26+ Festivals & Events Happening This Month In + Around Newport

July by the sea. Name something better.

COVID-19 NOTE:

When you're ready, we can't wait to welcome you back to The Classic Coast. Rest assured, the safety and well-being of both visitors and locals remains our top priority. The mask mandate requiring face coverings in Rhode Island has been lifted, however local businesses may ask you to wear a mask when visiting their establishments. Please be prepared for individual business mask policies. Additionally, shops, attractions and tours are monitoring the number of guests at any given time and may ask you to socially distance to enter.

All we ask when you land on these shores is that you play your part in keeping everyone safe. Please be kind, adhere to guidelines and maintain social distancing.

1 Annual Bristol Fourth of July Parade

When: July 4, 10:30 AM
Where: Begins at the corner of Chestnut Street and Hope Street
Admission: Free

The oldest continuous Fourth of July celebration in the country, the Bristol Fourth of July Parade begins at the corner of Chestnut Street and Hope Street (Rt. 114) and ends on High Street, between State Street and Bradford Streets.

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2 Newport Independence Day Celebration

When: July 4, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Where: Washington Square
Admission: Free

10:00 AM: The Old Colony House will be open for public inspection and tours hosted by the Newport Historical Society.
11:00 AM: The annual reading of the Declaration of Independence will take place on the steps of the Old Colony House recreating the original reading by Major John Handy in 1776 and again 50 years later in 1876.

3 Newport Music Festival

When: July 4 - 20
Where: Various venues throughout Newport— Details
Admission: Admission prices vary for each concert— Details

The Newport Music Festival (NMF) will take place from July 4-20 and will present more than 40 concerts and events in the outdoor spaces of some of the area's most iconic venues, including The Breakers, Rough Point, Bellevue House Castle Hill Inn and more.

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4 Bites at Brenton Food Trucks on the Point

When: July 7, 5:00 - 8:00 PM
Where: Brenton Point State Park
Admission: Free

Eat from some of the best food trucks Rhode Island has to offer. Maybe even eat at multiple trucks. Food trucks accept cash, credit, or debit. Select from a dozen or more food trucks.

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5 Hall of Fame Open

When: July 11 - 18
Where: The International Tennis Hall of Fame
Admission: Details

A longstanding tradition of welcoming the top ATP Tour pros to Newport to compete in the Hall of Fame Open, the first stop of the summer swing for pro tennis in the United States, resumes this summer. Contested on the historic grass tennis courts of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which have hosted all the legends of the sport since 1880, the tournament is the only event played on grass courts outside of Europe, and it offers the only opportunity to see professional men's tennis in the Northeast prior to the US Open.

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6 Newport Folk Festival

When: July 23 - 28
Where: Fort Adams State Park

The Newport Folk Festival, founded by George Wein in 1959, takes place on the grounds at Fort Adams State Park and features four stages of world class musicians, food, vendors and a number of exhibits. Fort Adams is located at 90 Fort Adams Drive, Newport, RI. One of the park system’s national treasures, Fort Adams is situated at the mouth of Newport Harbor with panoramic views of the Newport Bridge and the East Passage. The festival runs rain or shine.

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7 Newport Jazz Festival

When: July 30 - August 1
Where: Fort Adams State Park

The festival features three full days of jazz on four unique stages on the grounds at Fort Adams State Park situated at the mouth of Newport Harbor with panoramic views of the Newport Bridge and the East Passage The festival features four stages of world class musicians, food, and crafts and a number of exhibits.

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8 Tea and Scones at Blithewold Mansion

When: July 8
Where: Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum
Admission: $25

Get outside with some friends on one of Blithewold’s porches for a cup of hot tea or iced tea, and freshly baked scones with clotted cream. Catch-up while enjoying a beautiful view of the Bay and Blithewold’s gardens.

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9 newportFILM Outdoors—Misha and The Wolves

When: July 8
Where: The Elms
Admission: $5 suggest donation

Misha and the Wolves is the dramatic tale of a woman whose holocaust memoir took the world by storm, but a fallout with her publisher – who turned detective – revealed an audacious deception created to hide a darker truth.

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10 Sounds From The Big Chair

When: Thursdays through July
Where: Redwood Library & Athenæum
Admission: Free

Redwood Library is launching a Summer Concert Series, which will feature local musicians in a variety of genres performing on the 19' Windsor rocking chair. All the events are free and open to the public. The Redwood is grateful to the Jarzombek Family: Mark Jarzombek and Michelle Drum for sponsoring these special evenings

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11 Newport Secret Garden Tour

When: July 9 - 11
Admission: $20 in advance, $25 day of tour

Join the Benefactors of the Arts for the July 2021 Secret Garden Tour "Summer Tour - A New View". Take a self-guided walking tour through Newport, RI’s historic Point section July 9-11. Gardens that have been perennial favorites on the tour will look very different to past visitors with spectacular seasonal flora in bloom including a huge variety of hydrangeas and day lilies.

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12 Summer Stories at Whitehorne House

When: Weekly on Firidays
Where: Whitehorne House Museum
Admission: Free

This free program recommended for kids aged Pre-K to 1st grade takes place in our beautiful pocket garden at the Whitehorne House Museum. Listen to storybook readings in the garden and put together a themed craft to take home. Outdoor ground seating provided.