Where to stay for Newport Folk and Jazz

• Newport Folk Festival: Friday July 23 – Sunday July 25, 2027, at Fort Adams State Park.
• Newport Jazz Festival: Friday July 30 – Sunday August 1, 2027, at Fort Adams State Park.

Lineups come later. Check the Newport Festivals Foundation for updates.

Folk tickets go on sale well before any artist is announced, and every 2026 ticket sold out. Join the email list at newportfolk.org so you hear the on-sale date the moment it is posted. Jazz usually sells more slowly but popular days still go; watch newportjazz.org.

Tickets are mobile only, through DICE. Multi-day passes can be transferred whole, but not split into single days.

The only safe resale is the festival's own fan-to-fan waitlist on DICE, sold at face value; the festival makes nothing from it. Join the waitlist for the exact pass you want. The festival warns that listings on other resale sites are often speculative tickets the seller doesn't own, and there are no PDF tickets, so skip anyone offering one.

Fort Adams sits on a peninsula with one road in, and festival traffic backs up. The easy way is to leave your car parked at 61 Church, walk five minutes down to the harbor and ride the water taxi or ferry across. The festival also runs shuttles; check its site for this year's routes. There is no re-entry once you leave the grounds.

Every year a flotilla anchors off the fort's seawall to hear the music from the water. You don't need a festival ticket to sit on a boat in the harbor, because you never enter the grounds. You will hear the sets clearly but won't see much of the stage, and you can't come ashore at the fort without a ticket.

Private charters book up early for festival weekends. Island Style Parasail runs Folk Fest charters for up to 12 people from 9 Bowen's Wharf, a short walk from the house; the Bowen's Wharf guide lists other boat operators worth calling. Arrive early, anchor downwind of the stage, and follow the harbormaster's directions.

• Bring layers: the wind off the bay is cooler than the forecast suggests.
• Pack sunscreen and a low beach chair (under 30 inches near the stage); the lawn has little shade.
• Festival weekends book early and may have a longer minimum stay. See rates and policies or check dates.
• Evenings, walk back up to Thames Street and Bowen's Wharf for dinner.