Organizers with Dreamville Festival pushed back Saturday’s schedule due to the threat of wet and windy weather in the middle of the day.
On Saturday morning, the festival announced gates will open at 3 p.m. due to expected high winds and possible lightning. Shuttles, parking and the box office, however, will open beginning at 2 p.m. Access to Dix Park is closed to the public until this time in the interest of public safety.
The festival’s social media pages noted that new performance times will be announced along with an additional update to come on Saturday morning. Gates were originally scheduled to open at noon.
There is a 60 percent chance for rain on Saturday afternoon.
Tens of thousands are expected to attend.
WRAL News is keeping an eye on Dreamville’s updated artist line-up schedule. All updated information about Dreamville can be found here.
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“The best chance for storms will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,” said WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth. “For Dreamville, the rain will move out of the Raleigh area by around 2 p.m.”
There’s also a Wind Advisory with gusts of 35 to 45 miles per hour possible.
“It will be windy all day Saturday,” Wilmoth said. “This could cause some isolated power outages and will have impacts on Dreamville.”
Saturday is a WRAL Weather Alert Day. With central and eastern North Carolina under a Level 1 storm risk, gusty winds over 35 mph could create safety risks at the all-outdoor event. Heavy rain and lightning will also be possible.
“Winds will gust across our area to 35 to 45 mph except higher in our eastern counties,” WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said. “This will be an issue for Dreamville, with many tents and stages set up for the festival. It’s also likely to be very muddy there.”
High winds downed branches, canceling another Dix Park event in December
In December, winds reached up to 54 mph in the area, causing disruption to another event at Dix Park – WRAL Nights of Lights. The event was canceled on Dec. 23 due to damage from the high winds along the event route. The high winds also caused more than 200,000 people in the state to lose power.
Dreamville is a rain-or-shine event, but a spokesperson for the festival said there are several factors that could cause delays or even cancelation – including standing water, severity of the winds and lightning.
On Thursday, the city released a statement about making plans for inclement weather.
“The City of Raleigh in coordination with Festival Organizers are monitoring weather conditions for Saturday. There are plans in place for inclement weather that would be activated as needed based on conditions and communicated at that time. As this is a rain-or-shine outdoor event, festival attendees should continue to monitor the Dreamville Festival website and social media channels for any weather-related updates. Fans can text also text ‘Dreamville’ to 888777 to sign-up for festival emergency alerts. We look forward to this weekend.”
Since the festival will likely go on rain or shine, fans should consider ponchos and rain boots and be prepared for messy conditions on Saturday evening even after the rain stops.
Sunday, the final day of the festival, should be dry, but the grounds could be very muddy.
Fans who spoke with WRAL News said their excitement wasn’t dampened.
“I might just have to put my off-brand sneakers on for this event,” said Naji Grampus, who traveled from New York for the festival. “But it’s going to be a great time.”
Indira Bautista wasn’t able to grab a ticket in time for this year’s festival, but knowing the lineup, she says she expects people to brave the rainy, windy conditions. She doesn’t expect a little rain to dampen the spirit surrounding the event.
“I think it’s really cool … we’ve got big artists coming to our state. Usually, our state isn’t too popular when it comes to concerts. Huge fans, they’ll still commit to their favorite artist,” Bautista said.
The gates to Dreamville Festival at Dix Park open at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Ticketholders should keep an eye on the festival’s social media pages for any weather-related updates.
Dreamville is headlined by Usher, who performs Saturday night, and hip-hop stars Drake and North Carolina native J. Cole, who will be there on Sunday.
“People will still go. They like the hype. They like the excitement, for sure,” Bautista said.
A shuttle to take people to Dreamville is sold out. Parking is still available at $60 per day. Drivers should head to 883-881 Main Campus Drive in Raleigh and follow signage and event parking staff to be directed to the nearest available parking lot.
For those who can’t attend, the festival will also be streamed on Amazon Prime.
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