With our last day at Newport Folk Festival 2026, we were consistently surprised and amazed by the music and performances. It doesn’t go unnoticed that many festivals care about the people who attend and from what we’ve noticed at Newport Folk Festival is that they truly center their choices around the folks. From artists to watch like Dove Ellis and CMAT all the way down the line to bigger names like Father John Misty and Tom Morello, formally from Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. We normally geek out over days like this one, but we were truly so excited to experience the close to such a close knit and historic festival in Rhode Island.
Day Three Thoughts
Before we deep dive into our favorite acts, we wanted to share some thoughts about the festival in full and give you some details about the layout. Each time we have the opportunity to attend, it’s always soothing to know the layout and where each stage is set up. Unlike bigger festivals (we mean landscape wise), this festival is on the smaller side. You can easily walk 10k steps like us if you wanted to but the vibes are generally low key. Each stage has a seated area, food options, and a standing area if you wanted to watch for a bit. There’s a bike stage and smaller stage (known as the foundation stage) where they hug the bigger stages usually taking off once the bigger set finishes. This festival is very convivial since it caters to the people who want to sit and enjoy. If you wanted to attend, and didn’t know if rain or direct sunlight would ruin the vibes standing in the crowd, you have plenty of covered areas as well. With free water refilling stations and a bunch of seating at each stage, you have the ultimate set up. You might also make a friend or two next you that you can jam out with!
Our day three thoughts are normally an accumulation of the festival in total and we promise we aren’t over hyping (or under hyping) this festival. We generally love being here year after year and get so many new memories to think back on. If you are a fan of chill low key vibes off stage and an experimental ear for new and renowned music, you’ll definitely love Newport Folk Festival.
Dove Ellis
Dove Ellis is a folk artist that is quickly rising on the charts. His music is a mix of tranquil coffeehouse and upbeat folk music that you would’ve carried on your iPod rotation back in the day. During his set opening up day three at Newport Folk Festival, he brought his lyrics to life and the audience to connection. His music found us in a place where we could truly take note of the themes his was conveying. It was a great start to our day since we learned about another artist to add to our playlists.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT DOVE ELLIS:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
CMAT
Our residency babygirl CMAT took our hand and kept running. This was our first time seeing her live, and, guys? We definitely have a new artist to fangirl about. This artist is known for her presence on social media (and mostly TikTok) while crushing it on the Europe listens. CMAT had played Newport Folk Festival’s biggest stage and interacted with the crowd almost every chance she got. CMAT’s band also was so much fun to see as they danced, posed, and jammed out with one another. We are still reliving this set and think you should too at a concert near you.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT CMAT:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Searows
Searows singlehandedly took our breath away, broke our hearts, and stitched it back together again all while creating a sound that only few can achieve well. Bringing their nostalgic and profound sound to Rhode Island, Searows had made the audience quiet and still. It was interesting going from one stage where it was all drums and singing and walking through the doorway to hear their set. It felt almost as if we were in a movie and Searows soundtracked it. Newport Folk Festival goers were lucky to experience Searows and their band this year (or at least in our opinion).
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SEAROWS:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Victoria Canal
From one soundtrack to another, we quickly ran to Victoria Canal’s set as she played the Foundation stage. People lined up quickly to hear her music and her perspective on how she wrote each song. This set was on our lists from the start as we have been following her journey on TikTok for a few years now.
Victoria’s sound feels as if the movies Begin Again and About Time had created a soundtrack together. With each delivery of lyrics, she had connected with the audience we thoughtfully listened. The little kids at the front had been smiling the whole set as we noticed faces around the stage. Being who you are and finding yourself is a story we all partake in. It is in what we decide to do with it that really makes a difference. And Victoria Canal is doing extremely well in bringing all of us into that process with her.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT VICTORIA CANAL:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Nabeel
Have you guys ever sat down and listened to Nabeel before? His fusion best described as “iraqi indie” is something that we all should be downloading onto our playlists. After watch Nabeel play, we fell in love with his indie/shoe-gazing and punk rock vibes. This project was created after Nabeel wanted to represent his music and conversation with his brother a few years ago. People who gathered around the bike stage really loved the energy and passion behind this set. This was a first for us to hear live but it definitely won’t be the last.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT NABEEL:
INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
SNACKTIME
We love a good SNACKTIME moment. From last year’s coverage to this weekend’s performance, we knew SNACKTIME was going to deliver another unforgettable set. Their lively energy, genuine gratitude, and undeniable chemistry make them such a joy to experience live. Bringing out their friends Trousdale, who had performed just a day earlier, SNACKTIME once again proved why they’re a standout. They continue to bring the kind of energy that left the Newport Folk Festival audience smiling long after thier set was over.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT SNACKTIME:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Father John Misty
“My husband loves you!” one crowd member yelled. “I’m sorry about that…” Father John Misty replied. Quickly filling in for a last minute cancellation, Josh Tillman, aka Father John Misty, had performed an all acoustic set playing some of his well known songs. His set was later on in the day and felt perfect for the rush of activities that surrounded up until then. It had allowed us to properly take in the moment and connect back into the music. If you haven’t heard Father John Misty play before, it is a indie–pop–folk mashup that has some cool easter eggs mixed in.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FATHER JOHN MISTY:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Tom Morello
What a way to end Newport Folk Festival 2026! Tom Morello, formally with Rage Against the Machine, was our end to the festival (as the Lumineers was the official set to end and they played their last set for a while). Bringing out his son Roman Morello, this set was filled with energy. Tom successfully schooled us and then re-educated us on how to play a set in a historic festival. His love for doing things different and speaking up for all people translated well into his set. We will forever replay this set in our minds–we still can’t believe from the crowd to Roman’s and Tom’s high-voltage performance, Newport Folk Festival went out in a bang.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TOM MORELLO:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | TIKTOK | WEBSITE | YOUTUBE
Check out our day three gallery from Newport Folk Festival below!
Day three was a success! We are looking forward to next year and the magic that surrounds this festival. What were your favorite moments? Who are artists do you think would thrive here? Are there any other festival should we go to next?
Let us know by commenting down below or by tweeting us @TheHoneyPOP! We are also on Facebook, Instagram, and Discord. We would love to hear from you!
