Photo: Rick Farrell

Good morning, Newport! Today is Saturday, June 28, the 179th day of 2025. There are 186 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

The streets of downtown Newport will be filled with rainbow colors and celebration today as the city hosts its annual Pride Festival & Parade, themed “Joy Is Resistance.”

The festivities begin at 11 a.m. with the Pride Parade, starting at the Great Friends Meeting House on Farewell Street. This year’s parade features a new walking-focused format, with space for up to 10 bikers in partnership with Bike Newport.

The parade route winds through historic Newport landmarks, including a stop at Equality Park — where the city’s first Pride festivals were held — and the iconic rainbow crosswalks that have become symbols of the city’s commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusion.

For accessibility, Viking Tours of Newport is providing a trolley with limited seating for those unable to walk the parade route.

Following the parade, the Pride Festival runs from noon to 5 p.m. at the Great Friends Meeting House, offering a family-friendly celebration with live music, local vendors, drag performances, and food trucks.

The entertainment lineup features headliner House of Neptune drag performers, along with local musicians including Quorus, Aziz Olivine, and Persimmon. Drag performers Lulu Levity, Mckayla Savage, and Zest will take the stage, while Newport City Councilor Ellen Pinnock will address the crowd.

More than 30 vendors will be on-site, including community organizations like PFLAG Greater Providence, Newport Mental Health, and Youth Pride Inc., alongside local businesses and advocacy groups.

Food options include Island Vibez Jamaican cuisine, Little Fish’s Mexican-inspired New England seafood, and Friskie Fries, ensuring festival-goers have plenty of options to fuel their celebration.

The event represents Newport’s ongoing commitment to celebrating and supporting its LGBTQ+ community, building on years of Pride celebrations that have made the city a welcoming destination for visitors and residents alike.

Organizers encourage attendees to bring signs and messages of hope, joy, and resilience, emphasizing the festival’s theme that celebration itself can be an act of resistance and community building.

The Great Friends Meeting House, serving as both parade starting point and festival venue, symbolizes the inclusive spirit that organizers hope will define today’s celebration — bringing together families, friends, and allies from Newport and beyond for an unforgettable day of Pride.

📰 The Latest from What’sUpNewp

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📈 Yesterday’s most-read

The following were yesterday’s most-read What’sUpNewp articles.

  1. Obituary: Paul Dutra
  2. Obituary: Darleen McKay
  3. Obituary: Mary Rodger
  4. Obituary: Beverly Pyne
  5. Wayfinder Newport celebrates Independence Day with $17.76 room rate
  6. Preservation Society kicks off the Newport social calendar with “fairyland” Flower Show
  7. Obituary: Alice Berry
  8. Secret Garden Tour returns to Newport’s historic Point section in June
  9. What’s Up in Newport County this week and weekend: June 23 – 29
  10. Letter to the Editor: Why I voted against Newport’s budget and the accompanying property tax increase

📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Today: Scattered showers, mainly before 11am. Patchy fog after 9am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high near 70. South wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
  • Tonight: Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1am. Patchy fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 69. Southwest wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Marine Forecast

  • Today: SSE wind 7 to 10 kt becoming S in the afternoon. Scattered showers, mainly before 11am. Patchy fog after 9am. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tonight: SW wind around 8 kt. Scattered showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1am. Patchy fog. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • The coastal water temperature is 63 degrees.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 5:14 am. Sunset at 8:23 pm. 15 hours & 9 minutes of sun.
  • High tide at 10:52 am & 11:16 pm. Low tide at 4:37 am & 4:11 pm.
  • The lunar phase is a Waxing Crescent.

Things To Do

Live Music & Entertainment

Newport County Public Meetings

  • No meetings are scheduled.

Ryan Belmore is the owner and publisher of What's Up Newp. He took over the publication in 2012 and has grown it into a three-time Rhode Island Monthly Best Local News Blog (2018, 2019, 2020). He was named LION Publishers Member of the Year in 2020 and received the Dominique Award from the Arts & Cultural Society of Newport County the same year. He has been awarded grants for investigative and community journalism, and continues to coach and mentor new local news publications nationwide. Ryan...