This summer, Newport Folk and Newport Jazz will return to Fort Adams State Park in Newport, Rhode Island, marking the return of America’s first festivals. Though Newport Folk and Newport Jazz won’t look exactly the same, we are thrilled to be bringing music and artists back to the Fort. Due to COVID-19 capacity modifications, Newport Folk will be extending its dates to present two unique 3-day events of surprise performances, storytelling, and workshops. The events will take place July 23rd through July 25th and July 26th through July 28th. Newport Jazz will also be modified to create three intimate days of amazing Jazz performances and surprises from July 30th to August 1st. Due to modified capacities, we will be releasing access to this summer’s events in phases. Be aware that we have not gone on sale with any tickets, so please do not purchase from any site posting them for sale. We will be communicating with our members in the coming weeks to share more details about how they can join us this summer and will be announcing ticketing options for non-members soon after that. Our goal is to keep our ecosystem going until we can gather our entire communities next summer!
We are working hand in hand with state and local government and various health officials to ensure that what we present will set a benchmark for safety and transparency through our protocols and communication. We will be sharing more details on what to expect to members and fans very soon.
The impact of last year’s festival cancellations has been felt deeply throughout the community as Newport Festivals Foundation relies on the revenue it makes each year at the festivals in order to carry out its work. Thanks to the support of the Newport Folk and Jazz fans and donors, NFF has been able to continue to support music programs in our own backyard of Newport, Rhode Island and all across America. Since 2018, the Artist Gives initiative has provided over 100 grants to music education programs in over 30 states, including instruments for public schools, funding for music instruction workshops for Veterans, Girls Rock Summer camps, after school music lessons for children with learning disabilities, and more.
In addition to its year round work and in response to the pandemic, the foundation established the Newport Festivals Musician Relief Fund (MRF) to provide financial relief to musicians in our Folk & Jazz communities experiencing a loss of income as a result of COVID-19. Resources from NFF and donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations have allowed the MRF to help over 460 musicians over the last year. To learn more about NFF’s programs and work, visit newportfestivals.org.
