Newport To Celebrate Japanese Sister City With Bonfire, Concert

NEWPORT, RI — To celebrate more than six decades of friendship with its Japanese sister city, the City of Newport will hold a beach party at Easton's Beach on Saturday. The event will feature live music and a bonfire and is free and open to the public.

For the past 61 years, Newport has been sister cities with Shimoda, Japan, a 40-square-mile city on the southern end of the island. Saturday's party will celebrate that friendship and Japanese culture with a performance by Japanese drummers and Hometown Poke.

The event will also have live music from Swinglane Orchestra and food from Easton's Beach Snack Bar and Diego's Newport. The party kicks off at 6 p.m., and a bonfire will be lit on the beach starting at 8:15 p.m.

The party is free and part of an annual weekend-long celebration of Newport's relationship with Shimoda. The festivities kick off on Thursday with a welcome reception at Innovate Newport, starting at 6 p.m.

On Friday, an opening ceremony will be held from 11 a..m until 12 p.m. at Touro Park. The next day, the Newport-Shimoda Arts and Cultural Festival will be held at the same location from 10 a..m to 4 p.m., featuring Japanese crafts, music and culture. The weekend-long celebration wraps up on Sunday with a closing ceremony at the Island Cemetery from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m.

More information on Newport's sister cities and celebrations honoring them is available online.