Every summer since 1959, people have been flocking to a little speck of land off of the coast of Newport, RI to attend the weekend-long Newport Folk Festival. The festival hosts a variety of artists and genres ranging from folk, blues, bluegrass, folk rock, and in recent years has incorporated more contemporary genres like indie folk and alternative rock. It is one of the oldest music festivals in the country.
This year marked my fifth consecutive summer attending the festival and the spirit and character of the event was as authentic and memorable as ever. Legends like Bob Dylan and Janice Joplin graced the same stage 50 years ago, Dylan being the first musician to bring his electric guitar on stage in 1965. Dylan left a permanent impact on the festival, sending a ripple of electricity through the audience of an event that was only familiar with the acoustic feel of folk and blues. This year the festival celebrated the 50th year anniversary of Dylan’s famous performance when he “went electric,” and forever changed the course of his career and the festival.
Besides the incredible music and history that this festival offers, there are countless other attributes that make it completely worthwhile. Here are eight reasons the Newport Folk Festival is the “best fest” of the summer.
1. The Venue
Since 1959, the Newport Folk Festival has been hosted at Fort Adams State Park, a little sliver of land in the Newport Harbor. The fort was first built in 1799 and was an active fort in five major wars, starting with the War of 1812 through World War II, but never firing any shots. Now, the fort is a state park, a popular tourist attraction, and home to annual music outings such as the Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festivals. The fort is large enough to allow three stages to be simultaneously playing music in different corners of the venue. Many of the musicians who perform at the Folk Fest are getting paid far less than many other more popular festivals would offer, but they love performing at this festival because of the idyllic venue, with its beautiful harbor and large white sailboats offering a breathtaking view from the main stage.
2. The Music
Since first attending the festival in 2010, I have seen the Avett Brothers, the Lumineers, Old Crow Medicine Show, Band of Horses, Jenny Lewis, Leon Bridges, Tallest Man on Earth, My Morning Jacket, and Roger Waters (just to name a few of my favorites). The smaller size of the festival creates an atmosphere for the audience where you can hear the music and feel it pound in your chest from any corner of the island. The festival is home to so many legends, and so many incredible performances that have not been forgotten. The line up never ceases to impress, with its perfect variety of genre and equal balance of smaller bands, and bigger well-known headliners.
3. The Food
Delicious food trucks and tents are placed all over the perimeter of the fort, offering any type of food you could ever be craving. Many of them come each year, so if you’re a frequent NPFF goer, you’ll start looking forward to seeing the same vendors. Some of my favorites are the Thai tent (which offers a great sesame chicken, pad thai, and fried rice dish for only eight bucks). There’s also an amazing grilled cheese truck, French gourmet truck, seafood tent (lobster rolls and oysters), middle eastern tent, and a tent for burgers, hotdogs, and fries. You might just fall in love with the food as much as the music.
4. The Drinks
The traditional and favorite Rhode Island Del’s Lemonade boasts several stands throughout the venue. If you haven’t tried Del’s yet, I don’t know what you’ve been doing. It’s this amazing fresh lemonade iced slushy type thing that is absolutely addicting. And, of course, if you’re looking for something a little stronger than lemonade, there is the beer garden and beer pier. You can buy your over 21 bracelet right when you get into the venue and use it at both the garden and the pier to try some of Rhode Island’s homemade delicious IPAs, and some of your other favorite brews.
5. The Ferry
Considering Fort Adams is basically in the middle of the water, getting there may deem a bit tricky. But, you’re in luck, there are ferries going from downtown Newport to the Fort every 10 minutes all day long. You can sit outside and enjoy the water, feeling the warm breeze and seeing all of the beautiful boats anchored in the harbor. But, if you don’t want to go on the ferry, you can bike or take a bus to the venue. There is a road that connects to the fort but traffic for the festival is usually impossible, so I suggest the ferry. It’s fun, it’s breezy, and it’s quick!
6. The Vendors
Besides the food vendors and beer garden, every year the festival hosts craft vendors located in tents all throughout the festival. There are art vendors, clothing vendors, people doing henna tattoos, people selling hats, wooden instruments, pillows, etc. The products are limitless, and the quality is authentic.
7. The Sponsors
Every year, the festival partners with amazing organizations and businesses that sponsor the event and artists while marketing their business as well. Some of the longest standing partners have been Alex and Ani, and NPR, which broadcasts a live stream of all the musical performances on their radio station for viewers to listen to. Other partners include Tune In, Lagunitas Brewing, Newport Storm Microbrewery, Martin&Co., Late July snacks, and Cantina. Many of these sponsors set up their tents in the festival offering free merchandise and interactive experiences. Squarespace is another large sponsor who got creative this year and offered a Squarespace Studios movie theater lounge located within the fort, which offered sneak peaks of a new historical documentary called "American Epic."
8. The Audience
The crowd at Newport Folk Festival is unique to the spirit and character that the music projects. It appeals to all ages. That may sound odd, considering the most popular music festivals you hear about these days are “Electric Daisy Carnival” and “Tomorrowland,” and other events that headline DJs who play electric dance music that usually only appeal to a younger crowd. But, this festival is different. It’s good music, with great guitarists, a good bass, and a good sound and can be enjoyed by anyone, and should be enjoyed by anyone. The people next to you in the mosh pit at this festival are singing every word to every song. It doesn’t matter if its raining (which it did this year) because you want to stay, and you need to wait for Roger Waters to come out and play “Wish You Were Here” with My Morning Jacket. Everyone wants to be there and everyone wants to listen to the music and feel it pulse through their bones. It’s magic.
Music festivals have been around for years. They’ve grown and expanded, entering new territory, and creating new trends and new cultures. Festival culture and the trends associated with it are born out of the music that surrounds each festival, and the type of people who listen to it. Each festival has its own unique culture that surrounds it, depending on where it is geographically located and which types of musicians they host. The culture that surrounds Newport’s festival is simple and pure. Locally crafted beers, kids running around with ice cream, beach towels spread out on the grass, speakers that leave your heart racing, genuine and excited people, and musical performances that will replay in your head for months to come. That is what this festival is about, and that’s why it is the "BEST FEST" of the summer!
