Come June our charming coastal enclave transforms into a heavenly paradise with these family-friendly events, outdoor festivals and joyous happenings simply adding to the month's magic.
1. NEWPORT INTERNATIONAL POLO SERIES RETURNS
When: Saturday, June 3, 5:00 PM
Where: Glen Farm, Portsmouth
Admission: General admission, $12
Details: Kick off the 26th season of the Newport International Polo series offering 17 action-packed matches every Saturday through September. Watch as all-star lineups of international competitors take the field. Experience a tailgate party for the optimal experience, or plant your seat in the lawn and relax. Just don’t forget to help stomp the divots.
2. NEWPORT GULLS OPENING DAY
When: Wednesday, June 7, 6:35 PM
Where: Cardine's Field
Admission: $5 adults; $2 children 13-17, military ID and seniors; $1 children 12 and under
Details: The Newport Gulls are a wooden-bat, summer collegiate baseball team based in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Gulls Baseball Club is a member of both the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the NECBL's East Division.
3. FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD TO THE 15TH ANNUAL SEASIDE GALA
When: Thursday, June 8, 5:30 - 9:30 PM
Where: Castle Hill Inn
Admission: $100
Details: The East Bay Community Action Program will host a lively cocktail hour beginning at 5:30 PM,followed by a sit down dinner, entertainment by the Mike Moran Band, and a silent auction featuring many exciting items including local and international travel packages. Proceeds benefit East Bay Community Action Program.
4. NEWPORT METREFEST
When: Friday, June 9 - Sunday, June 11
Where: Fort Adams State Park, Sail Newport Docks
Admission: Free
Details: Newport MetreFest is an exciting new regatta for International Rule sailing yachts including 2.4mR, 6mR, 8mR and 12mRs. Three days of racing, hosted by New York Yacht Club, with support from Ida Lewis Yacht Club and Sail Newport will be run in conjunction with NYYC’s Annual Regatta.
5. BRITISH MOTORCAR FESTIVAL
When: Thursday, June 8 - Sunday, June 11, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: Colt State Park
Admission: Adult Two-Day $15, Adult One Day $10, Children free, Parking $5 per car
Details: Indulge in the beauty of classic British motorcars from across New England and participate in special events including a scenic back roads rally, Friday night street party, British attire competition, tailgate competition, and more.
6. SVF ANNUAL VISITORS DAY
When: Saturday, June 10, 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Where: SVF Grounds at 152 Harrison Avenue, Newport
Admission: Free
Details: One day each year, the Swiss Village Farm opens its gates and welcomes visitors to their expansive 35-acre property, which houses rare and endangered breeds of food and fiber livestock. Visitors for the day have the opportunity to learn more about the foundation's efforts to preserve endangered breeds and rare livestock while enjoying myriad activities, including self-guided tours through the historic village; visit with Chip, a rare Tennessee myotonic goat born from a frozen embryo; and meet the SVF laboratory, veterinary, and animal care staff.
7. 26TH ANNUAL GREAT CHOWDER COOK OFF
When: Saturday, June 10, 12:00 - 6:00 PM
Where: Fort Adams State Park
Admission: $20 in advance, $25 at the door
Details: The 36th Annual Great Chowder Cook-Off returns with endless samples of both traditional and reinvented clam chowder creations. More than 20 international and regional competitors compete to craft the best chowder while you sample to find your favorite.
8. ANNUAL ENGLISH GARDEN PARTY
When: Saturday, June 10, 1:00 - 5:00 PM
Where: Saint Columba's Chapel Grounds
Admission: Free
Details: Savor scrumptious tea with scones and pastry items, explore a Treasure Trove of bargains of all kinds, enjoy a silent auction, wine toss and peruse the Flower Festival (inspired by a British Author). Kids can partake in children’s activities to keep all ages busy.
9. CRAFT, GARDEN & BOTANICAL FAIR BY ARTISANS BY THE BAY
When: Saturday, June 10, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Where: Elks Club Lodge, Newport
Admission: Free
Details: Artisan jewelry, plants and herbs, handcrafted wooden items, handmade soaps, local honey products, jams and jellies, soy candles, stained glass, photography, garden and lawn items, shell art & more. Live music by the talented Julio Amaro. Food available for purchase.
10. NEWPORT SECRET GARDEN TOUR
When: Friday, June 16 - Sunday, June 18, 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Where: Throughout Newport
Admission: $20 in advance, $25 at the door
Details: The annual Newport Secret Garden Tour opens the gate to a number of private gardens. Primarily designed and maintained by their owners, each gardens is a labor of love shared with the community to help raise funds for the arts education programs at Aquidneck Island’s public schools.
11. LECTURE: CREATIVE SURVIVAL: 18th & 19th CENTURY AFRICAN COMMUNITY IN NEWPORT
When: Saturday, June 17, 11:00 AM
Where: Brick Market Museum & Shop
Admission: 20, $15 for Newport Historical Society members, active and retired military with ID
Details: Discover the early history of Newport’s people of color, enslaved and free. This tour looks at the places where slaves lived and labored, along with locations where free blacks built their enterprises and supported a new local industry. It concludes in the country’s oldest intact African-American graveyard, “God's Little Acre.”
12. BRISTOL OYSTER FESTIVAL
When: Sunday, June 18, 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Where: Thames Street Landing, Bristol
Admission: Free
Details: The festival, hosted by Dewolf Tavern, celebrates Rhode Island's rich history of fishing, harvesting and cultivating oysters with 6+ varieties of local oysters, music, food trucks, silent auction, a shucking demonstration and family fun activities including face painting and more. Proceeds benefits the March of Dimes.
13. CVS HEALTH CHARITY CLASSIC
When: Sunday, June 18 - Monday, June 19
Where: Rhode Island Country Club
Admission: $35 per person
Details: The CVS Health Charity Classic will once again kick-off the New England summer with world-class golf for a great cause!. Be sure to join co-hosts Brad Faxon and Billy Andrade along with 18 elite golfers from the PGA, LPGA and Champions tours.
14. ROSE ISLAND SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
When: Wednesday, June 21 at 5:23 - 8:23 PM
Where: Rose Island Lighthouse
Admission: $25 members, $30 non-members
Details: Let your spirit be filled with peace and harmony as you watch the sun setting on the longest day of the year. Pack a picnic and enjoy refreshments from our cash bar. Music provided by Jamestown's Fred Bartlett. Reservations required. To purchase tickets call 401-847-4242 or click here.
15. C. THOMAS CLAGETT, JR. MEMORIAL CLINIC & REGATTA
When: Thursday, June 22 - Sunday, June 25, 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Where: Sail Newport at Fort Adams State Park
Admission: Free
Details: The 15th C. Thomas Clagett, Jr. Memorial Clinic and Regatta will be held at the Alofsin Pier at Sail Newport in Fort Adams State Park. The clinic and regatta for disabled sailors continues to provide opportunities for disabled athletes to train and compete at an world class level.
16. NEWPORT FLOWER SHOW
When: Friday, June 23 - Sunday, June 25
Where: Rosecliff
Admission: $20 in advance, $20 at the door Preservation Society members, $25 at the door general public
Details: The theme this year is Fete des Fleurs: Paintings and Parterres. Transport your imagination to the place that has inspired generations of artists and gardeners, France. Experience a French adventure, from grand gardens to urban Paris chic at Rosecliff. Enjoy judged horticultural specimens and floral designs, special garden exhibitions, free lectures and demonstrations, children's activities, and wonderful shopping experiences.
17. TOMMY TEWSDAY
When: Saturday, June 24, 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Where: Schooner Aurora
Admission: $45 per person
Details: Booze cruise aboard the Schooner Aurora and Rum Runner II around Newport Harbor with free Thomas Tew Rum drinks and Allie's donuts, followed by a scavenger hunt, competitions with prizes, great drink and food deals, and general shenanigans around town. Ticket price includes hour-long cruise aboard one of the two aforementioned boats with drinks and donuts, official event t-shirt, shot glass, and drawstring bag, entrance to the scavenger hunt and competitions throughout the day with great Thomas Tew Rum prizes, and a $2 donation to a great local charity.
18. ARTS BEHIND THE SCENES: "TRANSITIONS" AT AUDRAIN AUTO MUSEUM
When: Tuesday, June 27, 6:30 - 8:00 PM
Where: Audrain Auto Museum
Admission: $10 Arts and Cultural Alliance Members, $15 general public
Details: The Arts and Cultural Alliance (ACA) of Newport County presents an Arts Behind the Scenes event featuring the Audrain Automobile Museum, "Transitions". The event is scheduled during the transition between themed shows. Discussion will include the Exhibition Statement, the War Board, the individual car exhibition storyboards, graphics development, and iPad stories. Also marketing/promotion, lighting and the practicalities associated with swapping the cars in and out, and security.
19. LECTURE: LOST NEWPORT
When: Thursday, June 29, 6:00 - 7:00 PM
Where: Rosecliff
Admission: $10 for Preservation Society members, $15 for non-members
Details: The Preservation Society of Newport County's Curator Paul Miller will revisit the story of Newport's vanished estates, with emphasis on newly discovered images detailing the history of previously undocumented houses. A book signing will follow the lecture. Advance registration required.
