Organizers behind the successor to Raleigh’s Dreamville Festival still don’t have 2026 dates.
Why it matters: The city is keen to keep Dreamville alive despite the original organizers stepping back last year. The festival draws tens of thousands of people to Raleigh every spring, and attendees inject millions of dollars into the local economy.
Catch up quick: North Carolina-born rapper J. Cole launched the festival in 2018 under the banner of his Dreamville record label.
- It became massively popular, with annual performances by J. Cole paired with sets by internationally celebrated artists like Drake, 21 Savage, Usher and Burna Boy.
- Weather has occasionally interfered, and so did the pandemic, but Dix Park has hosted five Dreamville festivals. Organizers said festival-goers spent $122 million in Wake County in 2023.
- Cole said he was stepping back after 2025, but Live Nation promoters said they’d struck a deal to keep Dreamville Festival alive.
Yes, but: There’s been no news since. The festival is also expected to be rebranded under a different name, but that hasn’t been revealed yet either…