“Happiness is having a friend with a boat…” muses the captain of our boat to Fort Adams, “who’s come the furthest?” Most of the folks in the boat are American and so Maryland wins on this occasion although we’re told that the boat has already had keen festival-goers from as far afield as Germany and Australia. Without saying it explicitly, even before setting foot on the fabled festival’s ground we’re made aware that jazz fans travel from all over the world just to be here, in Newport.

Once having disembarked one of the fleet of 20 boats (and survived more quizzing as to who is a repeat Newport Jazz visitor and/or double-dipping by doing the Folk festival the previous weekend), the crowd queue in the sun before passing under a banner bearing festival founder George Wein’s name. This banner combined with the multi-colored signpost inscribed with everyone from Billie Holiday to Roy Hargrove underscores the jazz nutrients in the soil of this place. There are delights everywhere that have kept jazz fans traveling from all over since George opened the gates in 1954. BBQ-scented air drifts over from near the Harborside stage where a crowd is enjoying Rich Ruth’s smooth texture, conjuring up something folk-y smooth before moving towards a climactic build. Through the imposing archway, to the Quad stage and a well-shaded audience is enjoying Terence Blanchard’s band laying down the groove with Charles Arturo shredding as Charles tends to do.

Meanwhile around on Fort Stage, Nubya Garcia is presenting work that she wrote for a string quartet. Her track ‘Waters Path’ leads the main Fort stage into a place of soulful contemplation while—aptly—the water of the water of Narragansett Bay laps at the shoreline within sight of the main stage. Newport’s main stage area itself is a fascinating, layered configuration of tents at the back, row upon row of seating in marked areas and then plenty of room for standing/dancing at the front. It speaks to the way the jazz festival accommodates all sorts of tastes and desires. As one, this area is united as a “living titan who we should not take fore granted” is announced on the stage: Dianne Reeves. She leads off with her take on Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’ and has everyone in the palm of her had by the time she’s singing ‘Someone to Watch Over Me’.

There’s a pleasant breeze at the jetty that holds the beer pier where the sounds of the Fort stage can still be appreciated. Boats are milling around the water, enjoying what music they can also overhear on this most pleasant of summer days. From down at the water, Dianne can be heard musing that “a lot of times people call this a stage…but we call it a playground”. If the stage at the Newport is a playground then the rest of the festival is something close to a jazz-lover’s amusement park. And an amusement park for all ages and stages as Willow’s slot on the Quad stage (complete with singing, dancing devoted fans) proves. The fans and artists have come from all over the world, the festival has been strutting its stuff for 71 years and if you have a friend with a boat, I can think of few places better to drop anchor than at Newport Jazz Festival: that way happiness lies.

Tickets for the 2025 festival sold out. Sign up for the newsletter here to be the first to know about the 2026 festival. Image credit Adam Kissick.