J. Cole has been forced to cancel his inaugural Dreamville Festival in Raleigh, North Carolina due to the impending arrival of Hurricane Florence in the region.
“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 a statement Monday.
“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.”
J. Cole was booked to headline the September 15th fest, with Big Sean, SZA, Young Thug and Nelly among the artists on the lineup.
“Mannn. Due to this Hurricane heading to NC, we have to cancel Dreamville Festival,” the rapper tweeted. “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.”
On Monday, the National Hurricane Center upgraded Hurricane Florence to a Category 4 with 140 mph winds. The storm, which is currently gaining strength in the Atlantic Ocean, could reach Category 5 status when it makes landfall on Thursday morning, the Weather Channel reports.
We were looking forward to sharing this moment with you. Be safe everyone. ❤️
more information can be found at https://t.co/rV4zQL6onI pic.twitter.com/cr5TmBfnem
— Dreamville Fest (@Dreamvillefest) September 10, 2018