J. Cole’s Dreamville Festival may be getting a new name, but its heart—and location—remain the same.
Though Cole had previously announced that this year’s edition would be the final Dreamville Festival, fans can expect a reimagined version to take its place.
At a press conference held on April 3rd, Sascha Stone Guttfreund, a Dreamville and Roc Nation promoter, confirmed that large-scale music events would continue in Raleigh under a new name. “We’re going to be here for years to come. This is a multi-year deal,” he said. “We’re so excited to be working with the city of Raleigh together on something new and exciting, and to continue to build on this incredible thing that we’ve done over the years.”
While the festival will no longer carry the Dreamville name, J. Cole will still be involved. Raleigh City Manager Marchell Adams-David explained: “We’re using the Dreamville label to a certain extent, he [Cole] will obviously be involved. Whether or not he headlines, that’s probably not going to be an occurrence, but he is a local resident. He is totally committed to this community, and he is totally committed to this festival.”
Ib Hamad, Cole’s longtime manager and business partner, emphasized the event’s roots in community. “We wanted to keep the feeling of just the community. We call it our family reunion,” he said. “People from all over the world and from all 50 states come in, and it’s good to be able to do it here in North Carolina.”
The new version of the festival will be held at Dorothea Dix Park for at least the next four years. This weekend’s Dreamville Festival will feature performances by J. Cole, Lil Wayne, Erykah Badu, 21 Savage, and more.
