Newport, RI

Local Events

Reenactments, heritage festivals, and living history programs — experience the Revolution where it happened.

Upcoming This Year

Jul

ReenactmentFeatured

Rochambeau March Reenactment & Commemoration

King Park & Rochambeau Statue, Newport

Annual commemoration of the French Army's arrival and encampment in Newport during the American Revolution. Living history interpreters in French and Continental Army uniforms march through historic Washington Square and gather at the Rochambeau statue. Programs include musket demonstrations, period music, and speeches honoring the Franco-American alliance that helped win the war.

FreeTypically held in July near the anniversary of Rochambeau's arrival (July 11, 1780); contact the Newport Historical Society to confirm exact date each year.

Jun

Guided Tour

Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route (W3R) March to Victory Events

Various sites along the W3R National Historic Trail, starting in Newport

Newport serves as the official starting point of the Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail. Annual programs and guided walking tours trace the path Rochambeau's army took when it departed Newport in June 1781 en route to Yorktown. Events include ranger-led tours, interpretive talks at key French encampment sites, and partnership programs with the National Park Service.

FreeTypically held in June near the anniversary of the army's departure (June 10–12, 1781); dates vary. Contact the W3R-US organization or NPS for schedule.More info →

Jul

Ceremony

Newport Independence Day Celebration & Colonial History Programs

Colony House, Washington Square, Newport

Fourth of July festivities in Newport featuring a public reading of the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Colony House, where it was first read to Newport citizens in 1776. The ceremony includes fife-and-drum music, costumed interpreters, and a commemorative program at one of colonial America's most important civic buildings.

FreeJuly 4th; Colony House programs may shift slightly if July 4 falls mid-week. Contact the Newport Historical Society for schedule.More info →

Aug

Ceremony

Reading of George Washington's Letter to the Hebrew Congregation

Touro Synagogue, 85 Touro Street, Newport

Annual public reading of President George Washington's famous 1790 letter to the Touro Synagogue congregation, in which he declared that the United States 'gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance.' The ceremony features civic leaders, guest readers, and musical performances inside the nation's oldest surviving synagogue building.

FreeHeld on a Sunday in mid-to-late August; exact date varies by year. Contact Touro Synagogue to confirm.More info →

Oct

Guided Tour

Colonial Newport Living History Weekend at Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House

Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, 17 Broadway, Newport

The Newport Historical Society hosts periodic living history programs at the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House, Newport's oldest surviving house museum, which was the site of a Stamp Act riot in 1765. Programs feature costumed interpreters demonstrating colonial life, discussions of Newport's role in the lead-up to the Revolution, and guided tours of the house and its period furnishings.

Varies; some programs freeScheduled intermittently, often during Heritage Tourism Month in October or summer season. Contact the Newport Historical Society to confirm dates and availability.More info →