NEWPORT, RI | Newport Folk Festival 2026 opened with unscripted magic. By Friday afternoon, as the July sun hit the historic granite of Fort Adams, thousands of music lovers had already staked out their lawn chairs, feeling the cool ocean breeze drift off Narragansett Bay. Day one proved once again that while genres evolve, the spirit of Newport—spontaneous, intimate, and deeply collaborative—remains unmatched.
“I’m so happy to be back here. I have dreams set in Newport,” said Lucy Dacus, who charmed her audience with a vulnerable set, bringing the crowd to its feet when she invited Hayley Williams onstage for a surprise duet of “Bullseye.” Meanwhile, Australian rocker Courtney Barnett tore through a gritty set, highlighting songs from Creature of Habit, proving her lyricism is made for outdoor festival grounds.
The legendary Jefferson Airplane guitarist Jorma Kaukonen teamed up with longtime friend and bassist Jack Casady for Hot Tuna’s inaugural set at Newport Folk Festival, with Kaukonen playing his storied J-50 alongside Casady’s long-lost Guild Starfire. At 85, Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Kaukonen isn’t slowing down; he’s enjoying the ride.
At the Quad Stage, anticipation reached a fever pitch for Ms. Lauryn Hill. Though a delayed stage setup pushed her performance back by 40 minutes, the moment she stepped under the lights alongside Philadelphia brass powerhouse Snacktime, the frustration evaporated. Hill delivered a commanding, brass-heavy performance that recontextualized her classic catalog into a memorable experience.
If Friday belonged to anyone, it belonged to Hayley Williams, who closed out the Fort stage.
Surrounding herself with a dizzying lineup of peers—including Remi Wolf, Jack Antonoff, Joy Oladokun, Jenny Lewis, Annie DiRusso, Madi Diaz, and This is Lorelei—Williams treated the main stage like a living room jam session. She revisited selections from her solo record Petals for Armor before assembling the entire night’s roster for a triumphant, festival-wide singalong cover of Bill Withers’ “Lean on Me.”
As the last notes echoed across the harbor and the crowd filtered out into the cool Rhode Island night, day one left no doubt: Newport Folk isn’t just thriving on legacy—it’s actively writing new history.
