Newport Folk Fest 2025: This Event Continues to Deliver! [Photos]

The 2025 Newport Folk Fest felt like both a homecoming and a rebirth. Held once again at the breezy and historic Fort Adams State Park in Rhode Island, this year’s festival blurred the lines between folk tradition and genre experimentation more than ever before. What unfolded over the weekend wasn’t just a series of concerts—it was a communal ritual of sound, spontaneity, and shared experience.

From the moment gates opened on Friday, it was clear that this year’s lineup was intent on expanding the boundaries of what “folk” can mean. Friday featured the return of Jack Antonoff’s Ally Coalition Talent Show, which has become a highlight in recent years. This year’s installment turned into an unexpected constellation of talent. Hayley Williams stunned the crowd with the debut of her new solo track “Mirtazapine,” backed by Antonoff and Rufus Wainwright. Weyes Blood and Jeff Tweedy joined in as well, turning the whole thing into an impromptu revue that felt less like a concert and more like a family jam session you were lucky to witness.

Throughout the weekend, those lucky enough to ditch the schedule and wander were often rewarded. On Saturday, Philadelphia brass-funk group SNACKTIME delivered what might’ve been the most joyful set of the festival, flooding the main lawn with horns, energy, and sheer fun. Later that day, Jesse Welles gave a career-making performance that people were still buzzing about on the ferry ride home. His songwriting—gritty, poetic, unpolished in the best way—earned hushed comparisons to Dylan from those brave enough to say it out loud.

Remi Wolf’s set started off strong and quickly escalated into one of the weekend’s defining moments. Her technicolour sound was already a festival standout, but when surprise guests like Jeff Tweedy, Saya Gray, and John C. Reilly began rotating in and out of the set, the whole thing shifted into something more communal. It wasn’t about polished transitions or rehearsed chemistry. It was messy, spontaneous, and full of heart—exactly what Newport is at its best.

Newport Folk Festival Day 1 @ Fort Adams (Newport, RI) on July 25th, 2025

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Country star Luke Combs, usually found atop Nashville charts, delivered a stripped-down set that left more than a few attendees in tears. His acoustic performance of “Whoever You Turn Out To Be” brought the Fort Stage to a stunned silence when he paused mid-song, overcome with emotion. There was no spectacle to it—just a man, a guitar, and a raw, unscripted moment that somehow captured the entire spirit of the weekend.

Of course, it wouldn’t be Newport without Mavis Staples, who returned for the festival’s closing set with Lucius and Tweedy in tow. Dubbed “the Mother of Newport” by longtime fans, Staples closed the festival with “Songs for the People,” a soul-soaked anthem that turned the crowd into a choir. It wasn’t a flashy finale. It didn’t need to be. There was even beauty in the chaos. We cannot wait for Newport Folk Fest 2026!

On Saturday afternoon, a surprise rainstorm sent attendees scrambling for cover, but what could’ve been a frustrating delay turned into yet another piece of Newport magic. Acoustic sets popped up under tents and in hallways, artists huddled with fans, and strangers passed ponchos back and forth like currency. It was the kind of spontaneous intimacy that no mainstage performance could ever replicate.

That’s the thing about Newport—it’s not just a festival, it’s a feeling. It’s the moment someone hands you a cold beer and a band you’ve never heard of starts playing your new favourite song. It’s bumping into artists walking the grounds, buying vinyl at the same merch stand as the fans. It’s the sailboats in the harbour, the sea breeze in your hair, and the sense that for three days, time slows down and music takes over.

Newport Folk Festival 2025 didn’t just deliver a great weekend—it delivered meaning. It reminded everyone why they come back, year after year: not for headliners or set times, but for the chance to feel something real.

Newport Folk Festival Day 2 @ Fort Adams (Newport, RI) on July 25th, 2025

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Newport Folk Festival Day 3 @ Fort Adams (Newport, RI) on July 25th, 2025

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