2023 Dreamville Fest Survival Guide: Pre-Parties, Pop-Ups, Food Vendors, and More
Photo: Greg Noire / Dreamville Fest
Last updated: March 31, 2023
(The Keisha J) - - Get ready for the ultimate music experience at Dreamville Festival 2023, returning to Raleigh’s Dorothea Dix Park on April 1-2! As the third-year festival, it has grown into a massive city-wide affair with an attendance of over 100,000 people, generating a staggering $6.7 million economic impact within Wake County. Featuring an extensive lineup of music, art, and food trucks spread across the 308-acre festival site, Dreamville continues to expand its footprint in Raleigh with parties, panels, activations, and pop-up shops.
2023 Dreamville Fest music schedule
But that's not all, folks! The festival kicks off with a series of pre-parties and events that will get you in the mood for the weekend ahead.
Pre-Parties and Events
Dreamville Public Access
First up is the Dreamville Public Access event, celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop at Cam Raleigh, featuring creative panels, conversations, and demos culminating in the Gene Brown Beatdown with producers Nottz, Bink, and Khrysis, along with appearances by Timbaland, 9th Wonder, Ari Lennox, Jetson Made, Dreamville President Ibrahim Hamad, and many more.
Friday, March 31 from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Cam Raleigh
409 W Martin St.
Raleigh, NC 27603
Schedule:
12 p.m. – DJ 101 with DJ Paradime
1 p.m. – Carolina Creative Panel featuring Ace Henderson, Sonny Miles, Reuben Vincent, Cedric Brown, moderated by Yoh Phillips
2 p.m. – Beat Breakdown with Deputy and Omen
3 p.m. – Beat Club Sound Bar with OG Parker, Jetson Made, Timbaland, hosted by Jordan Rose
4 p.m. – Samples The Taught Me Something with DJ Svpply
5 p.m.. – 9th Wonder in conversation with Brian “B.Dot” Miller
6 p.m. – Soundtrack Stories: Creed III with Joseph Shirley, Blckbrry, Bas, and Derek “Mixed by Ali” Ali, hosted by Yoh Phillips
7 p.m. – BeatClub Honors Elite with Ari Lennox, Juro “Mez” Davis, Ibrahim Hamad, moderated by Jordan Rose
8 p.m. – The Gene Brown Beatdown featuring Khrysis vs. D.R.U.G.S. and Bink vs. Nottz
Lute’s Gold Mouf Garage
Next, Charlotte's Lute hosts the Lute's Gold Mouf Garage, featuring performances by Shame Gang, Sonny Miles, and Jewels, with DJs Skillz, Paradime, and Lil Vegas, alongside classic European automobiles, food vendors, and a full bar.
Friday, March 31 from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
510 W. Martin St.
Raleigh, NC 27601
Dreamville Pop-Up Shop
You can also snag some limited-edition Dreamville apparel ahead of the festival at the Dreamville Pop-Up Shop.
March 29-31 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
207 S. West Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
Up With Olu & ZiZi
And if you're looking to ground yourself before the festivities begin, join the Up With Olu & ZiZi mindfulness session.
Friday, March 31 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Dose Yoga Studio & Smoothie Bar
415 North Harrington Street
Raleigh, NC 27603
Free with RSVP (SOLD OUT)
And the fun doesn't stop there!
Parking
Official parking for the event is at NC State’s Centennial Campus (883-881 Main Campus Dr. Raleigh, NC 27606), located across the street from Dix Park on a first come, first served basis. Cost is $50 daily and you can reserve in advance here. Overnight parking is not permitted.
Dreamville Festival has plenty of shuttle options, ride-share pick-up locations, and bike parking areas, with an unfortunate SOLD OUT exclusive downtown shuttle pass available for $20.
Entrances
There will be two entrances into Dreamville Festival, a West Entrance (off Barbour Dr./Blair Dr.) and an East Entrance (off Umstead Dr./Hunt Dr.). Gates will open at 12 p.m. on both Saturday, April 1 and Sunday, April 2.
2023 Dreamville Fest Dorothea Dix Map Key
Re-entry
Festival re-entry will not be permitted. So you won’t be able to enter the festival, exit the security checkpoint, and then re-enter without purchasing another ticket.
Transportation
Dreamville offers plenty of shuttle options, ride-share pick-up locations, and bike parking areas.
The downtown shuttle costs $20 for a two-day pass (SOLD OUT), and will pick up from Moore Square in downtown Raleigh and drop you off right next to the West Entrance at Dreamville Fest. Shuttles run continuously from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.
Public Parking and Official Downtown Shuttle Pickup & Drop-off
If ride-sharing is more your speed, Uber, Lyft and Taxis all have designated drop off/pickup zones on either side of Dorothea Dix Park. For more information on public bus fares and schedules, you can check out GoRaleigh.
For attendees biking, the festival has two locations for bike parking near the entrances. One at the corner of Centennial Pkwy and Blair Dr., another on the corner of Western Blvd and Hunt Dr.
Parking and Transportation Map for Dreamville Fest
Coming from out of town via train? Travelers coming to and from Dreamville Fest can save 25% via NC By Train tickets. You’ll arrive at Union Station, two miles from Dorothea Dix Park, and can book tickets with the discount code V681.
Lockers
There will be lockers available on site to safely store belongings. Each locker includes one 3-in-1 USB charging cable (type C, lightning Apple, and micro USB connectors). With your multi-day locker rental, you may leave your items in your locker overnight. You will have unlimited access to your locker during festival hours and can come and go as you wish. You can purchase your locker here, and you will receive an email 24 hours before the fest containing your locker location, locker number, and lock combination.
Bag Policy
All festival attendees will be subject to a search of their person and any bags or belongings being carried into the festival grounds.
Small clutch purses and fanny packs that are 6″ x 9″ or smaller do not need to be clear, but can have no more than one pocket. Check out the full list of items allowed or prohibited at Dreamville Fest 2023.
Photo credit: The Creative Gentleman
Merch
In addition to the pop-up shop in downtown Raleigh at 207 S West Street, Dreamville Fest has opened their official online festival merchandise shop (SOLD OUT) early in an effort to reduce lines at the event.
Dreamville Fest Limited-Edition Beer
Dreamville Fest has collaborated with Raleigh’s R&D Brewing to create the “Dreamsicle Festival Brew,” a limited-edition beer created specifically for the event. A light, crisp and flavorful cream ale with a hint of vanilla and mango, the beer has a 4.5% ABV and will be available exclusively at Dreamville Fest.
R&D Brewing’s limited-edition Dreamsicle Festival Brew
Tickets
Need to swap or buy a Dreamville Fest ticket? Visit the verified ticketing exchange, a platform to safely exchange or purchase resale tickets to Dreamville Fest 2023.
Download the Festival App
Download the app at Apple Store and Google Play Store.
Livestream
Starting at 2 p.m. EST each day, fans will be able to tune in to the Amazon Music channel on Twitch and Prime Video to watch their favorite artists perform throughout the day, for free.
For more information about the festival, download the Dreamville Fest app or check out the official website.
Food & Drink Vendors
There will be over 50 local food vendors at the festival. Here are some of the food trucks and drink vendors at Dreamville Festival.
Buje Lemonade
Boss of Vegan
Mama Churros
Pure Soul
Qspresso
The Vegan Sweetie
Everything Legendary
Sea Breeze Italian Ice
Shrimp Truck NC
Oak City Fish and Chips
Tacos El Patron 323
Caribbean Kicker
Cutta Kitchen
Crumbstruction
Bulldog Burgery
Tania’s Kitchen NYC
Emergency Alerts
To receive alerts from the festival, text ‘Dreamville’ to 888777.
This story will be updated with more information throughout the week. Check back here for updates.