RALEIGH, N.C. — Another year of a dream called Dreamville hits play Saturday.
The final edition to the Dreamville Festival doesn’t mean the end of springtime concerts at Dorothea Dix Park near downtown Raleigh.
The city and Dreamville Festival organizers are coming back for more starting next year. A four-year agreement was announced Thursday for a fresh concert series to begin in 2026 around the first weekend in April.
Festival producer and Live Nation promoter Sascha Stone Guttfreund talked about the plans.
“We’re going to be bringing you a new brand in Raleigh, North Carolina, and continue to do a music festival at Dix Park,” Guttfreund said.
The announcement kickstarted the final Dreamville Festival.
The Dreamville Record Label, founded by North Carolina native rapper J. Cole, will collaborate with the city and organizers to bring four more years of springtime musical events to Dix Park.
Workers put the final touches on the event Friday. Vendors did, too.
Brandi Allen is here to cash in.
“Honestly it was a great opportunity,” Allen said.
Allen is the manager of the Let’s Eat Soul Food Restaurant in Durham. She said it’s hard to pass up a chance to serve some good grub and to rake in some dough.
“We’ve never done something on this caliber. We really wanted to challenge ourselves and we stand behind what we put out there,” Allen said.
Executive vice president of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau Loren Gold said 2024’s direct economic impact per day was $10.5 million.
“Good to be out here with the community,” Allen said. “They've supported us. We’ve poured back into them and they’ve poured into us.”
Related: Food truck vendors say Dreamville is really a dream for their business
The sweat and hustle put into the preparation is a showcase for artists, too. The festival creates a multifaceted thrill of economic revenue, artist exposure and a fun weekend escape.
As far as whether J. Cole will return to Dix Park for a concert is unknown, but Raleigh city manager Marchell Adams-David said you can bank on one thing.
“He is a local resident. He is totally committed to this community and he is totally committed to this festival,” Adams-David said. “So I can’t speak to what it will look like moving forward, but he has his hands all over it.”
Gates open at noon Saturday and Sunday.
