The 2026 Newport Folk Festival lineup is taking shape, with organizers steadily unveiling artists over the past two weeks in the event’s signature rolling announcement style. One of the biggest names yet came Tuesday, when five-time Grammy winner Ms. Lauryn Hill was confirmed for the festival’s opening day.
“We are honored to announce that Ms. Lauryn Hill will be joining this summer’s Newport Folk lineup,” organizers said. Hill, whose landmark 1998 solo debut remains one of the best-selling albums of its era, is scheduled for Friday, July 24, at Fort Adams State Park.
Hill is among six acts announced since the festival kicked off its lineup rollout earlier this month with Hayley Williams & Friends, also slated for Friday.
Also joining the Friday bill is Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Hudson Freeman, an emerging indie folk voice whose breakout single “If You Know Me” has drawn widespread attention. Named one of Atwood Magazine’s 2026 artists to watch, Freeman blends folk intimacy with alt-rock unease, drawing on influences like Sufjan Stevens and Bon Iver.
Saturday, July 25, has picked up two notable additions. Lizzy McAlpine, the singer-songwriter known for her viral hit “ceilings,” will perform alongside Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, who are bringing their Grateful Dead Acoustic Reckoning show to Newport. The performance is part of a limited run honoring the 45th anniversary of the Grateful Dead’s 1981 live album “Reckoning.”
Welch and Rawlings, who closed the Newport Folk Festival in 2024, will return to the Fort to perform the acoustic Dead tribute on July 25. The duo won the 2025 Grammy for best folk album for their record “Woodland.”
Sunday, July 26, will feature Brittany Davis & Black Thunder. The Seattle-based artist, who has been blind since birth, released her critically acclaimed sophomore album “Black Thunder” last year on Loosegroove Records, a label founded by Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard. The fully improvised record was created over two days in the studio with bassist Evan Flory-Barnes and drummer D’Vonne Lewis.
Tickets for the 67th annual festival, scheduled for July 24-26, sold out within seconds of going on sale Feb. 4. Additional artists are expected to be announced in the coming weeks at newportfolk.org.
