"So You're Going to Play Newport 2025 ..."

If you're bound for the sold out Newport Folk Festival (July 25-27) or the Newport Jazz Festival (August 1-3), you already know the essentials to bring: sunscreen (globs of it), water (ditto), comfy shoes, and a carefree mood 'cause you're gonna do nothing but immerse yourself in music and happy vibes for three (or six) days. Few festivals are as revered as Newport's folk 'n' jazz weekends for their camaraderie and bonhomie between musicians — and longtime devotees' utopian idea that time really does stand still at this Rhode Island reverie, if only for a weekend.

Since 2022, FUV has been catching up with musicians headed for Newport and asking just what they're anticipating on their return to Fort Adams — and this year, everyone from Maggie Rose to Louis Cato of "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" weighed in:

"There is nothing like Newport Folk Fest—the Fort is a stunning scene and the history of the festival is legendary. I’m excited to be a little part of that history with my set on Friday and I’m really looking forward to the hang. Getting the chance to see artists and friends I admire in that environment is a dream come true. I’ll get to say that I played a set between Geese and Goose! And who doesn’t want to catch Kenny Loggins at the Fort surrounded by boats?" - Maggie Rose

"Newport Folk is legendary for so many reasons, but recently I’ve enjoyed watching from afar as so many of my favorite artists and friends collaborate with each other every year there. I got to make a tune this year called 'Wild and Rotten' with the great Nathaniel Rateliff, who is also playing at the festival that weekend. It’s always a joy to make music with friends, but it’s extra special to do so in a place with so much history. Songs are meant to be shared like this and I look forward to playing with some friends and watching so many talented musicians do their thing during this weekend." - Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy

"I'm most excited about playing on such a historic stage and getting to share these songs I'm so proud of in the form they originated — just me and my guitar against the world, in honor of the folk tradition I'm trying to make my own." - Jensen McRae

"I am always honored and excited to come vibe with and contribute to the Newport Jazz Festival. I love the excitement and passion for the music circulating through the grounds. The festival becomes a sort of family reunion where I get to connect and catch up with some many beloved beings in the music! I’m so looking forward to presenting my/our current explorations reintegrating dance with the music." - esperanza spalding

"The camaraderie between the artists backstage and the crowd front of stage is unlike anything I've ever witnessed. I love that artists who aren’t even performing show up because just being near the energy at Newport Folk Festival is enough.” - Maren Morris

"When I was at Brown [University], I went to Newport every year and it was always the highlight of my summer. I really still can't believe we get to play there this year. It's a dream come true for me. And it's going to be a really unique set for us, given we typically play at electronic festivals. We're going to be showcasing some of our recent album, butter, which is based around Brazilian jazz and we are bringing some musicians from Brazil to make this extra special." - Sophie Hawley-Weld of Sofi Tukker

"I’m gonna play some softball, I’m gonna see my friends, and we’re gonna do the work we was born to do.” - Jesse Welles

"I'm not sure there are words enough to express the vast breadth of meaning that playing Newport Jazz Festival this year holds for me. To be leading a trio alongside two of my most influential inspirations (Marcus Miller and John Scofield), and to be birthing it at one of the most iconic music festivals on the planet? Suffice it to say, I am as thrilled as I've ever been about any project I've ever worked on. Can't wait to feel the specific electricity that happens naturally as a result of the chemistry between us!" - Louis Cato

"I’m most looking forward to standing on stage and looking out at the bay and all the sailboats. I grew up going to NFF and always imagined what that view would be like from the stage. Bucket-list moment!" - Tyler Ballgame

"Being invited to play Newport Folk is an honor for a band that has always put authentic expression and melding of electric styles of music as our North Star. Being asked to host a guest set is also special and so true to what we’ve always tried to do with Sammy Rae & The Friends, collaborate and break down barriers between genres of music." - Sammy Rae of Sammy Rae & The Friends

“The most meaningful thing about playing at Newport Festival is the history. Being in a place that many greats have sung their hearts out, and raised their voices for something, means a lot to me.” - Mon Rovîa

"Returning to Newport Folk after my last appearance 25 years ago feels like one of those big, beautiful circles that the universe offers sometimes and I'm really grateful for how special it feels. I’ve played there under my own name and as part of Four Voices (Joan Baez, Indigo Girls, MCC) and in the years since I last visited, its been wonderful to witness the commitment the festival has to introducing both new artists and celebrating the long-timers of this musical world in front of that incredible and devoted audience that sell it out every year. Huzzah!” - Mary Chapin Carpenter

“One of the places we are playing this summer is Newport Folk Festival, and I am excited to play that – I played it before with Pixies in, like, ’09, something like that, and I remember I enjoyed it. So I am looking forward to going back there." - Kim Deal

"You know, Newport has this incredible legacy — all these legendary artists have graced those stages. Just being part of that lineage, that history, it's humbling. The crowds there really listen, you know? They're not just there for the spectacle, they're there for the music, the stories. That connection with an audience who genuinely cares about the craft - that's what I'm most excited about. Plus, there's something magical about performing in that setting, with the water nearby and that intimate festival vibe. It's going to be special." - Samm Henshaw

"We’ve had friends play at Newport Folk Festival, and they’ve always said how incredible the camaraderie and community is there. We're excited to experience it firsthand this year and meet some of the other incredible artists on the lineup!" - Dillon Basse of flipturn

"Newport is always something to look forward to. There's always a little collaborative surprise around the corner, some one-of-a-kind moment that gets emblazoned on your brain whether you're an artist playing the festival or in the audience. To be a small part of that rich history is really something else." - Bonny Light Horseman's Eric D. Johnson

“Dakota [McDaniel] and I are so excited to be a part of the ongoing history that is Newport. We both have grown up admiring artists who have played the festival and have always dreamed of playing. This year our dream comes to fruition!" - Ken Pomeroy

"For me, getting to perform and experience the historic Newport Jazz Festival is highly prized. As a jazz dilettante and fanboy, sharing the stage with the greats of jazz is a windfall. I look forward to seeing the performances, and sharing in the camaraderie backstage, an amazing chance to observe and interact with my heroes and contemporaries." - Béla Fleck

"The Newport Jazz Festival holds significant historical and cultural weight for me. I am deeply humbled to be part of the enormous legacy of creative musicians who have performed at this festival." - Darius Jones

"Some of my earliest memories of great music are intertwined with the legendary Newport Jazz Festival. From watching 'Jazz on a Summer's Day' on repeat, to wearing out my vinyl copy of Ellington at Newport. In 1992 I even convinced my mother to take me to see the most incredible line-up imaginable. including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams, Shirley Horn, and McCoy Tyner. It's truly a dream and honor for us to be invited to play this year with Parlor Greens.” - Adam Scone of Parlor Greens

"We don’t really play jazz in any traditional sense, but we improvise a lot and there is a similar sensibility to jazz musicians in the way we play together. I think it’s cool that we were asked to play a jazz festival, especially one as legendary as Newport. We also played at the folk festival last year and had a good time." - Zac Sokolow with Jake Faulkner and Nicholas Baker of LA LOM

"It's our first time traveling with a band, beyond a quartet, and our show falls on the release date of our new album, West of Broadway. It will be a dream come true to play this great and storied festival with our new music and many of the musicians who recorded it with us.”- Vilray of Rachael and Vilray

"There are few places on earth where so many artists I admire and sympathetic art-loving people gather at once. The festival is like a family reunion in a seaside castle. I’m honored to be anywhere near it."- Spencer Tweedy (playing with Waxahatchee, Jeff Tweedy, and the Cook Brothers)

"I’m just super proud to have been invited.” - Dan Reeder