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'This is life-changing for me': Vendors, artists enjoying exposure from Dreamville

It's estimated that more than 50,000 people watched artists hit the stage Saturday.

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By
Destinee Patterson
, WRAL multimedia journalist; Monica Casey, WRAL Durham reporter, Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter
RALEIGH, N.C. — Sunday has been another jam-packed day at the Dreamville Festival in Raleigh. The weather was clear all day, meaning no delays in the entertainment.

And it's not just the music of the festival worth a celebration, vendors at the event are getting a much-needed boost.

Sunday was a stark contrast from Saturday, which was delayed by severe weather in the area

The vendors, most of whom are locally based, are cashing in, including Kyler Evans, a chef and the founder of Vybez Kitchen, and artist on hand were thrilled to have them on display.

"It feels great because I've been working hard for almost three years straight," Evans, a Greensboro native, said. "I started in college and now I'm 23. It feels great to be 23 doing great things."

Festival starting nearing it's close Sunday night

Evans said he and his team took roughly a month to come together with a plan for how to feed patrons at the festival.

"Took me about a week to prep 4400 egg rolls," Evans said. "We had about 650 orders of chicken tenders, 650 orders of jerk chicken wings."

Evans is grateful not just for people enjoying Vybez's signature jerk chicken egg rolls, but for the notoriety the festival will bring to his restaurant.

"Exposure to 50,000 people is huge exposure for small businesses," Evans said. "This is life-changing for me."

Artists have also been enjoying the festival's exposure, as artists had eye-catching displays set up around the festival grounds.

A water tower decorated with neon lights and flowers

One artist at Bloom and Plume, Maurice Harris, created one sculpture entirely of flowers.

"Hours of work, structure takes a long time," Harris said. "Each flower is individually placed.

The sculpture, made by artist Maurice Harris, was constructed entirely from flowers.

Raffi Lehrer, an environmental design director, said each piece is meant to grab the eyes of fans.

"We created several environmental bars, pieces that are functioning and photo ops, aesthetic pieces that work to create a vibe," Lehrer explained.

Pieces, along with music, that made fans feel they were truly in a dream at Dix Park this weekend.

Dreamville draws huge crowds on Saturday, despite delays

Due to weather, a 3-hour delay start and musical lineup change did not affect the spirits of music lovers who attended day one of the Dreamville Festival on Saturday night in Raleigh.

It's estimated that more than 50,000 people watched artists hit the stage Saturday. This included Ari Lennox, Toosii, City Girls, Earthgang as well as Usher, who closed the night out.

Festival goers like Baron Edwards, who took an 8-hour trip to Raleigh, said this was one of his best days.

"I could not pick a better place to spend my 28th birthday," said Edwards. "It's a beautiful day out here! Beautiful energy, beautiful people; it's perfect out here, and I love it!"

Despite the delays, most fans didn't let the weather dampen their spirits.

Fans waiting in line at Dreamville on Saturday at Dix Park.

"I'm glad that it's really not hot and not humid," said Jordana Bass, Dreamville fan. "I'm just worried about my shoes. I think that everything will be fine. It's going to be fun and set the vibe off."

Bass and other Dreamville fans traveled from Nebraska. They said they prepared for obstacles such as the weather and packed extra shoes.

"We booked our tickets about a month ago or so," said Bass. "We're definitely not going to let the weather stop us from enjoying the day."

Dreamville Festival opening day

The severe weather warning early Saturday morning affected those attending the festival and shuffled the music lineup.

Usher took to the stage at 9:50 p.m. and performer, Key Glock, did not attend due to his flight being delayed because of weather. Rapper Toosii took Key Glock's place.

Gates opened at 3 p.m. instead of noon.

WRAL News is keeping an eye on Dreamville's updated artist line-up schedule. All updated information about Dreamville can be found here.

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."

Sunday evening forecast for Dreamville Festival

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."

Dreamville Festival opening day
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 opened at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Ticketholders should keep an eye on the festival’s social media pages for any weather-related updates.
Dreamville Festival opening day

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.

Dreamville Festival opening day

"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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