RALEIGH, N.C. — It’s Dreamville weekend. That means thousands of people are gathering in downtown Raleigh to enjoy good music and delicious drinks and food.
The smell of pizza is hard to pass by — especially after a long afternoon of music, dancing and exploring downtown Raleigh.
Chris Powers has been right here for every Dreamville festival since its start in 2018. He co-owns Trophy Brewing and Pizza.
“It's great,” Powers said. “We love being a part of downtown, and it's nice to be able to share our part of downtown with new people as they come to visit."
He says weekends like this give a big boost to his business.
“We want to welcome every single person that wants to come by,” Powers said.
When customers walk by while they are in town for the festival, Powers hopes they can’t pass up a refreshing beer or a pizza fresh out of the oven.
“We're expecting people to be ready to come out and hang out,” Powers said. “I feel like we've seen a lot more people visiting downtown Raleigh and a lot more people coming back and wanting to spend time in restaurants and bars. So with this influx in population for the show, we think it's gonna be a big weekend.”
Organizers behind Dreamville encourage visitors to get out and explore the area while they are here.
“Dreamville has done a really good job of partnering with the community,” Powers said. “Trying to get people spread out and see downtown … either through their festival guides or through just their promotions of what's happening.”
Powers loves sharing his passion for brewing and food with his customers. He and his business partner opened this brewery and restaurant in 2013, and it’s been growing more and more popular ever since.
“It's incredible to watch it grow,” Powers said. “You kind of have these dreams of opening a business, and you never know if it's how people are going to be as excited about it as you are. All you can do is hope to teach them about it and kind of get them on board. Get them to talk about your beer and pizza and hopefully bring a friend back when they come the next time. And people have really embraced us here.”
Powers hopes this weekend is just another way to share what he’s created with anybody who can stop by. As always, there is plenty of great food to sample in downtown Raleigh this weekend. Last year’s event generated almost $7 million in revenue for the city’s businesses.