Exactly four years ago this month, the Rhode Island Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in Exeter erected a Gold Star Families monument to honor those families who sacrificed a loved one for our freedom. A Gold Star Family signals a family who has lost a loved one during activity-duty military service. There are estimated to be more […]
Arts & Culture
A look at What’s Up in arts and culture in Newport, Rhode Island, and beyond.
Posted inArts & Culture
The Firehouse Theater announces summer 2026 lineup of improv, comedy and storytelling
The Firehouse Theater has unveiled its summer 2026 schedule, featuring programming for audiences of all ages from the Newport comedy venue. Every Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., The Bit Players, billed as Rhode Island’s most award-winning comedy group, will take the stage for their fast-paced short-form improv show. In addition to the weekend shows, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Pulitzer-winning author Liaquat Ahamed to speak at Rosecliff on June 15
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Liaquat Ahamed will explore the causes and consequences of the Panic of 1873 in a talk at Rosecliff on Monday, June 15, at 6 p.m. Ahamed will discuss his new book, “1873: The Rothschilds, the First Great Depression, and the Making of the Modern World.” The Panic of 1873 hit the United […]
Posted inThings To Do
20 Military Memorials, Monuments and Markers you should visit in Newport
These memorials, monuments, and markers throughout Newport, Rhode Island document the trials, tribulations, battles, historical events, and those Newporters lost while at a battle. We hope that this will inspire you to visit an important marker, monument, and memorial that more than likely has been an integral piece of our city and nation’s history. 1 – […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Umbrella Sky returns to Brick Market for fourth season with “Flowers in Bloom” theme
The Umbrella Sky art installation returns to Brick Market Place for a fourth consecutive year, opening May 23 with a new theme transforming the sky into a floating garden. This season’s theme, “Flowers in Bloom,” features colorful umbrellas painted with bold botanical designs. The theme extends throughout the installation, incorporating garden trellises and vibrant hanging […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport Historical Society to open Center for Black History on Juneteenth
The Newport Historical Society will open the Edward W. Kane & Martha J. Wallace Center for Black History on Juneteenth 2026, marking what the society calls a transformative step toward a more inclusive telling of the city’s history. Developed in partnership with Newport’s Black community, the center will serve as a hub for research, scholarship, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
RENEWport launches Semiquincentennial 250 Archival Project to preserve Newport youth reflections
RENEWport has launched the Semiquincentennial 250 Archival Project, inviting local youth to share their reflections on the nation’s 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. The project, in collaboration with the Newport Historical Society, Newport Public Schools and the East Bay MET School, will preserve students’ reflections and their hopes for the future. Submissions are […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Theatre By The Sea opens 2026 summer season with “Little Shop of Horrors”
Theatre By The Sea will open its 2026 summer season with “Little Shop of Horrors,” running May 28 through June 20 at the historic Wakefield playhouse. The musical, with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and music by Alan Menken, follows hapless floral assistant Seymour Krelborn, who pines for his coworker Audrey while nursing a […]
Posted inArts & Culture
For “The Lion King’s” Rafiki, a role in five languages and counting
Zama Magudulela had to think for a minute before declaring, “I’m the only one.” Magudulela is on tour as Rafiki, the mandrill shaman in “The Lion King,” the Disneymusical opening this week at the Providence Performing Arts Center. “Out of all theRafikis in the world,” she said in a recent interview, “I’m the first one […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jane Pickens Theater announces Memorial Day weekend lineup headlined by “Saving Private Ryan” screening with WWII Foundation Q&A
The Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center will mark Memorial Day weekend with a lineup of comedy, live music and classic films, headlined by a special Memorial Day screening of “Saving Private Ryan” in partnership with Rhode Island’s World War II Foundation. The Steven Spielberg film, winner of five Academy Awards including Best Director, will […]
Posted inArts & Culture
This Day in RI History: May 20, 1959 – Susan Cowsill is born
Happy Birthday to Newport’s own Susan Cowsill! The youngest member of the popular family band The Cowsills, who charmed TV audiences in the late 60’s, turns 65 on May 20th. Cowsill was born in Canton, Ohio in 1959, but moved to Newport as a child. She sang and danced on many Top 40 Cowsills hits […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Rogers and Middletown students bring “Chicago: Teen Edition” to new Rogers auditorium May 29-30
The joint Rogers and Middletown High School Theater Company will bring “Chicago: Teen Edition” to the stage on May 29 and 30, marking the first musical production in Rogers High School’s new state-of-the-art auditorium. Both performances are at 7 p.m. at Rogers High School, 15 Wickham Road. Tickets are $10 and will be available at […]
Posted inArts & Culture
“Jaws” returns to The JPT for annual summer parties starting May 29
Amity Island is coming back to Washington Square. The Jane Pickens Theater & Event Center will once again kick off summer with its annual “Jaws” party on Friday, May 29, before returning the Steven Spielberg classic to the big screen for three more screenings in July. The annual celebration of the 1975 blockbuster, presented in […]
Posted inMusic & Entertainment
Newport Classical Music Festival returns July 2-19 with 30 concerts across 11 venues
The Newport Classical Music Festival will present 30 concerts across 11 venues from July 2 through 19, the organization announced Thursday, marking its 57th year showcasing classical music in some of Newport County’s most iconic settings. Performances will take place at The Breakers, The Elms, Castle Hill Inn, Blithewold Mansion, Rosecliff Mansion, Redwood Library and […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jamestown Arts Center to host game show–style artist talk May 17
The Jamestown Arts Center will trade the conventional artist talk for buzzers and games when it presents “The ‘Next’ Contestant,” an experimental, game show–style program on Sunday, May 17. The event runs from 4 to 5:30 p.m. and is described as part panel discussion, part improv. Rather than a moderator leading questions from the audience, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Author Michael Klein to discuss ‘Happiness Ruined Everything’ at Jamestown Arts Center
Local author Michael Klein will discuss his new essay collection, “Happiness Ruined Everything,” during an evening event at the Jamestown Arts Center on Tuesday, May 12. The talk, presented by Newport’s Charter Books in collaboration with the arts center, will run from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at 18 Valley St. RSVPs are encouraged for the pay-what-you-can […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Arts & Cultural Alliance opens nominations for LeRoy White Soul & Conscience Award
The Arts & Cultural Alliance of Newport County and the White Family Foundation are accepting nominations for the fourth annual LeRoy White Soul & Conscience Award, a $5,000 prize given each year to a musician whose life or art contributes to and connects the community. Musicians may apply on their own behalf or be nominated […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Puddingstone Summer Music Festival returns to Newport for second year
Puddingstone has announced the program for its second annual Summer Music Festival, which will run June 21-27 at the Casino Theatre on Freebody Street. Following last year’s sold-out inaugural festival, which spread performances across the Redwood Library, Rough Point and the Colony House, the 2026 edition consolidates programming at a single venue with five concerts […]
Posted inArts & Culture
French naval officer to discuss French Social Model at Portsmouth library May 17
The Alliance Française de Newport will host a talk by Commandant Igor Maury, the French naval officer assigned to the Naval War College in Newport, on Sunday, May 17. The program will run from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Portsmouth Free Public Library, 2658 East Main Road, in the library’s Michael W. Mello Program […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport Classical to close Chamber Series with pianist James Zijian Wei and a flute-piano duo
Newport Classical will wrap its 2025-2026 Chamber Series with two concerts at the Newport Classical Recital Hall, beginning with a solo recital by pianist James Zijian Wei on Friday, May 8, and closing with a flute-and-piano program by Amir Hoshang Farsi and Mika Sasaki on Friday, June 5. Both concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. at the […]
Posted inColumns
Gerry Goldstein: These ‘smiths’ worked the forge of language
Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths, Enwrought with gold and silver light… I would spread the cloths under your feet: But I, being poor, have only my dreams: I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams. That poem,which so touchingly captures the vulnerability of love, is by […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jamestown Arts Center to host third annual Mark S. Weil lecture on Gauguin’s influence
The Jamestown Arts Center will host the third annual Mark S. Weil Art History Lecture on Sunday, May 3, featuring art historian Elizabeth C. Childs of Washington University in St. Louis. The lecture, titled “Why Gauguin Matters: Artistic Response from Matisse to Global Contemporary Art,” will run from 4 to 6 p.m. at the arts […]
Posted inInstagram
Tom Petty tribute band The Breakers to play Newport’s JPT in October
The Breakers, a tribute band devoted to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, will perform at the JPT Film & Event Center in Newport on Friday, Oct. 9, at 8 p.m. The show, presented by Spectacle Live, will be held at the historic Washington Square venue, formerly the Jane Pickens Theater. Tickets go on sale Friday, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Newport Contemporary Ballet to premiere ‘The Tempest’ in Providence next month
Newport Contemporary Ballet will stage the world premiere of choreographer Joshua L. Peugh’s adaptation of “The Tempest” at the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence on May 14, 15 and 16. All three performances begin at 8 p.m. General admission tickets are $48. Peugh’s ballet adapts Shakespeare’s late comedy, which centers on the exiled magician Prospero, […]
