Out and About at WRAL.com
Raleigh, N.C. — Raleigh is already looking forward to the return of Dreamville for its third year in Dix Park.
The music festival created by Fayetteville-native J. Cole brought tens of thousands of people to the city over the weekend.
The first festival in 2019 brought in $3.8 million to businesses.
The city won’t have a total for this year for a couple weeks, but they expect it to increase since Dreamville spanned two days.
Monday, crews packed up and cleared out to end of the two-day Dreamville hip hop music festival.
Until next year.
Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin told WRAL News an estimated 30-thousand people filled the big field at Dix Park each day.
“We’re on the map now. J. Cole and Dreamville have put us there,” said Baldwin.
The first festival in 2019 attracted a crowd of 40,000 for just one-day.
“I feel that we have been a great partner to Dreamville,” said Baldwin. “They have been a great partner to us, and we look forward to them continuing to set the stage for what can be done out at Dix Park.”
Sales were still adding up at Black Friday Market on a Monday from customers dressed in their Dreamville swag, carried over from the weekend festival.
Store manager Shawn Smith shares a little bit of Raleigh with each out-of-town shopper.
“We were able to bring people into the store, introduce them to things we have to offer, and then also tell them things about the city,” said Smith.
The two-day music festival a mile-and-a-half away in Dix Park brought a boost to the downtown shop’s business.
“It was about double what we normally see,” said Smith.
It was also big boost for James Shufford’s business.
“There were oceans of people. Friendly people. Everybody was ready to spend, money was flowing,” said Shufford.
Shufford said it’ll take him some time to count up receipts from serving up Jolly’s Catering specialties to the concert crowds, especially since he took his food truck back on the road within hours of the festival’s closing.
“No days off for us. We stay clocked in,” said Shufford. “I’m from here, so having something like that – just looking at it, it’s like it’s not even Raleigh any more.”
Shufford says the exposure to visitors from around the world is priceless.
Jada Ball and Jake Gillin are heading back to California’s Bay Area with a lasting impression of Raleigh.
“There’s so many innovative, conscious kindness centered businesses,” said Ball. “It’s just incredible to me.”
Dreamville will be back next year.
J. Cole ended his set saying so, and the festival organizers tweeted “See you next year”.
The clean-up at Dix Park will take several days.
They have until Friday when their permit runs out.
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