40,000 people and very narrow roads within Dix Park seems dangerous to me…
1 Like
My guess is that with the number of people moving around in the area, they probably don’t want cars in the mix.
1 Like
Throw in all the rain today and 30-40k people trudging all over those fields and it has the potential to be a mess tomorrow. Not that it’s going to ruin the fun for many people. 
This makes me think about how far people are willing to walk to events. We see a lot of this out at PNC Arena and Carter-Finley so let’s map it. Google’s routes aren’t as straight as they could be though.
The furthest tailgate spots, about a mile to carter-finley. I think some walk from the old Kmart which is 1.5 miles. I think Cardinal Gibbons provides parking to carter-finley which also means a mile walk.
Park DT + 1.5 mile walk
Park in Centennial Campus + 1 mile walk
With some good coordination and over time I’d like to think that Centennial and downtown could easily accommodate lots of cars on the weekends for large events at Dix. Right now, it’s just new to the Raleigh culture. Games at Carter-Finley, the arena, people KNOW what to do right now. Plus, lots of people have parking “hidden spots” which means they know what to do.
We’ll of course get better at this over time.
6 Likes
These are good points. I walk ~1.2 miles to various points at Dix pretty frequently, and it’s not a problem. But I’m familiar with the area, know what to expect, and know the best routes.
There will be shuttles available (for an extra cost) from both Centennial parking areas and points near downtown decks. This should help. I don’t expect there will be be hordes of people walking from downtown, or will there?
I’ve heard that a lot of out of town/state people purchased tickets, so I’m curious how this will affect how people choose to get to the event. For example, I’m sure some locals will park in neighborhoods because they know street parking exists there.
I also wonder if people in surrounding neighborhoods, such as Fuller Heights, will turn their yards into pay lots. Could make some extra cash that way!
I actually think its better if you have out-of-state people coming to this. They may likely be staying in a hotel and are more willing to get a lyft. I’d also think they would be up for walking also.
At the same time, a lyft can still get stuck and contributes to traffic. 
3 Likes
This sounds like an interesting psych/transit research topic! If people are coming from places that have bike share, scooters, etc., will they be more likely to seek out those options in an unfamiliar city or resort to ride share? I guess awareness of the options is critical.
1 Like
10,000 seems like enough parking to me. I’ve never been to a festival without a car full of people and sometimes someone in the trunk (suv). Others will walk or uber from their hotels.
1 Like
Since this is happening basically in my back yard and it’s Dix’s first go at a big festival I did what any sensible person would do… left town for the weekend and landed right in the middle of the Wilmington Azalea Festival:upside_down_face:
I’m hoping Dreamville goes smoothly and my house is there when we get back but I didn’t want to be in town for the Beta testing.
2 Likes
See…this is WHAT I Have been screaming my Ass off about having quality Transit Options for the City especially for Events like this. ( Dreamville festival ) that is going to take place 4/6/2019 at Dix Park. Paved sidewalks, Parking…additional buses with frequent and longer hours of service to transport these people to get them to the events. I hope that this shows city leaders to Push forward plans or any plans to improve sidewalks throughout Raleigh let alone DTR.
2 Likes
@dtraleigh
Is it possible to do some sort of followup with this event? I mean specifically in regards to the transportation issue and the DDP? I know that YOU know people! Lol…Please and thank you! 
1 Like
I’m certainly intrigued just to see the festival from afar. No, I’m not planning to go. But I’m thinking that if we don’t hear any news about the festival then things went off ok. If we get reports of massive traffic and nightmares, then everyone is going to hear about it. 
4 Likes
I’ll fly my drones overhead and provide live feeds so you can all watch from afar.
.
.
.
kidding
2 Likes
That would be soooooooo cool 
Please please please do it!
I will pay your fines and get you out of prison! 
2 Likes
I got an idea, let’s blame all of the “car haters” in downtown for any potential problem that might arise from trying to get 40,000 people into Dix Park.
3 Likes
Residents of Centennial, Carolina Pines area, and even Renaissance Park were complaining last night on Nextdoor about hearing loud music from festival setup at Dix. People were making it seem like it was super loud. I live much closer to the north, but never heard anything.
Acoustics are a funny thing.
Editing to add one more comment about getting to the festival: there is no mention anywhere of bus service as a transportation option. Two buses serve Dix at Western. This is a real problem.
2 Likes
People complain about everything. I could hear sound check from my house but it’s no different than fireworks on holidays, or planes flying overhead.
6 Likes
The music started now and it actually sounds super fun
6 Likes
Dreamville looks to be a huge success.
Sidenote: I think the amount of non-locals in Downtown today might have been due to Dreamville Festival as well.
8 Likes
I agree. I’m really surprised that I can’t hear the music from my house. Also, it seems that Lenoir St was the farthest into my part of the neighborhood people were willing to park. Hardly anyone parked on Cabarrus, which is really surprising.
I sat outside of Treat for awhile this evening and saw the parking shuttles going by very frequently. If I didn’t know there was a festival going on, it would’ve just seemed like a slightly busier evening in downtown with more foot traffic than usual in my neighborhood.