Here’s this week’s Sour Grapes; enjoy!
Arts & Culture
A look at What’s Up in arts and culture in Newport, Rhode Island, and beyond.
Posted inArts & Culture
The Newport Nutcracker returns to Rosecliff for its 26th year
The Newport Nutcracker at Rosecliff returns for a 26th year, with performances at the Bellevue Avenue mansion from Nov. 25 through Dec. 4. Presented by Newport Contemporary Ballet, the production moves audiences through the halls of Rosecliff as the ballet unfolds around them, rather than seating them in a theater. This year’s production features a […]
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Newport Illuminated Boat Parade returns Nov. 27
The Newport Illuminated Boat Parade returns to Newport Harbor on Friday, Nov. 27, at 6 p.m., hosted by the Newport Yacht Club. Decorated vessels will gather south of the Goat Island Causeway and head east, passing the Newport Yacht Club, where judges will be stationed, then continuing past Perrotti Park and Bowen’s and Bannister’s wharves […]
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Jane Pickens brings Warren Miller and Teton Gravity Research to Newport this month
The Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center will screen two of the ski and snowboard world’s annual films this month, with three showings between Nov. 5 and Nov. 11. Warren Miller’s 77th film, “Days Off,” screens Thursday, Nov. 5, and Friday, Nov. 6. Hosted by Katie Burrell, it follows skiers away from competition — heli-drops […]
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Salve’s Ochre Court opens Season 4 of ‘The Gilded Age’
Salve Regina University’s Ochre Court opens the fourth season of HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” which premiered Sunday on HBO Max. The season’s first scenes are set in the mansion, which portrays Sidmouth Castle — the home of Hector, Duke of Buckingham, and his new wife, Gladys Russell. Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) and Lady Sara Vere […]
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Roger Williams Park Zoo’s Holiday Lights Spectacular returns Nov. 27
Roger Williams Park Zoo’s Holiday Lights Spectacular returns the day after Thanksgiving, running nightly from Friday, Nov. 27, through Sunday, Jan. 3. The display features more than 3.5 million lights across 40 acres of the zoo, according to organizers. Visitors walk lighted pathways past displays including penguins and snowflakes, with hot chocolate, adult beverages and […]
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Jamestown Community Theatre stages Sondheim’s ‘Merrily We Roll Along’ next month
Jamestown Community Theatre will stage Stephen Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along” over four days next month at the Jamestown Recreation Center. The musical follows composer Franklin Shepard and his two closest friends through the choices that shape their lives. Frank achieves extraordinary professional success at a steep personal cost, and the story is told in […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Instacart’s Rhode Island Halloween report: Sour Patch Kids is No.1, regional candy quirks and the iconic banana costume
Khairil Azhar Junos // Shutterstock Instacart’s Rhode Island Halloween report: Sour Patch Kids is No.1, regional candy quirks and the iconic banana costume Halloween means candy and costumes and Instacart’s latest data shows what people in Rhode Island and across the country put in their carts throughout October. Key Takeaways Reese’s runs the country. Reese’s […]
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Middletown seeks artwork for its seventh annual holiday card
The town is accepting artwork for its seventh annual holiday card contest, with submissions due Wednesday, Nov. 25. The contest is open to all Middletown residents, including school-age children, amateur artists and photography enthusiasts, according to the town. Drawings, paintings and photographs are all welcome, and work should be in full color. This year’s theme […]
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Land Trust’s student art and writing contest opens, with winners to hang at the Newport Art Museum
The Aquidneck Island Land Trust has opened its 12th annual Art & Writing Contest for students, asking them to reflect on a favorite Aquidneck Island vista and how it is changing. Entries are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. Winning work will be displayed in the Newport Art Museum’s Cushing Gallery beginning Feb. 11, […]
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Free tour of St. Mary’s Cemetery on Saturday traces Newport’s Irish immigrant history
The Museum of Newport Irish History will offer a free tour of St. Mary’s Cemetery on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 1 p.m., led by local researcher Steve Marino. More than 1,000 Newporters are buried there, including many Irish immigrants and first-generation Irish Americans, according to the museum. The cemetery served Rhode Island’s first Catholic parish, […]
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Salve Regina stages ‘The SpongeBob Musical’ at the Casino Theatre Nov. 5-8
Salve Regina University’s theatre arts program will stage “The SpongeBob Musical” at the Casino Theatre, 9 Freebody St., from Nov. 5 to 8. Performances are Thursday and Friday, Nov. 5 and 6, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 7, at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.; and Sunday, Nov. 8, at 2 p.m. The show follows SpongeBob […]
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Newport Classical brings pianist Michael Leonardo Davidman and guitarist Raphaël Feuillâtre to the Recital Hall in November
Newport Classical’s chamber series continues next month with two concerts at Newport Classical Recital Hall, 42 Dearborn St., both at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6: Michael Leonardo Davidman Davidman, winner of the 2025 American Piano Awards, makes his Newport debut with a program spanning Bach, Schubert, Franck and Liszt. He has appeared as a soloist with […]
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JPT marks Halloween week with a John Carpenter triple feature, a 100-year-old silent film and ‘Psycho’
The Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center will run a John Carpenter triple feature on Saturday, Oct. 24, followed by a century-old silent film with live accompaniment on Oct. 27 and “Psycho” on Halloween. Saturday, Oct. 24: Synthesizers & Screams The marathon opens at 3 p.m. with “They Live” (1988), Carpenter’s satirical science-fiction thriller, followed […]
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Meet Lucy Darling, the character who took over Carisa Hendrix’s career
Carisa Hendrix bills herself as a comedian and magician who’s “kinda famous on the internet.” Wait, you don’t know her? Perhaps you know her character, Lucy Darling. It’s pretty likely that you’ve seen clips of this statuesque redhead in an evening gown on Facebook and Instagram, masterfully working the crowds at her full-house performances. Hendrix […]
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‘Spooky State House’ returns to Providence on Oct. 29 with free trick-or-treating
The Rhode Island Department of State will host its annual Spooky State House on Thursday, Oct. 29, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., with free trick-or-treating, crafts and decorations throughout the building. Treats will be handed out by the offices of Secretary of State Gregg M. Amore, Gov. Dan McKee, Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, Attorney General […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Bon Jovi returns to Gillette Stadium on July 28, 2027, first show there since 2013
Bon Jovi will play Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, July 28, 2027, the band’s first show there in 14 years, as part of an expanded Forever Tour. The 2027 dates follow the band’s return to touring this year, which included nine sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden and three at Wembley Stadium, along […]
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Newport Public Education Foundation screening ‘Counted Out’ at Rogers on Nov. 2, with a new math initiative to be announced
The Newport Public Education Foundation will host a free community screening of the documentary “Counted Out” on Monday, Nov. 2, at 6:30 p.m. at Rogers High School, with a discussion afterward. The foundation and Newport Public Schools will also use the evening to announce a new initiative aimed at changing how math is taught in […]
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All-trans drag cast headlines TRANSylvania Halloween brunch at Stoneacre on Oct. 25
Newport OUT will present TRANSylvania, a Halloween drag brunch with an all-trans cast, on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Stoneacre Brasserie, 28 Washington Square. Performers are Ladda Nurv, Ninny Nothin, Rickey Diamonds and ZonLegacyPhoenix, according to Newport OUT. Seating times are 10:30, 10:45 and 11 a.m. Tickets are $60 for standard reservations and $65 for Splash […]
Posted inFood & Drink
35th Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival returns Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine
The Bowen’s Wharf Seafood Festival returns for its 35th year Saturday, Oct. 17, and Sunday, Oct. 18, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days. Admission is free, and the festival runs rain or shine under the tents. Food and drink are sold at vendor booths. A portion of proceeds from the festival bars benefits […]
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Historian to discuss Irish Famine immigrants held in North American quarantine stations, Oct. 20 in Middletown
The Museum of Newport Irish History’s 25th annual lecture series continues Tuesday, Oct. 20, with a talk by Irish historian and journalist Loretto Horrigan Leary on what Famine immigrants encountered in North American quarantine stations. “The Irish Famine Immigrant Experience in North American Quarantines” begins at 6 p.m. at the Wyndham Newport Hotel, 240 Aquidneck […]
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Violinist Geneva Lewis brings the Goldberg Variations to Rough Point on Nov. 7
Violinist Geneva Lewis will lead a string trio performing Bach’s Goldberg Variations at Rough Point on Saturday, Nov. 7, in the next installment of Puddingstone Music’s salon series. Lewis will be joined by violist Emma Wernig and cellist Jay Campbell in Dmitry Sitkovetsky’s arrangement of the work, originally written for keyboard. The performance will be […]
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Pumpkin Regatta at Newport Shipyard pushed to Oct. 23 because of weather
Update, Oct. 14: Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard has rescheduled the Pumpkin Regatta from Friday, Oct. 16, to Friday, Oct. 23, because of weather. The time, location and $25 entry are unchanged. Safe Harbor Newport Shipyard has postponed its annual Pumpkin Regatta by one week because of weather, moving the event from Friday, Oct. 16, to […]
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Jamestown cartoonist Will Henry talks ‘Wallace the Brave’ at CCRI on Thursday
Will Henry, the Jamestown cartoonist behind the nationally syndicated comic strip “Wallace the Brave,” will give a live drawing and conversation at the Community College of Rhode Island on Thursday, Oct. 15. The event, called “Between the Panels,” runs from 6 to 7 p.m. at the CCRI Library on the Knight Campus, 400 East Ave., […]
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The Elms reopens Nov. 16 with projection, sound and scent woven through the Gilded Age mansion
The Elms will reopen to the public Nov. 16 with “The Elms Experience,” a multimillion-dollar installation that adds video projection, sound design, recorded dialogue, physical displays and custom scents to tours of the Bellevue Avenue mansion, according to the Preservation Society of Newport County. Preservation Society members get access during member preview days Nov. 12 […]
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Nashville duo Golden Everything records live at Chepstow for Newport Mansions’ “Sessions” series
The Preservation Society of Newport County has released the newest installment of “Sessions,” its live music video series filmed inside the Newport Mansions, featuring Nashville Americana duo Golden Everything performing at Chepstow. Golden Everything is wife-and-husband Jackie Berkley and Zach Schmidt. The duo performed “Spare Me,” from their 2024 album “Sweet Old World,” and “Oak […]
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IYRS seeking vendors for its Dec. 5 Artisan Holiday Market
IYRS School of Technology & Trades is accepting applications from artisans and small businesses for its Artisan Holiday Market on Saturday, Dec. 5, part of the school’s annual Holly Jolly Weekend on its Thames Street waterfront campus. The market is open to makers selling handmade goods, fine art, jewelry, home décor, specialty food products and […]
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Salve students curate a national juried exhibition on deviance, opening Oct. 22
“DEVIANT,” a national juried exhibition curated by Salve Regina University art history students, opens Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Dorrance H. Hamilton Gallery and runs through Nov. 22. The show takes deviance as its subject — as concept, label and worldview — across painting, drawing, collage and mixed media. Fourteen artists are included: Kathy Black, […]
Posted inNews
The Vanderbilt hosts its annual Halloween soirée, themed “Ghosts of the Atlantic: Drowned Pirates Ball” on Oct. 30
Newport has never been short on ghost stories, maritime legends or tales from its colorful past. This Halloween, one of the city’s historic mansions is leaning into that history with a celebration inspired by pirates, shipwrecks and the darker side of life on the Atlantic. On Friday, October 30, The Vanderbilt, Auberge Collection will host […]
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Redwood exhibition argues Robert Duncanson’s landscapes mapped routes to freedom
The Redwood Library and Athenaeum has opened “Robert Duncanson: Landscapes to Freedom,” an exhibition arguing that the 19th century Black landscape painter encoded routes of the Underground Railroad into his work. The show runs through January 2027 at the Redwood, its only venue, and comprises 28 paintings and site photographs from the collection of Michael […]
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Messiah at Rosecliff returns in December, part of six Newport Classical holiday concerts
Newport Classical has set six holiday concerts across two December weekends, with tickets going on sale Tuesday, Oct. 6. Christmas with Cantus, Dec. 5 at 1 and 3:30 p.m., at the Newport Classical Recital Hall, 42 Dearborn St. The low-voice ensemble sold out both its 2024 performances here. The hour-long program mixes carols with contemporary […]
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Tenth Concert of Remembrance brings a 20-piece orchestra and choirs from two states to St. George’s Chapel
The Choir School of Newport County marks the tenth year of its Concert of Remembrance on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 4 p.m. at the St. George’s School Chapel, 372 Purgatory Road. The concert assembles the Choir School’s professional choristers, St. George’s Advanced Vocal Ensemble, members of the Trinity Episcopal Church choir, the choirs of St. […]
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Middletown library adds books in nine languages and its first video game collection
The Middletown Public Library has launched two new circulating collections: 425 books in nine languages and 58 video games, its first. The World Language Collection covers children, teens and adults in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese and Spanish. The library initially planned to focus on Spanish and Portuguese, but expanded after talking […]
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“Lore” creator Aaron Mahnke to speak at Rosecliff on Rhode Island’s vampire panic
Aaron Mahnke, creator of the podcast “Lore” and author of “Exhumed: Unearthing the History of the American Vampire,” will give a lecture at Rosecliff on Thursday, Oct. 15, from 6 to 7 p.m. The talk traces how folklore, medical belief, religion and pseudoscience produced the New England vampire panic, which culminated in the exhumation of […]
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New exhibit at the Vernon House explores the life of Cato Vernon, a Black Revolutionary War soldier who lived there
An interactive exhibit about Cato Vernon, an African heritage Revolutionary War soldier and carpenter who lived at the Vernon House in the mid-1770s, opens Saturday, Oct. 3, and runs through Nov. 22. “The Cato Vernon Freedom Library” occupies three rooms on the first floor of the national historic landmark at 46 Clarke St. It includes […]
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Chazz Palminteri had $200 left when he wrote “A Bronx Tale.” He’s still performing it 35 years later.
Chazz Palminteri is proud of his accomplishments. “I’m the only guy ever in the history of show business,” he said in our recent interview, “to write a one-man show and star in it, write the screenplay from the show and star in it, and write a musical based on the show and star in it.” […]
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Newport Contemporary Ballet opens its 45th season with three world premieres
Newport Contemporary Ballet opens its 45th season next month with “Kaleidoscope,” a repertory program of four pieces by four women choreographers, three of them world premieres. Performances are Friday and Saturday, Oct. 16 and 17, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m. at the Elks Lodge, 141 Pelham St. General admission is […]
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Nine Central Film Festival returns to the Jane Pickens for two nights in October
The Nine Central Film Festival returns to the Jane Pickens Theater on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2 and 3, with two nights of short films made by local filmmakers. The festival started eight years ago as a group of friends screening their own movies in a backyard. Each night has a different lineup of roughly […]
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The Elms will reopen this fall with a new multi-sensory experience
The Elms, closed to the public since Aug. 10, will reopen later this fall with a new guest experience built around storytelling, multi-sensory elements and what the Preservation Society of Newport County describes as thoughtfully integrated enhancements. The Preservation Society is developing the experience with Digital Kitchen, a creative studio chosen as its experience design […]
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Rocky Horror shadow cast returns to the Jane Pickens, 45 years after its first show there
RKO Army, the Rocky Horror Picture Show shadow cast that played its first show as an established troupe at the Jane Pickens Theater on Halloween night in 1981, returns to that stage Friday, Sept. 25, ahead of a newportFILM screening of “Time Warp.” Doors open at 6 p.m. and the performance and film begin at […]
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Newport Classical brings a prize-winning piano trio and a quartet playing Bad Bunny to Dearborn Street in October
Newport Classical has two chamber concerts in October at its recital hall at 42 Dearborn St., plus a pair of free afternoon concerts mid-month. Trio Azura, Oct. 9 at 7:30 p.m. The group swept the 51st Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in 2024, taking the grand prize and gold medal along with two special prizes. […]
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The Dead Tongues play the Great Friends Meeting House on Sept. 25
Newport Live presents The Dead Tongues at the Great Friends Meeting House on Friday, Sept. 25, with doors at 6:30 p.m. and the performance at 7:30. Ryan Gustafson, the North Carolina songwriter and multi-instrumentalist behind the project, has released a string of albums over the past 15 years — “Dust,” “Unsung Passage,” “Desert” and “Transmigration […]
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‘Situations’ returns to Jane Pickens Theater on Sept. 30
After a packed New England premiere in Newport this past January, Situations is returning to the Jane Pickens Theatre on September 30, this time as part of the film’s national theatrical roadshow. The independent comedy, written, directed by and starring Greg Vrotsos, has spent the months since its Newport preview screening in theaters across the […]
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Three cult classics at the Jane Pickens this month, with live music, beer and a costume contest
The Jane Pickens Theater has three cult film nights left in September, each built around something more than a screening. “The Road Warrior” plays Thursday, Sept. 17, at 8:30 p.m. in a 4K restoration from Warner Bros., part of the theater’s Cult Classic Collection. George Miller’s 1981 film sent Mel Gibson’s Max across the Australian […]
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Sitkovetsky Trio plays Rough Point on Sept. 29
The Sitkovetsky Trio will perform at Rough Point on Tuesday, Sept. 29, as part of Puddingstone Music’s salon series. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the concert at 7:30, and small bites and drinks are included. The program, titled “Romanticism and Musical Poetry,” includes Beethoven’s Piano Trio in D major, known as the “Ghost” for […]
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Four shows added to the Park Theatre calendar, with Billy Gilman’s holiday concert in December
The Historic Park Theatre has added four shows running from December through March, with tickets going on sale Friday, Sept. 18, at 10 a.m. Billy Gilman brings “Home for the Holidays — 25 Years of Christmas” on Friday, Dec. 18, at 7:30 p.m. The Westerly native, who broke through as a country singer at 11 […]
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Newport Mansions sets its fall calendar, with the Newport Symposium asking “What Makes It American”
The Preservation Society of Newport County has released its fall program schedule, anchored by the two-day Newport Symposium on Nov. 5 and 6 at Rosecliff and Marble House. This year’s symposium theme is “What Makes It American,” examining the origins of American art, architecture, landscape and design. Robyn Asleson, curator of prints and drawings at […]
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newportFILM screens “Unbowed” free in Providence on Oct. 6
newportFILM will present a free screening of “Unbowed,” a documentary about Rhode Island refugee advocate Omar Bah, on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Hope High School auditorium. Doors open at 6 p.m., the film starts at 6:30 and a conversation follows at 7:20 with directors Mae Gammino and David H. Wells, Bah, and Refugee Dream […]
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Manhattan Short returns to Jamestown Arts Center with 10 films from 10 countries
The Jamestown Arts Center will screen the 29th Manhattan Short Film Festival over two weekends starting Friday, Sept. 25, with audiences voting on the winners alongside moviegoers at more than 500 venues worldwide. Screenings are at 7 p.m. on Sept. 25 and 26 and Oct. 2 and 3 at 18 Valley St. Tickets are $20, […]
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“Operation Mincemeat” starts its national tour in Providence
Back in 1943, in the middle of World War II, British intelligence agents engineered a diversion to convince German intelligence organizations that an Allied landing was planned for Greece and Sardinia, when the actual landing would happen in Sicily. The diversion, code-named Operation Mincemeat, was successful. More than half a century later, it was the […]
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Four “Sopranos” actors bring their stories to Cranston in October
Andrew Jedlicka runs a talent agency, and several of his clients were actors on HBO’s hit, “The Sopranos.” “I’ve worked with many of the castmates from the show since 2019,” said Jedlicka recently. “I’ve wanted to do this show, include many of the cast members, give people a chance to interact with the cast.” The […]
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Tony Estrella takes the stage alone in “The Smuggler,” directed by the man who wrote it
Tony Estrella has spent “most of my summer” working on the script of “The Smuggler,” the one-man show that will open The Gamm Theatre’s new season. “I try to start (the rehearsal process) with as much in my brain as possible.” Written and directed by Ronán Noone, “The Smuggler” features bartender Tim Finnegan, newly arrived […]
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A Language of Its Own: Celebrating Rhode Island’s deaf community
About 11 million people in the United States (or 3.6% of the population) consider themselves Deaf or have serious difficulty hearing, according to data from the National Deaf Center. A similar percentage of Americans consider American Sign Language (ASL) as their native language. ASL is taught in about 1,000 public schools nationally as an elective […]
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Newport’s Italian heritage celebration runs Sept. 25 through Oct. 16
Forum Lodge #391 of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America will mark its 32nd annual celebration of Newport’s Italian heritage with six events between Sept. 25 and Oct. 16. The run opens Friday, Sept. 25, with the John Panaggio Original Ziti Night at Vasco da Gama Hall, 15 Fenner Ave., from 5 […]
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“Mighty Mary” premieres Friday at the Jane Pickens, opening a week of sailing films
The Jane Pickens Theater is running a week of sailing and survival stories starting Friday, Sept. 11, anchored by the Rhode Island premiere of “Mighty Mary,” a documentary about the first all-women’s team to compete for the America’s Cup. Directed by Mary Mazzio and narrated by Elizabeth Banks and Hugh Jackman, the film follows the […]
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“Return to Camelot” marks 73 years since the Kennedy wedding at St. Mary’s
St. Mary’s Church will mark the 73rd anniversary of the wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier and then-Sen. John F. Kennedy with “Return to Camelot: The Kennedy Wedding Remembered” at noon on Saturday, Sept. 12, the anniversary itself. The program includes vintage film from the 1953 ceremony, a live performance of the organ music and hymns played […]
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Buster Keaton’s “The Cameraman” screens with live piano at Tiverton library
The Tiverton Public Library will screen Buster Keaton’s “The Cameraman” with live piano accompaniment on Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m. at 34 Roosevelt Ave. The program is free and open to the public. Richard Hughes will introduce the film and play the score, drawing on the mood music that accompanied silent pictures in theaters. […]
Posted inCity & Government
Japan-America Friendship Festival returns to Touro Park on Oct. 17
The second Japan-America Friendship Festival takes over Touro Park on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with taiko drumming, martial arts demonstrations, Japanese food and a family cosplay costume contest. Admission is free and the event runs rain or shine. The day is built around the Newport-Shimoda sister city relationship, and is […]
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Newport Art Museum names Emily Manocchio director of advancement
Emily Manocchio starts Monday, Sept. 14, as director of advancement at the Newport Art Museum, where she will lead fundraising and philanthropic strategy alongside Executive Director Harry Philbrick and the board of trustees. Manocchio comes from Newport Hospital, part of the Brown University Health system, where she was interim philanthropy director and coordinated a $2.6 […]
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Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular returns Oct. 1 with a pun-themed trail
The Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular returns to Roger Williams Park Zoo from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1, with this year’s trail built around wordplay — pop culture references, puns and, by the zoo’s own admission, dad jokes carved into more than 5,000 pumpkins. All tickets are timed and must be bought online in advance. Friday through Sunday […]
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Cole Brauer brings her memoir to the Jane Pickens on Sept. 16
Cole Brauer, the first American woman to race solo, nonstop and unassisted around the world, comes to the Jane Pickens Theater on Wednesday, Sept. 16, to discuss her memoir “First Light: Sailing Solo but Not Alone.” Charter Books is hosting the event, which begins at 6 p.m. with doors at 5. Brauer will be in […]
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Candlelight tour of Belcourt to benefit Middletown library’s new building
The Middletown Public Library is holding an after-dark candlelight tour of Belcourt of Newport on Friday, Oct. 2, as a fundraiser for its new building project. Guides will lead visitors through the Bellevue Avenue mansion by candlelight, covering its Gilded Age history and architecture along with the ghost stories the property has collected over the […]
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Newport String Project opens its 14th season with 15-minute concerts for an audience of one
The Newport String Project opens its 14th season on Sunday, Sept. 20, with Pocket Concerts, a day of 15-minute performances played for a single listener or a small group. Musicians from the Newport String Quartet perform alongside guest artists, with programs mixing familiar repertoire and original music. Instruments this year include vibraphone, electronics and viola […]
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Newport Classical opens its chamber season Sept. 18 with a quartet that plays banjos and mandolins too
Newport Classical opens its sixth full-season Chamber Series on Friday, Sept. 18, with the Austin-based quartet Invoke, the first of twelve concerts running through early June at Newport Classical Recital Hall, 42 Dearborn St. Invoke is a string quartet that doesn’t stay one — the group plays banjo and mandolin alongside the usual strings and […]
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Jane Pickens runs a week of 1960s cinema starting Friday, opening with a Beatles tribute band
The Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center will screen 10 films from the 1960s over seven days beginning Friday, Sept. 4, with three of the nights paired with live music. The festival opens with Studio Two, a Boston-based tribute to the early Beatles, performing at 7 p.m., followed by a restored print of “A Hard […]
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Teton Gravity Research ski film screens at the Jane Pickens on Nov. 11
Teton Gravity Research will screen its 31st annual ski film, “Actually, It Is Rocket Science,” at the Jane Pickens Theatre on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the 120-minute film at 7:30. The film was shot across Bute Inlet in British Columbia, Haines in Alaska, Japan, Finland, Andorra, Montana, Jackson Hole and […]
Posted inArts & Culture, History
On This Day – August 28, 1987: Actor John Huston dies in Middletown
On this day in 1987, film director, screenwriter and actor, John Huston, died in Middletown, Rhode Island from pneumonia as a complication of lung disease. Huston was in Rhode Island and rented a home in Middletown for his work as producer and co-writer of Mr. North (1998), the last film he would ever work on. Huston […]
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Puddingstone Music adds two September concerts at Rough Point
Puddingstone Music has announced two September concerts at Rough Point, following sold-out performances in August. Pianist David Kaplan performs “Quasi una Fantasia” on Saturday, Sept. 12. The program explores the territory between composition and improvisation, drawing on works with improvisatory qualities either in how they’re performed or how they were written. The title comes from […]
Posted inArts & Culture, History
This Day in RI History: August 26, 1949 – Bob Cowsill is born
Happy Birthday Bob Cowsill! The guitar/vocalist of the Newport-based family band The Cowsills was born on August 26th, 1949. Born in Portsmouth, Virginia, Bob spent some of his youth in Ohio, before the family moved to Rhode Island in the early 1960’s. https://youtu.be/HCqg-vhiBAc Based in Newport, The Cowsills achieved national success in the 1960’s, behind […]
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Newport Sings opens fall enrollment for teen and adult choruses
Newport Sings is enrolling teens and adults for two fall choral programs on Aquidneck Island, both free or offered on a sliding scale with no audition required. The programs are Aquidneck Singers, a multigenerational treble chorus for sopranos and altos, and Quorus, which the organization describes as the first and only LGBTQIA+ all-voices chorus in […]
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Tiverton Public Library’s September lineup: silent film, author visits and a book club at a cat café
TIVERTON — The Tiverton Public Library has released its September schedule of adult programs, ranging from a live-accompanied silent film screening to a book club that meets in a cat café. Film and music. Buster Keaton’s 1928 comedy “The Cameraman” screens Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 6 p.m., with Richard Hughes introducing the film and accompanying […]
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Tiverton library opens StoryWalk trail with Sept. 19 celebration
The Tiverton Public Library will hold a grand opening for its new StoryWalk on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. StoryWalk mounts the pages of a children’s picture book on signs along a walking path, so visitors read the story a page at a time as they move through the trail. The […]
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Jamestown Community Theatre holding auditions for Sondheim’s “Merrily We Roll Along”
Jamestown Community Theatre will hold auditions for “Merrily We Roll Along” on Thursday, Sept. 3, at the Jamestown Recreation Center, opening the company’s 36th season. The musical, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by George Furth, follows composer Franklin Shepard, who achieves professional success at steep personal cost. The story unfolds […]
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Groove Merchants close out NIMFest season at King Park on Sunday
Groove Merchants headline the final NIMFest concert of the 2026 season on Sunday, Aug. 23, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the King Park Gazebo, 125 Wellington Ave. The show is free and open to the public, weather permitting. The Newport-based six-piece plays a funk-inflected take on pop and jazz, moving between laid-back grooves, hard-hitting […]
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Newport OUT hosts White Party Drag Brunch at Stoneacre over Labor Day weekend
Newport OUT will host a White Party Drag Brunch at Stoneacre Brasserie on Sunday, Sept. 6, a Miami-inspired celebration closing out the summer over Labor Day weekend. Gigi Glam returns to host and perform, joined by Kennedy Plaza and Shania Taint. Adriana, a new addition to the Newport OUT drag roster, will also perform. Reservations […]
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Comedian Juston McKinney coming to the JPT in November
Spectacle Live will present comedian Juston McKinney on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. at The JPT Film & Event Center. McKinney has made multiple appearances on “The Tonight Show” under both Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien, and has released two Comedy Central specials and two Amazon Prime specials, including “Parentally Challenged.” He has performed […]
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Ghost Hunters’ Amy Bruni brings haunted cookbook to Portsmouth’s Valley Inn
Charter Books and the Newport Ladies Book Club will host paranormal investigator and author Amy Bruni at the Valley Inn Restaurant on Monday, Aug. 24, to celebrate her new cookbook, “Cuisine to Kill For.” The venue is in the book. The Valley Inn, a 17th-century colonial property at 2221 West Main Road, is tied to […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Newport Classical brings audience-driven concerts to Dearborn Street in October
Newport Classical will present Ensemble Mélange in two free concerts on Sunday, Oct. 18, at 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the Newport Classical Recital Hall, 42 Dearborn St. The concerts hand the programming over to the audience. The ensemble arrives with a menu of more than 30 selections spanning classical, jazz, Latin and Broadway, […]
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Chicago tribute act Beginnings coming to the JPT in November
Spectacle Live will present Beginnings – A Celebration of the Music of Chicago on Saturday, Nov. 28, at 7:30 p.m. at The JPT Film & Event Center. Tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 14, at 10 a.m. at JanePickens.com or by phone at 1-800-657-8774. The tribute act performs the catalog of Rock and Roll Hall […]
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Dave Matthews Band coming to Providence in November, months after Newport Folk surprise
Dave Matthews Band will play the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Nov. 9 as part of a fall tour announced Tuesday, bringing the frontman back to Rhode Island less than four months after his unannounced solo appearance at the Newport Folk Festival. Matthews made his Newport Folk debut on July 26, joining Nathaniel Rateliff & Friends […]
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Soul City brings horn-driven dance party to King Park for NIMFest on Aug. 16
Soul City headlines the next NIMFest concert on Sunday, Aug. 16, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the King Park Gazebo, 125 Wellington Ave. The show is free and open to the public, weather permitting. The horn-driven party band has been playing since 1988 and has built a reputation across New England for packed dance […]
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Garrison Keillor at 84: ‘I could go on doing this for a while’
The schedule called for fifteen minutes with Garrison Keillor. It ended up being a half-hour private concert. Keillor brings “Garrison Keillor Tonight” to the Jane Pickens Theater on September 20. “I’m doing pretty well,” he said at the start of the conversation. “I’m making progress on a new book. As long as one has a […]
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Academy Players stages ’80s jukebox musical ‘Rock of Ages’
Chelsea Morgan is drawn to directing “huge, exciting, dance-heavy musicals with a large cast.” The jukebox musical “Rock of Ages” checks all those boxes for Morgan and her husband, Adam. Last summer, they directed “The Wedding Singer” at Academy Players in Providence. “I knew I wanted to do something with those same qualities this summer,” […]
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Free Fort Adams lecture to explore Irish role in the American Revolution
The Fort Adams Trust and the Museum of Newport Irish History will present a free public lecture on the Irish and Irish-American role in the American Revolution at Fort Adams on Sunday, Aug. 16. “From Revolution to Ramparts: Irish and Irish-American Influence on the American Revolution and Fort Adams” features historian Christian McBurney, author of […]
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newportFILM screens Newport Folk Festival documentary at Miantonomi Park on Aug. 13
Days after both the Newport Folk Festival and Newport Jazz Festival sold out again this summer, newportFILM will screen a documentary about the folk festival’s most consequential years. “Newport & the Great Folk Dream” plays Thursday, Aug. 13, at Miantonomi Memorial Park, 120 Hillside Ave. The venue opens at 5 p.m., with live music from […]
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Jamestown Artists’ Open Studios returns August 8-9 with more than 30 artists opening their doors island-wide
Jamestown Arts Center’s Artists’ Open Studios returns this weekend, offering visitors a free, self-guided tour of more than 30 artist studios and galleries across Conanicut Island on Saturday, August 8 and Sunday, August 9, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Expanded to two days this year, the event invites visitors to follow ART […]
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Chris Monti Band plays Tiverton Four Corners on Aug. 22
The Chris Monti Band will play a summer concert at The Meeting House in Tiverton Four Corners on Saturday, Aug. 22. The show starts at 7 p.m., with doors at 6:30 p.m., at 3850 Main Road. Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Organizers strongly encourage buying ahead, though door entry is […]
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The Coe Street Co-Op headlines free NIMFest concert at King Park Sunday
The Coe Street Co-Op will headline the next installment of NIMFest 2026 on Sunday, Aug. 9, from 3 to 6 p.m. at the King Park Gazebo, 125 Wellington Ave. The show is free and open to the public, weather permitting. The Woonsocket-based five-piece plays a feel-good blend of classic rock influences and original songwriting, with […]
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Stand-up comedy show at Firehouse Theater to benefit cat rescue
The Firehouse Theater will host “Funnies for Felines,” a charity stand-up comedy showcase, on Thursday, Aug. 13, with all ticket proceeds going to Fine Feline Cat Rescue. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m. at the theater, 4 Equality Park Place. The lineup features six local stand-up comedians. The event […]
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Former Christie’s deputy chairman and “Antiques Roadshow” appraiser to speak at Rosecliff on August 11
John A. Hays, a private art adviser, former deputy chairman of Christie’s Americas, and “Antiques Roadshow” appraiser, will deliver the Preservation Society of Newport County’s annual John G. Winslow Lecture at Rosecliff on Tuesday, August 11 at 6 p.m. His talk, “The Thrill of the Chase: Collecting Art in Our Time,” will focus on 18th-century […]
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Spectacle Live announces Canadian Brass and Irish Tenors for December performances at JPT Film & Event Center
Spectacle Live has announced two holiday season performances at the JPT Film & Event Center in Washington Square this December, with the Irish Tenors returning by popular demand on December 9 and Canadian Brass taking the stage December 17. The Irish Tenors — Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan, and Patrick Hyland — will perform Wednesday, December […]
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Norman Bird Sanctuary’s 52nd Annual Harvest Fair returns October 3-4 with early bird tickets now on sale
Tickets are now on sale for the Norman Bird Sanctuary’s 52nd Annual Harvest Fair, returning to the sanctuary’s 300-acre Middletown campus on Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4. The two-day festival features live music, local food, artisan vendors, hayrides, games, children’s activities, and seasonal fun. More than 8,000 visitors are expected over the weekend. […]
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Newport Jazz Festival closes out with Herbie Hancock, Thundercat, Celeste, and a weekend to remember
The 2026 Newport Jazz Festival wrapped up Sunday at Fort Adams State Park with Herbie Hancock headlining a closing day full of standout performances, a last-minute cancellation, and one of the weekend’s most spontaneous moments. Sienna Spiro, scheduled to perform on the Quad Stage, cancelled due to a throat infection. Newport Jazz Festival Artistic Director […]