Thousands of hip-hop fans from across the country flocked to Raleigh's Dorothea Dix Park on Saturday to celebrate North Carolina hip-hop. On Sunday, crowds are expected to surge once again, as music legends like J. Cole, T-Pain and Ari Lennox take center stage.
Fayetteville native J. Cole's 2-day music festival kicked off on Saturday morning.
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The biggest hits on Saturday afternoon were Ja Rule, Ashanti and J.I.D. In the evening, WizKid and Lil Baby had fan-favorite performances. When Ja Rule and Ashanti performed their hits, everyone in the crowd rushed to the stage to sing along.
The music festival was spread out across the park, with the big-name artists featured on the Shine stage, located at the corner of Blair and Biggs drives inside the park.
North Carolina Central University's band, the NCCU Sound Machine, was marching through the field on Saturday, playing hip-hop hits like Beyoncé's song Deja Vu.
WRAL spoke with Jacksonville native Mikhala Jené, Dreamville's first performer. Before she was a performer at Dreamville, she was an attendee.
"It feels so good to come back around like this," she said. "Dreamville has always been family."
"Today is a moment, not only for North Carolina, but for everyone," she added.
Performer stops music to ensure safety when member of crowd is injured
Fayetteville artist Morray performed on the Shine stage Saturday afternoon, and during his performance someone in the crowd was injured.
Morray stopped the music until first responders on staff at the event were able to help the injured person out of the crowd. This moment illustrates how more artists are working to create a safer concert environment after 10 people were killed at Travis Scott's Astroworld concert in November.
Even organizers estimate that at least 10,000 people were at Dix Park on Saturday afternoon and expected 35,000 by the end of the day.
Arrest at Dreamville on Saturday night
One person was arrested during the festival following a fight that broke out. Officials did not say when the person was arrested, but first responders were seen rushing into the crowd on Saturday afternoon during J.I.D.'s performance.
In an unrelated incident, a woman reported being sexually assaulted on the Dix Campus of NC State by a man she met at Dreamville.
She described the man as being 6'1" tall, weighing 140 lbs. He was slender, with close-cropped hair. She said he was wearing a blue hoodie, black pants and a yellow traffic vest with reflective stripes. He was last seen running back towards the direction of the festival inside Dix Park.
He has not been identified, and he is presumed still on the loose. Campus police urge attendees to call them if they see anything suspicious, or if they feel unsafe and need an escort to their vehicle. They can be reached at 919-515-3000.
Long lines across the park
While guests had no problem getting in the park, there were long lines everywhere else. Throughout Dix Park there were plenty of perfectly Instagramable sets for photos, however, each set had a line of around 50 people waiting.
The line to get pre-sale merchandise stretched all the way across one hill of Dix Park. People in line said they had been waiting for an hour and a half to get merch they had already bought online.
"They said it was supposed to be easier," one customer said.
There was no line to buy merchandise at the event, only one for presale items.
The city has spent all week preparing the park for dozens of big-name artists and their fans.
Dreamville Festival organizers know the event will be competing with Saturday's Final Four game, so the UNC-Duke game was being livestreamed on site next to the D.J. stage.
The weather is perfect with temperatures in the 60s and 70s with low humidity.
Lineup: Artists to see on Sunday, April 3
Sunday brings out huge names like J. Cole, T-Pain and Ari Lennox.
The Rise Stage will feature artists like Omen, Wale, Wiz Khalifa and DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz: Lil Wayne + Jeezy + T.I.
The Shine Stage will host Kyle Banks, Cozz, Rico Nasty and Bas. T-Pain takes the stage by 5:45 p.m., passes off to Ari Lennox at 7:30 p.m., and J. Cole closes out the night starting at 9:40 p.m.
Click here for the full set list, locations and times.
Where to park on Sunday
There will be some parking close to Dreamville Festival at North Carolina State University's Centennial Campus, which is across the street from Dorothea Dix Park. Event organizers said those parking spots will be limited and are expected to fill up quickly. In order to park at one of those spots, attendees must purchase a $30 one-day pass. Overnight parking at NC State's campus is not permitted, and event organizers said cars left overnight will be towed.
But there are other ways to get to the music festival. Event organizers said the downtown shuttle is "110% the best move for you to get back and forth from the festival."
The shuttle will pick attendees up from Moore Square at 200 S. Blount Street in downtown Raleigh and will take attendees to the west entrance of Dreamville Festival, which is closer than walking from the festival's limited parking at N.C. State. The downtown shuttle pass is $20 and covers trips for both days of the festival. The shuttle will run non-stop from 10:30 a.m. until 1 a.m.