Dreamville Festival successor still lacks 2026 dates

Catch up quick: North Carolina-born rapper J. Cole launched the festival in 2018 under the banner of his Dreamville record label.

• It became massively popular, with annual performances by J. Cole paired with sets by internationally celebrated artists like Drake, 21 Savage, Usher and Burna Boy.
• Weather has occasionally interfered, and so did the pandemic, but Dix Park has hosted five Dreamville festivals. Organizers said festival-goers spent $122 million in Wake County in 2023.
• Cole said he was stepping back after 2025, but Live Nation promoters said they'd struck a deal to keep Dreamville Festival alive.

Yes, but: There's been no news since. The festival is also expected to be rebranded under a different name, but that hasn't been revealed yet either.

What they're saying: Representatives for the festival haven't responded to repeated inquiries.

• A city spokesperson tells Axios that given the first week of April is also Easter, staff "are discussing other dates with organizers, but don't have a firm date yet."

Between the lines: Festival planning is complex and takes months of work.

• The festival is typically held at the start of April, and in previous years, tickets would have gone on sale months ago.

The latest: J. Cole's focus has been on his music. He dropped a new album at midnight — "The Fall-Off" — which he says he made intending it to be his last.

• The Fayetteville native is notoriously private. He lived in Raleigh in the past, but it's unclear if he still does.
• We asked to speak with him about life in North Carolina, but he didn't respond.

The bottom line: It's unclear when — and if — a reimagined Dreamville Festival will return to Raleigh in 2026.