By Pooja Pasupula

April 2, 2019

Originally scheduled to take place in Raleigh back in September of 2018, the highly anticipated inaugural Dreamville Festival was cancelled due to safety concerns over Hurricane Florence. Despite fears the festival would be cancelled for good, Dreamville quickly announced they would be rescheduling the event for April 6, 2019.

Partnering with Texas-based company, ScoreMore Shows, J. Cole and the Dreamville team hand-selected an impressive lineup of music, art, food and local vendors. The festival is expected to bring in over 40,000 people and will feature some of today’s biggest hip-hop and R&B acts, along with a few native North Carolina artists.

Fulfilling his desire of giving back to his home state, Cole hopes to have a positive and substantial economic and cultural impact on Raleigh and the state for years to come.

Taking place in one of Raleigh’s most scenic and historic locations, Dorothea Dix Park, the festival will utilize over 300 acres of public green space while attendees will be able to kick back and enjoy the vibes at numerous on-site activities, including a mini golf course, sand sculpture, photo booth, and beer garden. There will also be several areas to savor local and regional food, beer and shop from local vendors.

Here’s a breakdown of what to expect at Dreamville Festival:

Food & Drink

Feast on an assortment of dishes from eclectic mix of food and dessert vendors. Some of the local food options will include: Caribbean Kicker, Banh Mi Ha Long, Bella’s Hot Dogs, Funnel Queens, Keep On Shuckin, The Heights, Party in a Pita, Fresh Local Ice Cream, Ward’s Steak & Cheese, Jolly’s Catering, Qspresso, Cool Breezes, Sea Breezes Italian Ice, R&B Grill, Eatboys Kitchen, Oak City Fish & Chips, Big C Waffles, Baton Rouge, I Really Mean It, and The Shrimp Truck.

If you are feeling adventurous, you can explore some of the vendors from outside the Carolinas, such as Excaliburger, San Matteo Pizza, OPA’s Finest, Sweet Dreams Boutique Bakery, Hebros Kitchen, Tica’s Tacos, and Free Birds Vegan Bakery.

Art

In addition to the music, the festival will also feature live mural paintings and art installations from a selection of featured artists. Paul Garson (@paulgarson13), Soupe (@souplaws), Candi Rose (@artbycandirose), Britt Flood (@B.L.Flood) and NCSU’s College of Design are expected to be on-site to create these unique pieces.

Vendors & Market Place:

The festival will also feature a curated space for merch and art vendors including: Oak City Cannabis, Adornments by Anousone, See Why Designs, Taji Natural Hair Styling, Loclife Oasis, Bishops Cut & Color, Mini Hip Hop Museum, Some Art by Pat, Good Trip Inc, Camryn’s Creations, Semplice Designs, Miriam Ximil Art, The Black Onion, YUM Productions, LLC, AITOYOU, and Creative Medicine: Healing Through Words, LLC.

Music

SZA

Capturing the slow, droning, lo-fi tones of neo-soul, and twisting it with hints of poppy upbeats, SZA has taken the music industry by storm. She rose to notoriety with her debut studio album, CTRL, and was nominated for four Grammy awards. SZA’s music focuses on love, heartache, and the questioning of her own self-worth.

6lack

Deep, heart-wrenching, somber melodies is what distinguishes 6lack from the rest of the rapper/singers in hip-hop. Reflective, blending a fusion of soul and contemporary R&B, the Atlanta-raised crooner is sure to encourage some swaying singalongs at Dorothea Dix Park.

Teyana Taylor

Harlem native Teyana Taylor will bring her sweet rough-around-the-edges R&B style of soul music to Raleigh. Coming off her critically acclaimed work with Kanye on K.T.S.E., Taylor is sure to bring a lot of energy.

Bas

A Sudanese rapper blooming out of Queens, New York, Bas is known for his thick and heavy beat selections that bleed classic lyrical rap nostalgia. His latest project Milky Way was very well received and his collaborative hits with A$AP Ferg and labelmates Cole and Ari Lennox are sure to move the crowd at Dreamville Fest.

J.I.D

J.I.D’s fast, frantic and haunting style is best exemplified on his latest album, Dicaprio 2, and gives listeners hints of the same raspy vocals reminiscent of artists like Schoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar. Originally a part of the music collective Spillage Village which was founded by EarthGang in 2010, J.I.D has blossomed into one of the hottest lyrical rap artists in the game.

Ari Lennox

The first lady of Dreamville, Ari Lennox will bring her smooth New Age soulful R&B stylings to the festival. With her bouncy Caribbean-style vibes on “Night Drive” and her classic hip-hop duet with Bas on “Icarus,” Ari Lennox is definitely a must-see act.

Lute

The Queen City’s very own Lute, fresh off his European tour, will bring his down-home Southern raps to Dreamville Fest. Since the release of his West1996 pt. 2, the Charlotte native has been busy playing festivals like Rolling Loud, A3C and touring with labelmates J.I.D and EarthGang.

Check out the full list of FAQ’s for Dreamville Festival and the set times.

Read next: