This story was originally posted on Super Empty
The fifth and not-so-final installment of J. Cole’s annual 50,000-attendee-per-day extravaganza, Dreamville Festival, is officially sold out.
At this point, if you don’t know a guy who knows a guy, or have a loose $1,000 to roll the dice on StubHub (cross your fingers it’s not a scam!), you probably missed your chance at seeing 100-megawatt headliners, riding a giant ferris wheel, and photo-opping at the golden toilet Charmin Experience on the grounds of Dix Park. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it’s true.
Still, all is not lost. While the most fanatical concertgoers may feel otherwise, so much of what makes Dreamville Fest an anchor of the Raleigh cultural calendar isn’t just the density of top-tier talent, across two full days, that the city wouldn’t otherwise see. It’s also all the events and activations, Dreamville-sanctioned and not, that spring up around it: block party outdoor stages, late-night museum DJ sets, public art hangouts, and more. Some charge a cover or require a ticket, but nothing remotely approaching the four-figure price tags of the secondary wristband market.
Like any endeavor of its massive scale, Dreamville Fest has earned its share of (fair) critiques: too-long food lines one year, sound snafus another, and so on. But less impeachable is what this weekend has come to mean for the Triangle and Raleigh specifically—the energy, the community, the introductions to new friends and reunions with old ones, almost everywhere you go. This year will be no different, and if you’re in town, you should pop out and experience it for yourself.
See below for a handy guide of previews that just go to show, it doesn’t take a wristband or VIP pass to soak up what is, arguably, the best thing that Dreamville Fest provides for Raleigh: a weekend in the city unlike any other.
Friday
If there’s a request I’m ready to put in with the Raleigh Arts Council, Governor Josh Stein, J. Cole, or other powers-that-be, it’s that somehow, we preserve some form of Lute’s Goldmouf Garage, the free block party on Harrington Street outside of CAM Raleigh that has come to be a defining staple of Dreamville weekend.
Part-car show, part-concert, the event (now in its third year) puts a stage on the south end of Harrington and turns the rest into a pedestrian plaza full of the aforementioned cars, corporate experiential popups (Amazon, etc.), and local vendors and artists as well. Food, drinks, and friends new and old will be all around, as well as a full afternoon of local/local-ish performers: Bobby James, Cyanca, Jaxs, Shame Gang, just to name a few who readers may have heard before.
So yeah, Dreamville Fest may be ending, but we gotta keep this one. Somehow.
All within a quarter-mile radius, there are also two other things for your radar: The Visit Raleigh stage, at the intersection of Commerce Place and Martin Street, presented by K97.5 hosts like Mir.I.Am and Brian Dawson and packing a loaded guest list of DJs, including DJ Chuck T and DJ Fatboi (don’t know him but love his name); and over inside CAM, the full slate of free seminars on music and the music business known as Dreamville Public Access.
Moderators/hosts include producers Boi-1da and T-Minus, J. Cole’s engineer Mez, and local legend DJ Paradime, who kicks things off with “DJ 101” at 11 am.
Getting Active | Compxss Corner, Jordan Chavis Memorial Park, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. &
Runologie Shakeout Run | 327 W. Davie St, 6 p.m.
While it’s not quite the over-the-top activation of drinks, limited edition merch and public art that they rolled out last year, Raleigh run shop Runologie has once again teamed with Nike Running and Mad Miles for the Dreamville Shakeout Run (both 1.5 and 3 mi runs available), this time kicking off from The Venue at 6 pm.
Earlier in the day, rapper Olu (of the Atlanta-based Dreamville duo Earthgang), who over the past two years has emerged as a wellness advocate with his brand Compxss, is leading yoga in Jordan Chavis Park. While official tickets seem to be sold out, he also told fans on Instagram recently that more space for the classes was being made. The whole Compxss Corner event, which includes a sauna, massages, vitamins and supplements, and more, runs from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m.
Local Indie Scene Roulette | Club NiiTO – Raleigh Times, 7 p.m. | Owie + FriendZ-Portal HQ, 8 p.m. [$20] | BeMyFiasco, Lincoln Theatre, 8 p.m. [$17]
For all the indie artist inroads and genuine community impact of Goldmouf Garage, there are only so many names that can fit on one bill, and therefore, a deep bench of talented local acts that aren’t tapped for “official” Dreamville action. Friday night sees three near-simultaneous events across the city filling that niche. Most rap-forward, and surely most debaucherous, of the bunch is Owie + FriendZ, presented by multihyphenate artist and curator Owie and featuring LesTheGenius and others, at relatively new venue Portal HQ.
If you’re in the mood for something smoother, there’s multiple soul/R&B options at your disposal: four-piece band NiiTO at Raleigh Times, and Durham-by-way-of-Dallas singer BeMyFiasco at Lincoln Theatre (her most recent EP, Pretty Little Love, was one of the best to come out of the state last year). With all three happening around the same time, the bad news is you probably have to pick one. The good news is that whatever you pick, you can’t go wrong.
Saturday & Sunday
Few things, if any, have made waves on the party/nightflife circuit recently like Damion Rashad and Joe Headen’s Frnds + Family series, which, in addition to hosting a party at Split Bar on Friday evening, comes to CAM Raleigh on Saturday night to close out the first day of Dreamville. The passionate following that F+F has built speaks for itself — not only here in the Triangle, but with recent events extending to Charlotte and Atlanta. As a new mainstay of the local scene, this definitely won’t be the last chance to catch one, but as with most things this weekend, this edition will be more special than most.
For Those With Limitless Energy… (NiiTO, Professor X) | Sunday, Neptune’s Parlour, 10 p.m.-2 a.m. [FREE]
First of all, if you’re still humming along and looking for things to do at 10 pm this Sunday—Dreamville attendee or not—you are a freak of nature. Second of all, you may want to bring your freakiness to Raleigh subterranean standby Neptunes Parlour, where aforementioned R&B/soul crew NiiTO and DJ Professor X (hosted by the indefatigable Sazi) will be closing out Dreamville weekend for the stagflation-friendly price of Free 99.
Any veteran Raleigh festivalgoer has a fond memory or two of a night spent under the LED string lights of Neptunes—why not make your own? That is, if you’re not already fast asleep.
To comment on this story, email [email protected].