Newport has long had the reputation of going dark after boats leave the harbor and before the calendar year turns. Late in the year, the waterfront city’s lively shops, restaurants, hotels, and bars transition to a quieter schedule. This November promises to be different! 

This year, more than 80 of the city’s stores, restaurants, and businesses have banded together to launch ThamesGiving: a month-long celebration that will span every Thursday in November, except Thanksgiving Day. The event is named after the busy commercial, shopping and dining artery that is at the center of Newport life, both for visitors and residents alike. The “giving” part of the name is the heart of the event: during this season of giving, Newport businesses are rallying together to give back to their customers and their beloved community in fun, creative, and meaningful ways.

ThamesGiving organizers are promising a “Copper Pumpkin Passport” scavenger hunt where passport stickers will be awarded to scavenger hunters who find the hidden pumpkin in each participating store, restaurant, or garden courtyard. Completed passports will be collected via strategic drop-off points along the Thames Street district and will be entered into a raffle at month’s end, where Thames-Giving strollers can potentially win generous prizes, including a Grand Prize (or two!) comprised of gifts & gift certificates from many of Newport’s celebrated shops, businesses, hotels, and restaurants. The Copper Pumpkin Passport will include a map to help guide visitors down and around Thames Street. On each ThamesGiving Thursday, visitors, and residents will find many stores offering extended hours (i.e., until 7 p.m.) and special discounts or a gift-with-purchase. Bars, hotels and restaurants will offer special seasonal treats like live music, and specially-themed or discounted dining and beverage offerings. In many cases, they will also offer a charitable give-back component.

Thursday strollers on Thames Street will experience beautifully decorated and illuminated storefronts and interiors and be treated to the occasional sidewalk musician along their strolling route, especially during the hours of 5 p.m. – 7 p.m. on Thursdays.

Event organizer Michele Gallagher, founder of City-by-the-Sea Communications, said that she was inspired by her retail and restaurant neighbors to launch ThamesGiving since it was such a rainy weather season this year, and people don’t always realize that Newport is still a vibrant destination in the off-season. “There is a magic in Newport – around Thames Street especially – that is very unpretentious, neighborly, diverse, and extremely community-centric. We all want to see our neighbors succeed despite the weather and pandemic setbacks of recent years. We’re working together to pay forward the excitement we all share for our historic, harborside city.” Gallagher was especially gratified that so many of the well-known institutions that enjoy plenty of “foot-fall & full bar stools” all year long, stepped up to support some of the smaller businesses.

Kerrie Philbin, General Manager of O’Brien’s Pub, is especially excited about the giving back theme. “It’s a good time for us to stop and take care of our neighbors. As our ThamesGiving contribution to both our customers and our community, we’ll give customers a complimentary bowl of our yummy clam chowder, whenever they bring in a household or personal item in support of Lucy’s Hearth.” Lucy’s Hearth is a local shelter that serves children and their families who are experiencing homelessness.

Melissa & Brian Holder, co-owners of the 12 Metre Café – a favorite daytime café for locals in the center of Thames Street, are leveraging the Thursday early-evenings opportunity to bring back a family dinner menu with a nostalgic twist that will be expressly catering to Newport families and ThamesGiving strollers alike. [The rumor is that the 12 Metre Café will be bringing back the former Salas restaurant’s Asian Spaghetti recipe for dining and takeout options by the pound, at a family-friendly price! Long-time Newporters will remember that Salas restaurant was a Newport institution for 60 years before transferring building and restaurant ownership in 2012 to the current owners of the Midtown Oyster Bar. Yet, their beloved recipes still live on via these contemporary Newport family restaurants.]

For more information on ThamesGiving and for a full list of participants and their special offers and giving-back promotions, visit www.thamesgiving.com and follow @ThamesGiving on Instagram.