those bags will not be allowed to have more than one pocket.
Hydration packets also do not need to be clear, but must be emptied of all liquid. Hydration packs are only allowed to have two pockets in addition to the pocket holding the water reservoir.
The following can also be brought onto the festival grounds:
The following will not be allowed on festival grounds:
Lockers will be available to rent and attendees will have all-day access. When attendees reserve a locker, they will receive an email 24 hours before the festival with details on the locker's location, number and combination.
There is no requirement that people who attend Dreamville show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a recent negative COVID-19 test. Organizers ask that anyone who is not vaccinated wear a mask, especially when social distance isn't possible.
Many local business owners are looking forward to this weekend, hoping that the music festival will provide them with a much-needed boost in revenue.
"Prior to the pandemic, Raleigh was really a hot destination. Our numbers were record-breaking in all areas and I am very optimistic we are going to get back to that level very shortly," said Dennis Edwards, president and CEO of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitor's Bureau.
More than 39,000 people came to Raleigh for the festival in 2019. Edwards said that the city is expecting to see even more this year.
Many hotels in the area are already sold out or close to sold out, he said.
Edwards anticipates the festival bringing in $5 to $6 million in revenue for the city.
The majority of people who attend the concert were from out of town in 2019, Edwards said.
"A lot of people have never been to Raleigh," he said. "It gives us the chance to introduce our city and county to a lot of new visitors."
The Dreamville Festival benefits the Dreamville Foundation and Dix Park Conservancy.
The first Dreamville Festival was held in April, 2019 after being postponed from its original September 2018 date due to Hurricane Florence.
J. Cole, who was born in Germany but was raised in Fayetteville, will also be performing this year in Greensboro. "The Off-Season Tour" will feature Cole, 21 Savage and Morray at the Greensboro Coliseum on Sept. 28. Tickets go on sale for that show on Friday.
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