Newport Folk Festival
Hop into your RV and visit the Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island where you can listen to some of the greatest artists in the world of folk music.
Event information
The Newport Folk Festival returns to Fort Adams State Park July 25-27, 2025, celebrating its 66th year as America's premier folk music destination. This historic three-day event features multiple stages overlooking Newport Harbor, legendary surprise collaborations, and a no re-entry policy requiring all-day commitment. Founded in 1959 and famous for Bob Dylan's controversial electric performance in 1965, the festival offers no on-site camping but provides ferry access from downtown Newport. For festival-goers seeking comfortable accommodations, the greater Newport area offers excellent RV camping options within 15-30 minutes of Fort Adams, allowing you to enjoy private amenities, kitchen facilities, and peaceful rest between festival days while avoiding expensive hotel rates.
What is the Newport Folk Festival?
The Newport Folk Festival is America's most storied folk music gathering, transforming Fort Adams State Park into a musical pilgrimage site each summer since 1959. Founded by jazz impresario George Wein alongside folk legends Pete Seeger and Albert Grossman, the festival has become synonymous with musical discovery, artistic collaboration, and cultural significance.
The festival features five distinct stages spread across the 14-acre peninsula: the iconic Fort Stage with panoramic harbor views, the intimate Harbor Stage, the Quad Stage, the Foundation Stage, and the Museum Stage. What sets Newport apart is its tradition of unannounced collaborations and surprise guests—artists frequently join each other on stage for once-in-a-lifetime performances that become festival folklore.
The event gained legendary status in 1965 when Bob Dylan shocked purists by performing with electric instruments, marking a pivotal moment in music history. Today, Newport continues championing both traditional folk and genre-blending artists, from Joni Mitchell's triumphant return in 2022 to contemporary stars like Brandi Carlile and Hozier.
For RV travelers planning their festival adventure, discover Newport RV rentals perfect for your musical pilgrimage, or explore our selection of Providence RV rentals offering easy access to the festival grounds.
When and Where is the Newport Folk Festival Held?
- Dates: July 25-27, 2025 (Friday-Sunday)
- Location: Fort Adams State Park, 90 Fort Adams Drive, Newport, RI 02840
- Hours: Gates typically open at 11:00 am, music begins around noon, and final performances end by 7:00 pm
- Attendance: Limited capacity, typically sells out within minutes of going on sale
- Weather Policy: Rain or shine event
Fort Adams sits at the mouth of Newport Harbor, offering stunning water views and cool ocean breezes. The historic fort provides a unique backdrop, with centuries-old stone fortifications creating natural amphitheaters for intimate performances.
Tickets
How Much Does the Newport Folk Festival Cost?
The pricing varies each year. Historical pricing has ranged from $85-$120 for single-day passes to $200-$280 for three-day passes, with VIP options available at higher price points.
All tickets are digital-only through the DICE platform and must be accessed via smartphone—no PDFs, screenshots, or paper tickets accepted. The festival typically announces ticket sales dates through its newsletter and social media, with passes selling out extremely quickly due to limited capacity.
Check the Newport Folk Festival website for the latest pricing announcements and join their waitlist for fan-to-fan ticket exchanges.
How Do I Rent an RV Near Newport for the Festival?
The Newport area serves as an excellent base for RV rentals, offering everything from compact camper vans ideal for couples to spacious family-friendly options. Rhode Island's manageable size means you're never more than 30 minutes from the festival grounds, regardless of where you camp.
Many festival-goers choose Airstream rentals for their iconic style and modern amenities, while others prefer Sprinter van rentals for easy navigation of Newport's historic streets. Most hosts offer delivery services to area campgrounds, particularly helpful for out-of-state visitors flying into T.F. Green Airport in Providence.
Book early for summer dates, as July represents peak season for New England RV travel, with ocean breezes and perfect weather driving high demand.
Explore Newport Folk Festival RV Rentals
Transportation
Driving
Fort Adams State Park is easily accessible via Route 1A South from downtown Newport. From I-95, take Exit 3A toward Route 138 East/Newport, then follow signs to downtown Newport and Fort Adams. The park entrance is clearly marked on Harrison Avenue.
Parking areas
Limited paid parking is available at Fort Adams on a first-come basis. RV parking is not permitted on festival grounds. Most festival-goers utilize the complimentary shuttle service from downtown Newport or take water ferries from various Newport Harbor locations.
Public Transportation
Ferry Access
Multiple water taxi and ferry services operate between downtown Newport, Jamestown, and Fort Adams during festival weekends. This scenic approach offers harbor views and eliminates parking concerns. Ferry schedules typically expand during festival weekends to accommodate increased demand.
Where to stay
Onsite
Unfortunately, there are no camping options on the festival grounds. However, you camp just across the Narragansett Bay to the west at several state park locations or possibly to the east, all within about an hour’s drive.
Nearby
Rhode Island's compact geography works in your favor—numerous excellent RV parks sit within easy reach of the Newport Folk Festival, each offering distinct advantages for festival-goers.
Premier RV Accommodations Near Newport:
Meadowlark Campground in nearby Middletown provides the closest full-service camping to Fort Adams, just 10 minutes from the festival grounds. This family-friendly park offers water, sewer, and electrical hookups with laundry facilities and spacious grassy sites perfect for relaxing between festival days.
Wawaloam Campground features Hydro-Fury waterslides and splash park amenities, making it ideal for families attending the festival. Located centrally between Providence and Newport, the campground offers cement RV pads, full hookups, and recreational facilities.
Worden Pond Family Campground provides a more secluded option along Worden Pond in southern Rhode Island, offering wooded campsites and fishing opportunities for those seeking peaceful evenings after energetic festival days.
For state park camping, Charlestown Breachway combines ocean access with RV accommodations, while Burlingame State Park offers a forest setting with lake access, both within 45 minutes of Newport.
Getting around
Make sure to plan your entry into the festival beforehand, and take one last look on their website to ensure you know what is prohibited and what is allowed within the festival grounds. No rollers, scooters, or skateboards are allowed, so be prepared to get around on foot. If you are bringing a baby or a toddler with you, remember that reasonably sized strollers are permitted.
Although bikes are not allowed within the festival grounds, the Newport Folk Festival, being eco-friendly, organizes free parking spots for bicycles and encourages people to travel by bike.
What to pack
Clothing
Pack light, summer clothes that will make you feel comfortable throughout all the performances. Nevertheless, rain is not unheard of during this time of year, and keep in mind that your RV will not be on the festival grounds and you cannot re-enter once you leave for that day. So dress practically. Bring a spare hoodie or a light jacket as you head to the festival, just in case.
Gear
Other than the ticket and your ID, all you need to bring to a music festival are good vibes. You can bring a bag but make sure its size meets the rules of the festival. You can also bring a stroller for your youngest ones and a chair for yourself, as long as they are of a reasonable size.
If you wish to take a minute and relax on the grass, you can bring an individual blanket. Cameras without any audio recording are permitted as well as hand-held umbrellas, as long as they do not interfere with other guests’ enjoyment of the festival. Small coolers are permitted but will be searched upon entry.
Health & Safety
The Newport Folk Festival does not allow its visitors to re-enter once they leave for the day. All visitors and bags will be searched upon entry, so make sure to check the prohibited items list on the festival’s website. If you or anyone from your group is not feeling well, you can head over to the medical tent which is located behind the Harbor Stage. Also, there is a special breastfeeding area with an outlet for electric pumps.
Where to eat
Cooking
Fill your RV kitchen with each person’s favorite meals and be the favorite campsite chef on your trip. Bring your grill, propane stove, and campfire sticks if your campground allows outdoor cooking. While at the festival, you can take a bite and sate your appetite by trying out meals from the festival food vendors or bring a few prepared items in a small cooler.
Restaurants
Within a 15-minute drive from Fort Adams, you can find wonderful restaurants that serve Italian, French, or local cuisine. But, remember that you are limited to one entry on the festival grounds per day. So, unless you are completely sure you want to leave the show for the day, try some of the food from the vendors inside the festival grounds.
Vendors
The Newport Folk Festival looks after its guests by providing the best possible food and beverage vendors to make sure you don’t have to leave the festival for food. To all the visitors who are 21 years of age and over, the organizers offer an ID wristband for entrance to two beer & wine gardens. These wristbands allow visitors to purchase tokens that can be exchanged for beer, wine, and hard cider. The guests are reminded to drink reasonably.
Safety
Security
Every guest, personal bag, and personal item will be thoroughly searched upon entry, so double-check the list of prohibited items. If you bring a bag that is larger than the allowed dimensions, officials will not allow you to bring it inside. Also, make sure that you don’t have with you any kind of illegal substances, firearms, laser pointers, knives, or anything that could be used as a weapon.
Any guest behaving in such a manner that interferes with the experience of other visitors will be asked to leave the festival. No harassment of any kind is allowed. Before heading over to the festival, make sure you have properly locked and secured your RV so you can relax on the festival without any worries.
Weather
When packing your clothes or deciding what to wear, consider the typical weather for the East Coast in July. Warm temperatures may grace your day, but sudden rain is not that uncommon. So, in addition to sunscreen, shades, lightweight clothing, and comfortable shoes, you may want to have a light rain jacket just in case. The Newport Folk Festival will take place rain or shine; dress accordingly.
Medical
It is always simplest to bring basic medicines with you to keep in your RV. If you need medical assistance while you are at the festival, there is a medic tent ready to provide you with all the help necessary. As a part of the medic tent, there is a breastfeeding area for women in need of a quiet, private space, as well as an outlet for electric breast pumps.
