We've reached the end of an era, Raleigh. Dreamville Festival, founded by NC native + Grammy-winning artist J. Cole, will host its fifth and final event on April 5 and 6 at Dix Park.

Dreamville, known as one of the biggest events in Raleigh and a place where music, community, and culture intersect, has attracted more than 100,000+ attendees since its debut in 2019. The festival brought Grammy-winning performers to Raleigh including Usher and Drake along with widely known artists like Nicki Minaj, Summer Walker, and Kehlani.

In 2023 alone, the festival garnered $145.9 million in revenue for Raleigh. Economic boosts were seen across various industries:

$20.5 million for hotels
$18.7 million for food + beverage
$9.8 million for transportation

Dreamville's conclusion marks Raleigh's second major music event leaving recently. IBMA Bluegrass Live!, the world's largest bluegrass festival, hosted its last Raleigh festival in 2024 after 11 years. Bluegrass Live! amassed 223,000 attendees from 2017 to 2023. Earlier this year, Piedmont-based music nonprofit PineCone announced a new bluegrass festival called Raleigh Wide Open that'll debut Oct. 3 and 4, 2025.

Both festivals contributed to Wake County's 18.5 million visitors in 2023, which saw a 3.9% increase in visitation over 2022, and a record-breaking $3.2 billion spent by tourists.

From this $3.2 billion in spending, $307 million in state and local taxes were generated. This spending resulted in the creation and sustainability of 25,000+ tourism and hospitality-related jobs. Additionally, the visitor-generated taxes saved Wake County households $712 in annual taxes, $111 more than 2022.

With the end of Dreamville Festival, we can't help but wonder what will come in its place.