Newport Folk Festival (Newport, RI; July 22–24, 2016)
The historic and socially conscious Newport Folk Festival dates back to 1959. This granddaddy of summer festivals might be best known for its 1965 fest when headliner Bob Dylan “went electric” by playing with a backing band that included an electric guitarist. Six years later, the festival went under because of waning interest in folk, only to be resuscitated in 1985. The Newport Folk Festival has been held at Fort Adams State Park every summer since. Recent festival lineups have included everyone from iconic folk legends like Joan Baez, Pete Seeger, and Arlo Guthrie, to contemporary folk-inspired artists like Fleet Foxes and Jeff Tweedy.
If you go:
Newport, RI is 1.5 hours from Boston and 3.5 hours from New York. Because this is an especially socially conscious festival, the organizers have gone out of their way to make rideshares available. (Check the website for more details on this closer to the event.) There’s also a water shuttle that transports folks to and from downtown Newport.
There is no camping at the state park, but there are multiple campgrounds within a 20-minute drive. You can’t BYOB, but there are plenty of fine adult beverages that can be purchased on site with tokens. Since this is a daytime only event, bring a hat and sunscreen.
2016 Must See Acts:
Flight of the Conchords, Norah Jones, Edward Sharpes and the Magnetic Zeros, Ray LaMontagne, Graham Nash, Middle Brother, and much, much more.