Dreamville wraps up successful weekend filled with music, art, and food

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Sunday capped off a busy weekend at Dreamville Fest in Raleigh at Dix Park with headliners J. Cole and Nicki Minaj.

It's been more than just a musical celebration, but a tradition.

"It honestly feels like a family reunion," says Shauna, who came from Thomasville to Dreamville.

As crowds continue to grow, some Dreamers remembered their first year when that dream was just coming true.

"The first year we came we had some issues with like food and things like that so it's exciting to see it now we have a lot more options," Shauna says.

This year, the festival grew to two main stages with better lighting, multiple attractions and experiences with the hype making it to social media.

"I found out about Dreamville on TikTok on Tuesday," says Pearis Ellis from Baltimore.

Excited to see Nicki Minaj, she booked a ticket and came down from Baltimore, and she wasn't disappointed.

"I feel like there should be a little bit more marketing because nobody knew about it in Maryland," she says.

After Drake last year, the trend of marquee acts continued in 2024 with SZA, 50 Cent, and Nicki Minaj.

But for many, the highlight was the homecoming of Dreamville's founder J. Cole, a Fayetteville native.

"Just being able to come out here and really see how much Fayetteville has really put an impact on him it just means a lot to us," says Jordan Everett from Fayetteville.

And they hope the dream J. Cole built, will keep putting North Carolina on the map.

"But I definitely hope that folks can come to the city more just not for Dreamville but for other events that we really do put on," says Ty Bethune from Fayetteville.

Dreamville organizers says they had 50,000 people Saturday and 50,000 Sunday, selling out for a total of 100,000 people over the weekend.