2026 Newport Jazz Festival - Saturday Fort Adams State Park Newport

Fort Adams State Park is a recreation and historic location in Newport, Rhode Island. The venue is preserving Fort Adams, a large coastal fortification located at the harbor mouth in Newport. The state park hosts the annual Newport Jazz Festival. William Brenton initially owned the area where the park existed. In 1965, after a long tenure as a military installation, the state park was taken by the State of Rhode Island.

Fort Adams State Park was established in 1965. The venue is governed by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Division of Parks & Recreation and the United States Department of Defense. The state offers boating, swimming, picnicking, and athletic fields in addition to panoramic views of the harbor and Narragansett Bay. The Joseph “Jay” Kirwin Memorial Rugby Pitch included in the state park serves as home to Newport Rugby Football Club and Salve Regina University’s rugby teams.

The fort hosts the annual Newport Rugby Sevens Tournament every summer. The Fort Adams Trust is well-known for offering guided tours of Fort Adams, the Eisenhower “Summer White House,” and the Fort Adams Advanced Southern Redoubt.