Raleigh sees economic boost ahead of Dreamville music festival

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- As people from all over the country and the world gather in Raleigh ahead of the Dreamville music festival at Dix Park this weekend, the festival kicked off with a pop-up store downtown on Davie Street.

Tiffany Cox was among the first in line to score some Dreamville merchandise. This is her second time attending the festival.

"It was just fire, and I had to go back," she said.

Originally from Boston, Cox fell in love with Raleigh after moving here and is excited to see Dreamville putting a spotlight on our city.

"I think people think that Raleigh is not a place where things happen or hasn't been anything but ever since Dreamville came, people definitely need to make it to Raleigh," she said.

And over the past few years, word has spread.

"It grew from something unique, kind of inclusive, to now pretty much people flying in from all over the world, people from the UK, Australia, Canada, so it's been pretty amazing seeing all the growth," said Parrish Mitchell from New York. Mitchell has been to all five Dreamville and now works for the festival.

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The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau said last year, Dreamville brought in $10.5 million each day in economic impact.

As people visit, stay, and explore the city, it's not just downtown businesses seeing a boost.

"It's not just downtown hotels, that's hotels in the suburbs, Cary, North Raleigh in west Raleigh, so pretty much all over the county, those folks do have a tendency to get out. They shop in kind of the local districts that they're in there, dine in those local districts," said Loren Gold, Vice President of the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

And what started as a dream is now becoming a reality in Raleigh as a music destination.

"I think it speaks volumes about us as a city in that depending on what your musical taste is, there's usually an offering for you," Gold says.