Newport Kite Festival
Newport Kite Festival

Good morning, Newport! Today is Saturday, July 5, the 186th day of 2025. There are 179 days left in the year.

🚨 You need to know

The Newport Kite Festival is set to return to Brenton Point State Park next weekend, July 12-13, bringing spectacular aerial displays and family-friendly activities back to one of Newport’s most scenic locations. The free, two-day event will run from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day, featuring expert kite flyers from around the world who will fill the sky with colorful displays of all shapes and sizes.

According to a special event license application submitted to the City of Newport, organizers expect approximately 2,000 attendees over the weekend. The festival will include live music performances, a PA system for kite demonstrations, and food trucks offering everything from fresh seafood and BBQ to vegan-friendly options and sweet treats. The application, which goes before Newport City Council on Wednesday, July 9, indicates that while no liquor will be served, the event will provide portable toilet facilities and trash services for attendees.

Festival highlights include choreographed kite flying performances set to music, candy drops, kite races, and hands-on kite-making workshops designed for visitors of all ages. The event organizers emphasize that the festival remains completely free and open to the public, though they rely on community support and donations to cover costs for permits, equipment, and programming. Parking at Brenton Point will be limited, so organizers encourage carpooling or ride-sharing to help manage traffic flow.

The festival’s return marks another opportunity for Newport residents and visitors to enjoy the oceanfront setting while watching expert kite makers demonstrate their craft. With kite flying space available on a first-come, first-served basis, attendees are encouraged to bring their own kites, purchase them on-site, or simply come to enjoy the spectacle. The event organizers are also seeking volunteers to help with various aspects of the festival, from event planning to logistics support.

For more information and updates, visit https://newportkitefestival.com/.

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📅 What’s Up Today

Weather Forecast

  • Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 77. Light and variable wind becoming south 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
  • Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southwest wind around 10 mph.

Marine Forecast

  • Today: Variable winds less than 5 kt becoming SSW 5 to 10 kt in the morning. Mostly sunny. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • Tonight: SW wind around 9 kt. Partly cloudy. Seas 1 ft or less.
  • The coastal water temperature is 64 degrees.

Sun, Moon & Tide

  • Sunrise at 5:17 am. Sunset at 8:21 pm. 15 hours & 4 minutes of sun.
  • High tide at 4:07 am & 4:46 pm. Low tide at 9:34 am & 11:02 pm.
  • The lunar phase is a Waxing Gibbous.

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...