J. Cole cancels Dreamville Festival due to Hurricane Florence
The rapper’s inaugural fest was expecting 30,000 attendees.
J. Cole and his team have been faced with a difficult decision regarding their highly anticipated inaugural Dreamville Festival, originally set to take place this weekend (Sept. 15) in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Unfortunately, Mother Nature has alternative plans in mind, with the impending threat of Hurricane Florence, according to The Weather Channel, forcing Cole and the festival organizers to cancel the date for safety reasons.
“Due to safety concerns regarding dangerous weather, we are extremely saddened to announce today that the inaugural Dreamville Festival 2018 is being cancelled,” organizers said in an official statement to Variety, confirming the unfortunate news. “Our team has been working tirelessly with officials from the City of Raleigh, along with our State and Federal Partners, among others, to monitor the potential negative impact of Hurricane Florence. With the current weather-related information at hand, we have together decided to cancel this year’s event for the ultimate safety of both the local citizens and festival attendees.”
According to the National Hurricane Center, the hurricane has been upgraded to a Category 4, and could very well reach Category 5 status by the time it makes landfall this Thursday. Residents in North Carolina and Virginia are being advised to evacuate the area, with some counties issuing a mandatory evacuation as a precaution, according to ABC.
J. Cole, who had a direct hand in organizing the festival, also took to Twitter to share his disappointment in having to cancel, adding, “We’re working to get another date, but right now safety is most important. I appreciate everybody that was headed to rock with us. 30,000 + were expected. All tickets will be refunded. Bsafe”
The line-up for the one-day affair included the label’s signees, such as Bas, Ari Lennox, EarthGang, Cozz and Cole himself, as well as acts including Nelly, Rich the Kid, SZA and Big Sean, among others.
While this weekend marks an unfortunate change of plans, J. Cole and his team are working to get a rescheduled date in the books as soon as possible.