'It's chill vibes': From veterans to first-timers Newport Folk Festival remains special

NEWPORT – In the early afternoon on Sunday, traffic on America’s Cup was a lethargic crawl. Down at Fort Adams, the last day of the Newport Folk Festival was already in swing, the parking having expanded out to a fourth lot out at the edge of the park. School buses, some from as far as Portsmouth, joined the brigade of shuttles ushering attendees to and from the festival front entrance.

The three days of the festival were packed with stars , from Hozier and Muna on Friday and Orville Peck, Elle King and Joan Baez on Saturday. Sunday brought the Dropkick Murphys, Sierra Ferrell and, the maybe unconventional appearance from Conan O’Brien to the iconic stages.

The festival fields were packed on Sunday, although the crowd was a little thinner than it was on Saturday. Unlike Saturday’s bright clear sky, Sunday’s overcast weather provided welcome coverage for the festival’s final day.

“It was a hot day, but great music,” Volunteer Brett van Beever said. “Great people watching. It’s great to see all the humanity here.”

Van Beever’s family has been volunteering at the Folk Festival for the past 20 years, and his life partner Tracy Daly has joined him for the past two. Despite the changing crowds and musicians year after year, Van Beever said the “vibes” of the festival remain the same. Daly said it's a great way for them to connect with their family.

“Just seeing people happy and chilling and being kind to each other, it’s inspiring,” Daly said.

One of the changes implemented this year was increased accessibility, including the addition of seating in front of the Quad stage, for which Van Beever praised the festival. Another change impacted how people make their way down to the state park. This year, the festival worked alongside the city and police department to establish a new traffic pattern that gave the ever-increasing number of bicyclists their own lane .

Dedicated bike lanes welcomed

“They gave us an entire lane this year as opposed to being in with the cars, which is much safer,” Debbie McDonald said.

Rob and Debbie McDonald have biked to the Fort for most of the 15 years they’ve come down to the festival, bringing their van down to Newport from their New Jersey home and biking to the Fort for the festival. They said that compared to previous years, the lane made biking to and from the fort a lot easier.

“The bike lanes were a welcomed experience change,” Rob McDonald said. “It made the whole thing a lot less stressful.”

'It's special': For some a longtime tradition, others just starting

Going to Folk Fest has become a tradition for many, including Newport resident Elizabeth Meeks.

“I’ve lived here for 10 years, I’ve never felt happier or safer than when I’m in this space,” Meeks said. “It’s special and I feel like it’s even more special for people who live here to be like, we put this on. This is us. This is a representation of what we are at heart.”

Still, several attendees each year get to experience the festival for the first time. Meeks brought three friends in tow, all who were experiencing the festival for the first time in different ways. Prior to this year, Anna Smith experienced the festival from a boat on the Harbor. She gushed about the new musicians she got to experience, such as Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham.

“We’re just making friends, it’s chill vibes, it’s great,” Smith said. “I’m listening to all this new music, so, I’m a happy girl.”

It was Kaia Quigg’s first Folk Festival as well, having moved here from California last year after visiting Meeks in Newport regularly for the past 10 years. She was impressed with how thoughtfully the event was carried out.

“You can just tell there’s so much attention to every detail,” Quigg said. “Safety, accessibility, variety, inclusion, it’s glaringly obvious from the first few hours. It just feels good. I feel safe.”

Ava Coristine, another friend of Meek’s, said Saturday might have been the best day of her life.

“So great how, in every area of the Fort, you can hear music,” Coristine said. “Every area is like its own little alcove. You might be getting food but you can hear music in the background, or you’re shopping and you can hear music. It’s so great. That’s my favorite part.”

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: 'It's chill vibes': From veterans to first-timers Newport Folk Festival remains special