Newport Folk Festival 2018: What You Need To Know

NEWPORT, RI — The Newport Folk Festival is July 27, 28 and 29 at Fort Adams State Park. Tickets are sold out. There is a ticket exchange, so fans have a chance to pick up a ticket from someone who can't use one. For the schedule, click here. Charlie Parr, A Change Is Gonna Come, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Cheech & Chong, and Lucius are among the artists scheduled to perform. The music starts at 11 a.m. and lasts until sundown. Here's everything you need to know to plan ahead.

Important Times

• The Box Office opens at 9 a.m.
• Gates open at 10 a.m.
• Parking open at 8 a.m.
• Water taxis start at 8 a.m.
• Shuttles start at 9 a.m.
• Food & Crafts start at 10 a.m.
• Music starts at 11 a.m.

Check out the Folk Festival lineup here. Better yet, use one of the apps to put the whole festival on your mobile phone. Plan your day and what stage you want to be at with the festival schedule in the gallery to the right. For Apple, click here. For Android, click here.

If you were lucky enough to score some tickets, here’s everything you need to know. This information, and a whole lot more, can be found on the Newport Folk Festival's website.

New This Year

NEW SECURITY: "There is no re-entry into the festival whatsoever," per the festival. Safety is the reason. The visitors center (with bathrooms and ATM) is inside the festival grounds.

No plastic bags at the merch tent. Newport enacted a plastic bag ban, so the merch tent is no longer providing free bags. The festival is selling $5 'Newport Festival' tote bags, however.

Also new are the Bag Valet, and the Shade Tent, plus new locations for the Entrance Gates, the Foundation Tent, and the Official Merch Tent.

Here's the lowdown from the official website.

Getting to The Fort

Fort Adams State Park in Newport, RI is located at 90 Fort Adams Drive, Newport, 02840. It is about 1.5 hours from Boston and 3.5 hours from New York City. Get directions to the Fort from your location. The festival is rain or shine. There are four stages of music, food & crafts, two beer & wine gardens and exhibitions.

By Bicycle: Getting to the folk fest via bicycle? Our friends at HiRoad will be teaming up with Bike Newport to provide “Park & Bike” lots: park for free and skip the traffic! Just follow the HiRoad signs from downtown out to the Fort. Learn more here: www.bikenewportri.org

By Water: Water shuttles and ferries operate between Downtown Newport, Jamestown and Providence (India Point). More information can be found here.

The Jamestown Newport Ferry runs continuous service to Fort Adams with departures from One East Ferry Wharf in Jamestown and Perotti Park in Newport. More information and tickets can be found here.

The SeaStreak ferry regular service to Newport runs from India Point in Providence to the Seastreak Ferry Terminal at 39 America's Cup Avenue in Newport. More information can be found here.

By Bus: In an effort to reduce traffic and our carbon footprint, Newport Folk Festival and FestDrive are proud to offer bus service to and from the festival. Check out the pick up locations, pricing, and shuttle service times at https://festdrive.busbank.com/newport-folk-festival

By Car: There is limited on-site car parking available at Fort Adams State. Motorcycle parking is also available on-site for $10.

Parking for vehicles with ADA placards or license plates is available in the Lower Lot.

What’s Allowed?

• An individual blanket (Maximum size 6'x8')
• Only one small hand held cooler (no larger than 16″ x 12″). All coolers will be searched
• Strollers that are reasonably sized and do not obstruct the view of others
• Low-backed chairs (under 30″) to ensure good viewing for your neighbors. These are only allowed outside no chair zones.
• Small shade structures such as chairs with roofs and baby beach cabanas are allowed in designated shade areas only as space allows. No pop up tents.
• Cameras are permitted but cannot be used to reproduce the event and must not interfere with other fans’ enjoyment of the festival (NO AUDIO CAPTURING IS ALLOWED)

What’s Not Allowed?

• No glass containers.
• No large coolers.
• No alcohol.
• No illegal substances.
• No beverages in plastic bottles or cans unless factory-sealed.
• No pets.
• No flagpoles.
• No camping.
• No weapons or tools.
• No laser pointers.
• No noise makers.
• Harassment of any kind. All festival-goers are welcome regardless of race, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, gender presentation, sexual orientation, age, body size, disability, appearance, religion, citizenship, or pregnancy.
• No commercial audio visual equipment.
• Beach umbrellas or beach balls (because they could end up in the bay and hurt the wildlife).
• No pop up tents.
• No selfie sticks.
• No drones.

More helpful links:

Fort Adams
State Park’s Official Website
For general questions, email newportfolkfest@gmail.com or call the Newport Folk Festival office at (401) 848-5055.

Map and Information: Courtesy Newport Folk Festival

Image via Shutterstock