Spring is finally here which means music festival season is in full effect. The first week of April marked the long awaited return of the Dreamville Festival held in North Carolina. The festival, founded by rapper J. Cole, was held at Raleigh's historic Dorothea Dix Park. It has been an intentional outlet for him to give back to his hometown which aided in his personal development.

Since its inception, Dreamville has become a highly anticipated event with a multi-million dollar impact, further contributing to the creative and fiscal economy of the state of North Carolina. This year, the event took place over a span of two days after being away for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 80,000 attendees—from across the US and 14 international countries—showed up.

Dreamville fans were treated to performances from some of today’s most sought-after musical acts, including BLXST, Fivio Foreign, Earthgang, Ari Lennox, Bas, Bia. Ja Rule, Ashanti, J.I.D., DJ Drama’s Gangsta Grillz with Lil Wayne, Jeezy and T.I., Kehlani, Lil Baby, J.Cole, Larry June, Moneybagg Yo, Rico Nasty, Lute, Mereba, Morray, Wizkid, Mikhala Jene, The Hics, Wale, T-Pain and Omen. The lineup and festival experience were curated by the festival founder himself, J. Cole, whose headlining performance closed out the event.

Festival goers partook of a plethora of family-friendly activities, sampled offerings from local vendors and were able to ride a sky-high ferris wheel. They also got an opportunity to check out art installations throughout the grounds curated by Artsplosure, a local nonprofit dedicated to bringing awareness to several local charity programs.  North Carolina Central University’s “Sound Machine” Marching Band and The Helping Hand Rescue Mission Marching Band gave impromptu performances each afternoon. All in all, fun was had by all.

A portion of the proceeds from this year's event are being donated to the official charity partners of the festival— the Dreamville Foundation and Dorothea Dix Park Conservancy.

EBONY was on site to capture the lit scene at the Dreamville Festival, and discussed with its partners the positive long-lasting cultural and economic impact the festival is making on the local North Carolina community.