Festival goers, vendors soak in final day of Dreamville: 'It's just a good space to be in'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- It's the end of an era -- for now -- at Raleigh's Dix Park.

Sunday marked the last day of the fifth and final Dreamville Festival, after J. Cole announced earlier this year that this year's festival would be the last in its current form. Last week, organizers hinted that a future festival in Raleigh could take its place, but details have yet to be released.

Tens of thousands of festival goers poured into Dix Park for the second day of live music Sunday, with J. Cole headlining with a nighttime performance. Many, like Diana Garcia, traveled from quite a distance to be there.

"You have room to like be around, talk to people. The people are great, the environment is good, the music's good. So it's just a good space to be in," Garcia, who drove from Maryland, said.

There was also plenty of local pride -- including from Fayetteville natives, who have long been among the festival's most vocal supporters.

J. Cole was born and raised in the city.

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"We ride for our culture, we ride for our sports, we ride for our people, and we're very loyal to each other in North Carolina," said Nilank Desai, a Fayetteville native.

Desai said it was his second Dreamville, and he's hoping there's more to come.

"Just seeing the impact he's had on the rap culture, on the music culture, and just like everything about J. Cole is positive," he said.

As with every Dreamville, there's a long list of local vendors and businesses that partner with the homegrown festival -- places like Privei, a Fayetteville fashion boutique that's running a pop-up ice cream festival for the weekend to get in on the fun.

"J. Cole's from Fayetteville, we're from Fayetteville, and that's the reason we came here," said owner Nicolino Parisi. "We could of went to any festival. There's tons of them up and down the East Coast. This is the only one we applied to."

Parisi said he hasn't missed a Dreamville yet, and knowing that Sunday could be the final day made it a moment to savor.

"I feel like more people are connecting because they know it might be the last one. And people are also looking forward to what's next. But this one right here is special," he said.