‘A true taste of the good life in Raleigh’: Your guide to the 2024 Dreamville Festival

This weekend will be a busy one for Raleigh, with the N.C. State men’s basketball team competing in the NCAA Final Four on Saturday (the women play Friday), and with the return of Dreamville, one of the biggest music festivals of the year.

North Carolina rapper J. Cole’s signature festival is back in The City of Oaks for the fourth time since 2019. A star-studded lineup — including headliners SZA, 50 Cent, Nicki Minaj and Cole — will perform over two days and on two stages at Dorothea Dix Park.

Cole started the festival to give back to his home state, create a hip-hop and R&B festival for the East Coast, and showcase his Dreamville music label.

This week, organizers announced that last year’s festival, which filled the park with 100,000 people over the two days, had a total economic impact — from hotel, transportation, food and drink, and other spending — of $145.9 million.

As of Tuesday, organizers said there were still weekend passes available for purchase. In 2023, the festival sold out.

As in past years, expect traffic delays this weekend in and around Dix Park along Western Boulevard and surrounding streets.

The basics

▪ Where and when: Dreamville Festival is in its fourth year at Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park. It will be held Saturday, April 6, and Sunday, April 7. Gates open at noon daily.

▪ Where is Dreamville Festival: Dorothea Dix Park is located at 1030 Richardson Drive in Raleigh, near NC State’s campus.

▪ Tickets: The Dreamville website shows 2-day passes available starting at $349.99 for general admission. Tickets for parking, downtown shuttles and lockers are also available.

Dreamville lineup and schedule

The lineup features many artists on Cole’s label: J.I.D, EARTHGANG, Bas, Cozz, Omen and Lute.

Rapper 50 Cent has replaced Chris Brown as headliner for the first day due to “unforeseen circumstances,” festival organizers said on social media.

Here is who is scheduled to perform over two stages.

SATURDAY, April 6

SHINE STAGE

• 1 p.m. Domani
• 1:40 p.m. Lute
• 2:45 p.m. Teezo Touchdown
• 4:15 p.m. Sexyy Red
• 5:45 p.m. Lil Yachty
• 7:30 p.m. J.I.D.
• 9:30 p.m. SZA

RISE STAGE

• 1:20 p.m. Luh Tyler
• 2:05 p.m. Amaarae
• 3:30 p.m. Earthgang
• 5 p.m. Jeremih
• 6:30 p.m. Schoolboy Q
• 8:15 p.m. 50 Cent

SUNDAY, April 7

SHINE STAGE

• 1 p.m. Chase Shakur
• 1:40 p.m. Omen
• 2:35 p.m. Hunxho
• 4 p.m. Bas
• 5:30 p.m. Rae Sremmurd
• 7 p.m. Rema
• 9:30 p.m. J. Cole

RISE STAGE

• 1:20 p.m. Tiacorine
• 2:05 p.m. Cozz
• 3:15 p.m. Key Glock
• 4:45 p.m. Monica
• 6:15 p.m. Jeezy
• 8 p.m. Nicki Minaj

Dreamville Festival weather

The weather can be unpredictable this time of year. Even though spring is here (proof is in the pollen), forecasters aren’t ruling out one more freeze before April 15. Here’s the forecast near Dix Park as of Thursday:

Saturday: The National Weather Service shows sunny weather with a high near 62 degrees during the day, but temperatures could drop as low as 40 in the evening.

Sunday: A similar forecast is expected, with a sunny high near 67 degrees dipping to a low around 43 at night.

Get updates at forecast.weather.gov.

What’s new at Dreamville Festival in 2024?

▪ Fans can expect bigger stages with more lighting and sound, said Trey Hicks, Dreamville Festival PR director.

▪ This year, Dreamville has plans for improved bathrooms with flushable toilets, instead of the typical portable potties stationed at the park. VIP passholders will have access to full, air-conditioned restrooms in trailers.

▪ Shuttles have increased by 25% for more transportation for fans.

▪ The City of Raleigh has been working directly with cell providers AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile/Sprint since last year’s Dreamville Festival to improve connectivity on site, Hicks said.

“All three have committed resources this year to improving coverage throughout the festival, and we’re optimistic it’s going to create a better experience for attendees this weekend.”

Expect traffic delays

Traffic around the festival grounds is expected to be heavy, a Raleigh Police Department spokesperson told The News & Observer. You’ll want to plan any travel along Western Boulevard and Centennial Parkway accordingly throughout the weekend.

Dreamville organizers say they are working closely with the City of Raleigh, Raleigh Police Department, Wake County law enforcement and “other community stakeholders” regarding public safety and security.

Parking — for cars and bikes

Event parking is available for purchase on the Dreamville Festival website. Attendees are asked to set their GPS address to 883-881 Main Campus Drive, Raleigh, NC 27606. Parking is $50, plus fees, each day.

The spaces are limited and are on a first-come, first-served basis. The lot fills up quickly, and overnight parking is not allowed. Parking is only available for one day at a time.

People can ride their bikes to Dix Park and lock them up at a bike lot outside of the park’s limits. It is a short walk to the festival from there. The bike lots are at:

• The corner of Centennial Parkway and Blair Drive
• The corner of Western Boulevard and Hunt Drive

Shuttles, ride shares and scooters

▪ Shuttle: The festival offers an official downtown shuttle from Moore Square, 209 E. Martin St., in downtown Raleigh to the park. This year, organizers will increase the number of shuttle buses to allow for more pick-ups and drop-offs from downtown to the park between Western Boulevard and Centennial Parkway.

A shuttle pass (previously $20, plus fees) is now $40, plus fees. Festival-goers will be able to use their downtown shuttle pass for the entire weekend to and from the park.

Shuttles start at 10 a.m. (two hours before gates open) until 1 a.m. (two hours after the festival). The shuttle drops off people at the West Entrance of the festival.

▪ Ride share: Uber and Lyft and other ride sharing will drop off riders in designated zones on both sides of Dix Park with a short walk to the entrance. Designated pickup zones for riders are located on Centennial Parkway near the West Entrance.

▪ Electric scooters: LIME and SPIN scooters will be available from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.Find them via the City of Raleigh website.

What’s allowed (and not) at Dreamville Festival

From bags and strollers to prescribed medicine, there is a list of items that are allowed and prohibited on the grounds of Dix Park for Dreamville. All bags will be searched before entry.

For all medicine, the pharmacy label must be on the container that states the dosage, patient name and prescription. Medicine needing to be inhaled or samples are prohibited unless in a prescribed inhaler. Over-the-counter medicines will need to be verified.

Allowed items include:

• baby strollers
• basic cameras and accessories — selfie sticks, tripods, GoPro mounts and monopods are not allowed
• ear plugs
• e-cigarettes and vape pens
• hats, scarves, gloves and bandanas, sunglasses
• service animals
• blankets and towels

Prohibited items include:

• aerosol containers and paint pens
• coolers
• chairs (including inflatables)
• video equipment
• drones
• umbrellas
• skateboards
• lasers
• weapons and explosives
• noisemakers

For a comprehensive list, visit this page.

Bag policy, lockers and phone charging

All bags will be searched before entering.

The festival will allow:

▪ Small clutch purses and fanny packs that are 6” x 9”. They don’t need to be clear but they should only have one pocket.

Bags must be clear if they are larger than 6” x 9” with a maximum size of 12” x 6” x 12”.

▪ Hydration packs are allowed and, like water bottles, must be emptied of all liquid. They do not need to be clear. There will be water refilling stations on site.

There will be lockers available for rent, starting at $58.90, plus fees. They include 3-in-1 USB charging cables. You can rent one ahead of time online.

Dreamville events & activities

Dreamville Festival Week kicked off Wednesday with free, all-age events spearheaded by artists under the Dreamville record label. Pop-up shops, comedy shows and block parties are happening all over downtown leading up to opening day. Find a full list here.

Food vendors

Dreamville emphasizes local vendors from the Triangle area. There will be over 50 local food vendors at the festival.

Here is a list, in alphabetical order:

• 1115 Fried Chicken (Fried Chicken)
• 716ersfood (Wings)
• Buje Lemonade (Lemonade)
• Bulkogi (Asian)
• Bulldog Burgery (Burgers)
• Bun’d Up (Bao)
• Buoy Bowls (Acai Bowls & Smoothies)
• Caribbean Kicker (Caribbean)
• Coast 2 Coast (Mac N Cheese)
• Corndog Inc (Corn Dogs)
• Cousins Maine Lobster (Lobster Rolls)
• Dank Dogs (Gourmet Hot Dogs)
• Dank Nugs (Nuggets)
• Dave & Fran’s Soulfood Cafe (Soul Food)
• Dre’s Water Ice and Ice Cream (Desserts)
• El Patron 323 (Birria Tacos)
• Emmanuellas (Southern Comfort)
• Everything Legendary (Vegan)
• Favor Desserts Bakery (Desserts)
• Flaming Wok (Asian)
• Fly Rice (Asian)
• FreeWheelin Pizzeria (Pizza)
• Get BAKED (Stuffed Pretzels)
• Hebros Cheesesteak and Dogs (Cheesesteaks)
• Hebros Gyros (Greek)
• Hot Box (Wraps)
• Japanese Flair (Hibachi)
• Jolly’s Catering and Events (Wings)
• King of Pops (Popsicles)
• Lobster Rolls & More (Lobster Rolls)
• Los Burgers Hermanos (Burgers)
• Lumpia Bros (Filipino-inspired Street Food)
• Mac n’ Me (Mac N Cheese)
• Mama Churros (Churros)
• Mao’s Bao (Bao)
• Mazz ‘a’ Mia’s (Pizza)
• Mike Nice Empanadas (Empanadas)
• No Good Burger (Burgers)
• Oak City Fish and Chips (Fish & Chips)
• Oink N Moo (BBQ)
• Pizza Nova (Pizza)
• Pure Soul (Vegan)
• Qspresso (Cuban)
• Romega Taqueria (Tacos)
• Salty’s Lobster Co. (Lobster Roll)
• SameODameO’s Shrimp Fish & Grits (Southern Comfort)
• Sawce Pizza (Pizza)
• Smoke Stacks (BBQ)
• Tania’s Kitchen (Tacos)
• The Loving Cup (Burgers)
• The Shrimp Truck (Seafood)
• Tica’s Tacos (Tacos)
• Vybez Kitchen (Caribbean)
• WookieDogs (Korean Corn Dogs)

Festival beer

Raleigh brewery R&D Brewing announced a Rise ‘n’ Shine Festival Brew, the second beer exclusive to the event. R&D says its “combination of oak, molasses, vanilla, and crystal malts yields flavors reminiscent of black rum, while the lime and ginger contribute a vibrant effervescence.” It has a 5.6% ABV.

“We aimed to craft a beer that captures the festival’s essence and the city’s vibrancy, and we believe Festival Brew accomplishes just that,” Mark Theisen, director of brewing operations at R&D Brewing, said in a news release.

How to livestream

If you can’t attend Dreamville Festival, you can stream it.

The livestream will be active during the festival beginning at 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Fans can tune in to the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and Prime Video. It is presented by Champion, a sportswear brand owned by Winston-Salem-based Hanesbrand.

Emergency alerts & resident hotline

To receive alerts from the festival, text ‘Dreamville’ to 888777.

Residents living in the Dix Park area who experience any issues related to Dreamville Festival are encouraged to reach out to festival staff via info@dreamvillefest.com or via the community hotline number (919-295-6275), monitored 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.

“We want to be good neighbors and collaborate together to solve any potential issues, so our team is working hard to ensure this event goes on safely and smoothly,” festival organizers said in a statement.

Where can I learn more?

Find the full list of allowed and prohibited items and all other information on the website’s FAQ page.

This story was originally published April 3, 2024 at 11:34 AM with the headline "‘A true taste of the good life in Raleigh’: Your guide to the 2024 Dreamville Festival."

Laura Brache

The News & Observer

Laura Brache is a former journalist for News & Observer, N&O

Kristen Johnson

The News & Observer

919-829-4532

Kristen Johnson is a local government reporter covering Durham for The News & Observer. She previously covered Cary and western Wake County. Prior to coming home to the Triangle, she reported for The Fayetteville Observer and spent time covering politics and culture in Washington, D.C. She is an alumna of UNC at Charlotte and American University.