Celebs—they’re just like us. Dreamville stars were spotted in the wild during the oh-so-dreamy Dreamville Fest weekend.
Guess who’s back… back again? Dreamville—and we’ll be running it back in 2024, answering the call for Raleighites and hip-hop fans far and wide who traveled from 23 countries and four continents (!) for the fest to fill Dix Park with 100,000 people over two days. Also answering the call for city leaders—“We’d like to see Dreamville be a long-term part of Raleigh,” says Downtown Raleigh Alliance President & CEO Bill King. Dreamville is a boon for Raleigh—expected to generate ~$8 million. Beyond the economic impact, the stars are here to support local too—and were spotted aplenty around town….
Whatever you did post-Dreamville, we bet it wasn’t as cool as J. Cole and crew’s afterparty at Vidrio on Sunday (or their Friday pregame party before the big fest). The Glenwood South hot spot was transformed into a nightclub-esque environment with space for dancing, a DJ booth, LED/lasers, and a VIP area on the stage with custom Dreamville visuals—NTM a signature drink menu with the Dreamville liquor sponsors. “It was a spectacular event,” said LM Restaurants’ Marianne Stokes. “Lots of happy guests, and they were wonderful to work with.”
Look who’s here… Ushering over to Chapel Hill, Usher made an appearance at low-key classic college bar He’s Not Here with his bud Johntá Austin—who just happens to be a UNC-Chapel grad. Sounds like the Hills were indeed alive this weekend.
Looks like Big Ush loves brunch too—he was spotted in a Dreamville tee greeting fans and shooting snaps with the resto crew at beloved City Market brekky spot Big Ed’s for a late brunch.
It really is all fun and games? Capping off the weekend, J. Cole hit up Cary’s Dave & Buster’s with Summer Walker, Jessie Reyez, Waka Flocka Flame and others in tow for some hoop dreams (had to) and tabletop air hockey.
Brian Burnett, founder of Glenwood South Tailor, kept J. Cole lookin’ fresh before and during his set on Sunday night. … I think we can all agree that the ’fit was 🔥.
Bonus: Who run the world at Dreamville? Not Beyoncé, as it would turn out. In an epic and out of pocket April Fools’ hoax, Usher pranked the crowd with a warm welcome to queen Bey—but instead we were met with not a single… lady. Womp womp. But there’s always next year?
From the lineup to the surprise appearances to the cool activations and ops (we got the honor of chatting up a few of the big names!), Dreamville was indeed a dream.
Another, ahem, dreamyDreamville Festival has come and gone in the City of Oaks—some would say the most epic fest to date. The two-day fest saw some of the most iconic names in hip-hop take to the Rise and Shine stages at Dix Park (Drake! Usher! Sean Paul!), bringing in ~50,000 visitors per day from all over the state, country and world.
“To see the festival at this magnitude each year—it’s phenomenal,” said day one performer Lute in a sit-down chat with Raleigh Magazine in the artists’ lounge at the festival. “I saw that 15% of people at the festival are from [Raleigh], and the rest are from somewhere else. So I think it’s kinda fire that all these people are coming here.” (He’s not wrong—that’s 50 states and 23 countries to be exact (!)) … As J. Cole’s brainchild keeps getting dreamier and dreamier, we’re thrilled to have front-row seats. Having attended every Dreamville since its inception, here’s our hot take.
Best
Surprise Appearances
As if the planned lineup wasn’t star-studded enough, Dreamville Fest really pulled out all the stops with its surprise performers. Screams could not be contained as the likes of Lil Wayne, Lil Uzi Vert and 21 Savage appeared onstage. Now… how will they top it next year?!
The Artists’ Lounge
Raleigh Magazine got the cool op to hang in the Artists’ Lounge to meet and interview a few of the artists, including Lute, Waka Flocka Flame and Mario. When asked about his performance, Waka said: “I didn’t know what I was gonna do, I just went up there and performed. I be up there just fucking partying.” Naturally, festival attendees partied right there with him. “I love North Carolina,” he added. “In the future I’m gonna do a lot in Raleigh.” And we’re ready for it
Local Biz Spotlights
The Dreamville Fest team made sure to spotlight a handful of local businesses in its Raleigh City Guide (think Oro, Five Star, Foundation, Bittersweet and Black Friday Market, to name but a few), spreading the love throughout the city—and showcasing just how amazing Raleigh really is.
Worst
Usher’s April Fools’ Joke
Usher’s performance was epic. Period. NTM the instant gif born of him pouring water over his abs. And Big Ush’s got jokes. And the internet is mad about it. During his performance, Usher paused to intro a surprise appearance from Beyoncé—after which you could hear a pin drop as the insane crowd waited to greet their queen. After what felt like an eternity Usher yelled “April Fools.” (“There’s some things you just shouldn’t joke about”)…
No Bars
Despite the Dreamville Fest team’s efforts to provide better service this year, attendees still struggled to use their phones. Those poor Instagram feeds! NTM attendees’ safety. It was a struggle to get a call or text out—so in the event of an emergency you’d be, well, screwed. Word on the grounds was Verizon users had the worst luck using their phones. … So next year, bring a portable charger!
Uber Crash
Apparently, the Uber app crashed on Saturday night (!), leaving many festivalgoers scrambling to get out of Dix Park. It reportedly got so bad that a bus had to come out and escort people Downtown so they’d at least get off the grounds. Pro tip for next year: Walk Downtown and order an Uber from a bar or restaurant, or arrange a ride home with a friend! We made the trek for the last two years and noticed way more people walking alongside us in 2023. #DreamvilleHike2024—who’s with us?!
Raleigh Mag is launching a Friday Foodie Newsletter.
Prime your palates! … As your go-to resource on up-to-the-minute foodie news, Raleigh Mag is sating your appetite for more must-read snackable content with the addition of a Friday newsletter, dubbed Dish on This, exclusively dedicated to all things bites & bevs—from breaking foodie news to openings, reveals and updates to chef sneak peeks to where you should be eating and drinking around town right now and more. Essentially, an invite to nosh on veritable Grub Street.
For the past seven years, we’ve been living, eating and breathing everything Raleigh to keep you in-the-know and serve as the authority on living life in this city. From day one, Raleigh Magazine has unveiled more exclusive announcements, chef previews, sneak peaks, insider info and scoops than any other local resource. We have become your go-to for what’s hip, hot and happening in town across our multimedia platforms: print mag, web, newsletter, social channels and podcast.
If you already receive our Raleigh Insider newsletter, first and foremost, thank you for being a valued reader. Further, get excited—we’ve automatically subscribed you for our can’t-miss Friday Dish on This. If you like what you read, we’d love for you to share the scoop with friends and fam who’d dig some Friday fodder to feed on.
Coming out of the gate with a feast, for our premiere newsletter, we’ve gone back for seconds on our exclusive reveal of The Mill by Urban Food Group in Olde Raleigh Village this winter and got the deets on their opening date (spoiler alert: it’s super soon) and more. … Thanks for grabbing a seat at the table with us. Now… dig in!
In honor of DTR Sandwich Week March 27–April 7, here are the Raleigh Mag team’s fave sammies.
No matter how you slice it (personally, I prefer diagonal), there’s no better lunch item than a sandwich. They’re quick and easy to make, can be eaten on the go or at the desk, and come in many different forms. While you could whip up your own at home, during DTR Sandwich Week (now through April 7) we encourage you to go out to the 100+ spots serving lunch Downtown and order up one of their specially crafted housemade sammies. Pro tip: Post your sando on social media during using the hashtag #DTRSandwichWeek to have a sandwich named after you at a participating restaurant (!). Below, Raleigh Mag’s go-to DTR sandwich picks to get you started. Get bready to chow down!
Chicken Club Hero, Capital Club 16 —Gina Stephens, Publisher
We’re on a knead-to-know basis… and we need you to know about this fab Transfer Co. Food Hall spot’s recently launched food truck that’s tempting Raleighites to make a quick pit stop for handmade baked/fried Argentinian delights—think empanadas (natch), pastries and more—all over town. The empanada party continues via a pickup window at the soon-to-open The Mixx (!). … And you can be sure they’re prepared to stay servin’ up the good Argentinian eats no matter the occasion—from weddings to zombie apocalypses. Ready to get stuffed? cheempanadas.com
Mama Churros
Bringing handcrafted churros from Mexico to the Triangle is this sweet truck throwing you for a loop—that is, a dipped loop, stick or dipped stick, depending on your churro order of choice. NTM these fried dough-lights even come with sprinkles (*cues up mental image of Salt Bae sprinklin’*)! Time to churr up! @mamachurros_
Lee’s Kitchen
Meet the self-proclaimed best-known secret in town. “A taste of Jamaica with a touch of soul,” this truck blends tropical and Southern flavors to produce appetizing ops of all kinds—from oxtails and curry chicken to yams, collard greens, and mac and cheese. Warning: One bite may mentally transport you to the Caribbean. So if you haven’t yet stumbled upon this gem, well, curry up. leeskitchenjamaican.com
Mr. A’s Beignets
They say you are what you eat, so we rec chowing down on some hot and sweet fried fritters via this authentic New Orleans-esque sup spot that sources its beignet supplies directly from Louisiana (that’s how you know it’s legit!). Pro tip: Getting powdered sugar everywhere is highly encouraged. … And be sure to grab a coffee, hot cocoa or spiced cider to wash it all down. Beignet, done that. Or have you?! squaredoughnuts.com
