Source: Mickey Pierre-Louis / Dreamville Festival / The Parallel Agency
J. Cole and his Dreamville team successfully hosted their third annual Dreamville Festival over the weekend in Raleigh, North Carolina. They welcomed over 100,000 festival attendees for a star-studded weekend of events.
One of the major highlights of the weekend included J. Cole inviting Drake as a special guest for their collaborative performance. Other notable performances included Usher, Burna Boy, Summer Walker, Lil Durk, J.I.D., City Girls, Sean Paul and more.
Attendees came to Cole’s home state from all around the world, including all 50 U.S. states and 23 countries across four continents. The outdoor music festival welcomed fans of all ages for this special two day music festival.
Keeping with tradition, the lineup and festival experiences were curated by the festival founder himself, J. Cole. To close out the event in spectacular fashion, J. Cole’s Sunday set featured a never-before-seen collaborative festival concert with special guest Drake, with additional unannounced surprise guest performances from Lil Wayne, 21 Savage, and Lil Uzi Vert – all of which collectively offered festival-goers the concert of a lifetime headlined by two of the most acclaimed and accomplished performers of this generation.
Dreamville Festival 2023 also featured performances from international superstars like Usher, whose energetic set included a first-ever live festival performance of his smash hit “Good Love” with female rap duo City Girls among a medley of hits from his 20+ year illustrious career. Burna Boy’s larger-than-life Day 2 music performance also set the stage ablaze. Additional notable highlights include Summer Walker’s live announcement of her new upcoming EP, Clear 2:Soft Life while inviting label mate 6lack to perform alongside her and a guest appearance from Ayra Starr during Bas’ set.
The two-day celebration also marked a rare reunion for Dreamville Records as J. Cole brought together the entire roster to perform at the show including Ari Lennox, Bas, J.I.D, EarthGang, Cozz and Omen, plus Lute who hails from nearby Charlotte – nearly all of whom joined J. Cole onstage for Sunday’s grand finale.
The festival continues to offer an opportunity for J. Cole brings together Dreamville fans worldwide each spring, while also providing a cultural and multi-million economic impact that lasts long after the festival wraps each spring. Attendees were offered a taste of the good life in North Carolina this weekend with dozens of local vendors spread across the Dix Park festival grounds.
While roaming the grounds, fans were able to immerse themselves in site-wide art installations; learn more about local community organizations along Nonprofit Row; enjoy surprise impromptu marching band performances; and ride the sky-high Ferris wheel offering unparalleled views of the city of Raleigh.
